EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Approximately 64.5% of the Lake Houston area’s total population age 18 and older has some college experience or higher. Percentage of ZIP code population age 18 and older with at least some college experience*
the Department of Education and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients. Individuals will be eligible for this relief if their income is less than $125,000 or $250,000 for couples. “No high-income individual or high-income household—in the top 5% of incomes—will benet from this action,” the release reads. Additionally, the White House announced the pause on federal student loan repayments will be extended one nal time through Dec. 31 and that borrowers should expect to resume payment in January. Per the release, an application process for borrowers to claim relief will be available before the pause on student loan repayments ends. The Department of Education is also proposing an income-driven repayment program as part of the plan, under which monthly pay- ments for undergraduate loans will be capped at 5% of a borrower’s discre- tionary income—about half of the rate most borrowers pay currently. The plan also seeks to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness pro- gram by proposing a rule that borrow- ers who have served in the military; worked at a nonprot; or worked
blue-collar job, and they don’t need a college degree, and now their tax money should go to this?” Crenshaw said during a Partnership Lake Hous- ton luncheon Sept. 30. While Head said the plan will pro- vide temporary respite, he believes its longevity is short lived. “This is a short-term solution,” he said. “There is still a lot of work that needs to be done for long- term solutions.” University of Houston o¨cials said their position on the matter stood in line with an Aug. 24 statement from the Association of Public and Land- grant Universities, of which the uni- versity is a member. “For public colleges and univer- sities, which educate more than three-quarters of all students in post- secondary education, addressing long-term state disinvestment is cru- cial,” the statement reads. “Decades of disinvestment has left students shouldering an increasing share of the cost of college despite vast societal benets of a college-educated work- force and citizenry.”
in federal, state, tribal or local gov- ernment receive appropriate credit toward loan forgiveness. Short-term relief Across the Lone Star College System—which represents Lone Star College-Kingwood—the cost per credit hour this fall is $96, up from $88 in the 2021-22 school year. Despite this increase, however, LSCS Chancellor Stephen Head said the college system is still less expensive than a four-year college. According to Head, less than 10% of the community college system’s stu- dent population borrows loans, but for those who do, the average amount borrowed is $6,000 per year. “The pro [of the plan] is the relief to student loan borrowers,” Head said. “The cons include the fact that many who received loans and repaid them believe this decision is not fair.” U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R¦Houston, echoed concerns cited by Head, adding he did not believe student debt should fall on the backs of taxpayers. “Eighty-seven percent of people don’t have student loans, [so] you’ve got 87% of people who have either paid o§ their student loans already or never got one, and they work in some
51%-60% 61%-70% 71%-80% 81%-90%
Total population age 18 and older with some college experience:
151,075
99 TOLL
1314
77365
77345
77339
77338
1960
77346
77396
LAKE HOUSTON
59
77044
N
SOURCE: AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY 2020 FIVE¡YEAR ESTIMATESCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER *INCLUDES INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SOME COLLEGE, NO DEGREE; AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE; A BACHELOR’S DEGREE; OR A GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL DEGREE.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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LAKE HOUSTON HUMBLE KINGWOOD EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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