town hall meetings on college affordability

Dear Constituent,

I am writing to invite you to a series of town hall meetings on college affordability that I will be hosting over the next two weekends:

Saturday, April 8
11:00 am
Lowell High School
Little Theater
50 Fr. Morissette Boulevard
Lowell, MA

2:30 pm
Sudbury Town Hall
322 Concord Road
Sudbury, MA

Saturday, April 15
11:00 am
Northern Essex Community College
Technology Center
100 Elliott Street
Haverhill, MA

2:30 pm
Lancaster Town Hall
695 Main Street
Lancaster, MA


I will be joined by a panel of college admissions and financial aid experts to answer questions about applying to and paying for college, as well as dealing with education-related debts.

The increasing cost of a college education is hurting Americans on a number of levels. For America to remain the most competitive and innovative nation, we must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity. Unfortunately, we are not adequately investing in our education system. Primary and secondary education have suffered from massive budget cuts and tuition costs have risen dramatically, forcing millions of students to assume large debts, work long hours or even forgo college. We need to:

Stop Cutting Student Aid

Congress should work to make college less expensive - not more. The majority in Congress recently cut roughly $12 billion from critical student aid programs. Furthermore, federal grants for higher education have not kept pace with inflation. I support legislation to increase the availability of student grants and loans for college.

Relieve the Burden of Student Loans

We should promote affordable tuition by increasing funds for public universities and controlling rising university fees. Congress should also cut the excessive subsidies to lending institutions, a move that would save students thousands of dollars over the life of their loans.

Ensure Quality Education for All Children

President Bush made a promise that all American schoolchildren would be proficient in reading and math by 2014, and that no child would be allowed to slip through the cracks. We must fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure America's schools can better prepare our children for college.

I would like to know what you think about this important issue, and hope you will be able to attend on April 8th or 15th. For more information or to RSVP, please call my district office at 978-459-0101.

Sincerely,

Marty Meehan