Concord, N.H. – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Senator Maggie Hassan, and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda E. McMahon and the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought demanding the Administration deliver the federal funding allocated to New Hampshire’s TRIO programs.
TRIO programs provide support to individuals from low-income backgrounds, students who would be the first person in their families to earn a college degree, students with disabilities, and other students to attend college. From personalized tutoring to personal mentoring and advising, to assistance applying for and identifying funding options, TRIO programs make a real difference in a student’s ability to attend and complete college.
“The TRIO Programs are a cornerstone of our nation’s commitment to educational access and upward mobility,” the delegation wrote. “The ongoing delay in issuing GANs is already having real-world consequences in our home state of New Hampshire. We are particularly concerned about the damage being caused by the Department’s delayed notification to the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Upward Bound program. UNH’s program is slated to begin June 1. They only have enough carryover funding for roughly one month before they would need to lay off staff and shutter a program that has had such a significant positive impact on the lives of so many Granite Staters. We urge you to act without further delay to ensure that TRIO programs can operate on schedule and provide the services that New Hampshire’s students and those across the country are counting on.”
“TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, summer academies, and other supports necessary to help economically disadvantaged students enter college and graduate,” said Joshua Gagnon, President, NH Educational Opportunity Association. “We know that TRIO works – students who participate in Upward Bound are more than twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree by age 24 than their peers. If grant notices are not received by June 1, over 14,000 students nationally – including 114 students in NH – could miss out on this life-changing educational opportunity.”
Read the delegation’s full letter here.
New Hampshire’s federal delegation has been outspoken in defense of public education. Earlier this month, Congresswoman Goodlander and Senator Hassan met with educators and school officials to hear about the support the U.S. Department of Education provides for K-12 students, including TRIO programs, and students pursuing higher education, and the importance of delivering the funding New Hampshire was promised.
