For anyone, especially young people of modest means, a college education is still among the best avenues for attaining success in a competitive job market, gaining upward mobility and joining the middle class.
And let’s not forget the trickle up benefits: Expanding access to educational opportunities leads to a better-equipped workforce, which spurs economic development in local communities.
As a high school teacher, I understand how important it is for college-bound students to have the resources they need as they move to the next step in their education. I have advised hundreds of students from low-income families as they navigate the difficult process of applying for college and financial aid. This firsthand experience has led me to the unfortunate conclusion that Nevada is not doing enough to recruit low-income prospective students into college and keep them on track for graduation.
The statistics clearly reflect that. Ranking 44th nationally, Nevada’s college participation rate for students from low-income families is among the worst in the country. For many Nevada students, the effects of the Great Recession still loom over their family finances, and balancing work to pay tuition costs while juggling a full-time course load proves to be unsustainable.
In 2015, the Nevada Legislature took steps to address this problem by creating the Silver State Opportunity Grant program. It is Nevada’s first state-sponsored, need-based financial aid program for students attending a community college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education.
The program awards grant aid based on a variety of factors, including the total cost of attendance and household income. Currently, there are a little more than 1,100 students who benefit from this program, a drop in the bucket when we consider that some 105,000 students attend the degree-granting campuses of the NSHE.
The creation of the program was an important milestone in our state’s efforts to put Nevadans on a path to education. But a major hurdle for many students, particularly those with jobs or family responsibilities, is the burdensome 15-unit course load that is required for eligibility in addition to the financial metrics.
This session, I am introducing Assembly Bill 155, which aims to make it easier for full-time higher education students from working-class communities to stay in school. The bill would expand the number of eligible students for the Silver State Opportunity Grant program by reducing the minimum number of credit hours required per semester from 15 to 12, which is typically considered to be a standard full-time course load in academia.
Such a change to the eligibility requirements would mean that more students would have access to financial assistance in paying for the cost of education at a community college or university in Nevada.
Last year, I became a legislator because I knew we could do better as a state to ensure that every student has access to a high quality education. I believe my first priority as an Assembly member must be to help enact legislation that would improve our education system and expand opportunities for students throughout our state. AB155 is one solution as we strive for meaningful education reform this session.
Want to know more?
For students interested in the Silver State Opportunity Grant, more information is available from the NSHE institutions where the grant is made available. Here’s contact information for applicable schools in the Las Vegas Valley:
College of Southern Nevada Financial Aid
Website: csn.edu/financial-aid
Phone: 702-651-4303
Nevada State College Financial Aid
Website: nsc.edu/financial-aid
Phone: 702-992-2150
Assemblywoman Selena Torres, D-Las Vegas, was elected to the Legislature in November. She was 23 years old at the time of the election, making her the second-youngest office holder to serve a state legislature. She represents Assembly District 3.