U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) on Feb. 4 sponsored bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would continue federal support for low-income middle and high school students preparing for college and careers.
H.R. 954 would reauthorize grants under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) joined Rep. Hurd in introducing H.R. 954. In the U.S. Senate, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Jan. 31 sponsored companion legislation, S. 303.
“GEAR UP serves thousands of local students in my district and gives them the tools they need to become valuable contributors to our workforce,” Rep. Hurd said. “I’ll continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that every student has an equal chance for success.”
GEAR UP competitive grants provide students counseling, tutoring, mentoring and scholarships. Rep. Hurd’s home state of Texas, for instance, last year received more than $25 million in new annual grant funding, including for Sul Ross State University (Sul Ross) and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a Feb. 1 statement released by the congressman’s office.
Sul Ross State, for example, received a seven-year GEAR UP grant worth more than $900,000 a year that will serve more than 1,100 GEAR UP students from numerous Texas school districts.
“Being in a region filled with small towns, it sometimes feels like our students’ potential can be overlooked, but GEAR UP shows that we are making a difference in their lives,” said Monica Saenz, director of the Sul Ross GEAR UP. “We are expanding their educational experience and closing the learning gap.”
Meanwhile, UTEP’s GEAR UP program, which received its first grant cycle in 1999, is currently funded at more than $2 million a year, according to Rep. Hurd’s office, which noted that the program will support students from 10 middle schools in the Ysleta (Texas) Independent School District.
“Ensuring access to educational opportunities for Texans of all backgrounds strengthens our economy, drives innovation across all industries and allows folks to overcome socio-economic challenges that are influenced by education inequality,” said Rep. Hurd.
Rep. Davis pointed out that some of the highest college dropout rates are among low-income students. “Programs like GEAR UP are essential to helping students who start college graduate,” she said, adding that GEAR UP’s “proven success means expanding the program will put more low-income students who start college in a position to finish college.”
“Our local schools should be able to use grants to cater specifically to their students’ needs,” Sen. Cornyn said. “This legislation will bring even greater local control in the GEAR UP program, from which many students in Texas have already benefited.”
S. 303 is cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Joe Manchin (D-WV). Sen. Cornyn said he looks forward “to working with my colleagues to make sure students don’t fall behind, improve college completion rates, and ensure decisions rest with those who know our students best.”
Gary Edens, vice president for student affairs at UTEP, called GEAR UP “a catalyst for educational attainment and progression to a post-secondary degree.”
“Our GEAR UP grant results in more students completing high school and pursuing a college degree,” Edens said.
Roxanne Rosales, San Antonio ISD GEAR UP grant manager, said the district applauds Rep. Hurd’s continued efforts to champion GEAR UP for students of color across the country. San Antonio ISD has received two GEAR UP grants that served the graduating classes of 2012 and 2017, she said.
“GEAR UP students report that much of their success is due to the dedication of GEAR UP staff, who have known and supported them since the 7th grade,” Rosales said. “The staff has followed them as they enrolled in college, enlisted in the military, and embarked on a diverse set of careers.”
Rep. Hurd’s H.R. 954 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, while S. 303 is under review in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.