At KC forum, Sen. Claire McCaskill discusses college spending and borrowing woes

Sen. Claire McCaskill held a Kansas City forum Tuesday designed to explore the huge increase in college costs.

But the 90-minute discussion with students and administrators touched only briefly on specific federal programs aimed at reducing the cost crunch.

Instead, the students — at least one in tears — described their frustration and anger at the difficulty in paying for higher education and in understanding how to manage their college expenses.

“There’s no guidance. There’s no road map,” said Jason Proctor, a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Others described working full-time jobs while pursuing full-time studies and struggling to balance the two.

Parents aren’t always helpful, the students told McCaskill, and counseling can be sporadic. Many students overborrow for college, they said, then graduate with unmanageable debt.

The Missouri Democrat blamed the federal government for extending too much credit to some students.

“Everyone is borrowing as much as they can borrow,” she said. “Financial literacy is a part of this.”

Administrators said they need to do a better job of offering college-level courses to high school students at a low cost. McCaskill decried cuts to higher education by state lawmakers, particularly in Missouri.

The senator supports legislation that would allow students to refinance college debt at lower interest rates. She also supports expanded federal grants for lower-income college students and opposes higher tuition costs for children of undocumented immigrants.

But Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposal for tuition-free public colleges and universities is unrealistic, she said.

“Let’s give everyone a free car. Let’s buy a home for everyone,” she said. “It’s very difficult to do that and afford it.”

McCaskill has endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy. Clinton has proposed free tuition at community colleges, as has President Barack Obama.

As the session at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy ended, student Chelsea Hopson-Rimpson tearfully told McCaskill she didn’t think she could afford housing at a college outside the Kansas City area. She would have to live at home while studying, she said, but she would find a way to make it work.

“Don’t give up,” McCaskill told her. “You’re going to do fine.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 3:19 PM with the headline "At KC forum, Sen. Claire McCaskill discusses college spending and borrowing woes."