George Bush
The president's 2005 budget, which hasn't passed in Congress, would include $73 billion for student financial aid.
Danny Diaz, Albuquerque Bush-Cheney headquarters spokesman, said Bush's tax cuts have allowed parents and students an opportunity to save money for higher education.
The Bush administration increased the Pell Grant award from $3,750 in 2001 and to $4,050 in 2005. It has no plans to raise the grant further.
Bush proposed a plan to spend $33 million on a program to award low-income students an additional $1,000 in Pell Grant money for taking college preparatory courses in high school.
He has said he will make student loans available to nontraditional students to pay for short-term job training and make tax breaks on certain educational expenses permanent.
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The plan would eliminate taxes on money withdrawn from state-sponsored prepaid tuition plans and college savings programs. It would also allow parents to contribute up to $2,000 a year in tax-free education savings accounts for their children.
Educational funding increases would benefit the New Mexico public education system and other programs aimed at better preparing kids for the future, Diaz said.
"When students are better equipped, we know that they are going to be better prepared for the future," he said.
Bush's 2005 budget increases total federal education funding in New Mexico by 47 percent over 2001, according to his Web site.
- Rachael Alaimo-Monson
John Kerry
If elected, Sen. John Kerry said he would offer a fully refundable College Opportunity Tax credit on up to $4,000 of tuition for every year of college and offer aid to states that keep tuitions down - $10 billion, according to his Web site.
Kerry said he wants to simplify a financial aid process that intimidates students. He said getting $5,000 for a student loan requires more paperwork than a $2 million small business loan.
Kerry supports a program that requires two years of national service at health centers or in national security in exchange for four years of free tuition to any state college.
Kerry said he would focus on higher education and lifelong learning to expand opportunities in plans unveiled during the Rainbow-Push and the National Council of La Raza conferences. He said he wants to better prepare workers, especially minorities and women, for the job market.
"We can't rest until all Americans, black and white, rich and poor, people of all colors and all backgrounds, truly have the opportunity they need to make the American dream real," Kerry said in a news release.
- Katy Knapp
Ralph Nader
Independent vice-presidential candidate Peter Camejo said America's future depends on society recognizing free education, including college, is essential to the American economy.
Camejo, who is Nader's running mate, said he would work to reverse the gradual privatization of public education.
"The corporate world wants to use the university and even the high schools - they want in on them," he said.
If corporations are allowed to take over the public education system, it will result in the division of American society into a highly educated wealthy class and an undereducated lower class, he said.
Camejo said college should be free, because it plays a crucial role in balancing poor and privileged communities.
"Free education acts as a big commitment by the society to have fairness," he said. "When the Italians and the Irish immigrants came, the big equalizer was they could get education. Therefore they could do different work than what their parents had done. There's no way they're going to get real education if it isn't free."
He said corporations do not reinvest in public education, even though it enhances the skill levels.
"Corporations are basically not paying taxes, and there's 1,500 that are paying no taxes at all," he said. "So education is a victim of the trend to not have the wealthy pay taxes."
- Matthew Ch†vez
Michael Badnarik
Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik said he wants to be America's first education president.
"I could personally travel around the country and teach people, not only about the Constitution but about science and philosophy," he said.
Badnarik said the U.S. Department of Education has failed in providing quality education to America.
"We spend 10 times as much money on (education) as we did in 1953," he said. "Our students have fallen from first place in math and science to 29th."
Badnarik said if the education department were eliminated, all universities would become private companies forced to compete with each other, which will lower tuition costs.
"I believe education should be affordable so that people can pay for it themselves," he said.
Government-provided financial aid would become obsolete under Badnarik's plan.
"I don't think that the government should be involved in utilizing tax money for private purposes," he said.
Allowing universities to compete will improve the quality of education, he said.
"We would make education cheaper if we got government out of business and make our economy much stronger," he said.
There is always concern that low-income people will have a hard time affording higher education, he said, but private organizations will create scholarships for qualifying students.
- Katy Knapp
David Cobb
Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb says higher education needs to undergo revolutionary change, starting with abolishing tuition.
He said education is a public good that should be provided to all people.
"It's good public policy to encourage everyone to get a college degree," he said. "I want to live in a society where people are aware of science, where they're literate, where they read poetry, and where they know history."
One issue that would take priority in a Cobb presidency is what he calls the indoctrination of students toward obedience.
"Our education system is designed not to teach critical-thinking, self-confident, aware individuals," he said. "Instead, our education system is designed to produce obedient consumers, workers and soldiers."
Cobb said his criticisms are not an indictment of teachers.
"Every public school teacher I've ever met has desperately wanted to be part of creating a nurturing, challenging environment for children," he said. "But the administrations and the system prevent them from doing so."
He said he is concerned with higher education costs and rejects the argument that increased privatization in higher education increases competition and excellence.
It would foster competition, he said.
Above all, he said the state and federal budget strains don't fly with him.
"This is the richest country in the world, so don't tell me there's no money for higher education," he said.
- Matthew Ch†vez
Michael Peroutka
Peroutka says he will abolish the U.S. Department of Education and will leave education up to parents.
"There is nothing in the Constitution that says the government should have anything to do with education in any way, shape or form," said John Lofton, communications director for the Peroutka campaign.
- Rachael Alaimo-Monson
