Rocking the Republican Boat

Mr. Rick Keller, a Florida Republican, is fighting against the U.S. Education Department to prevent it from making a change in the formula that the federal government uses to calculate students' need for financial aid. The change is scheduled to go into effect in the 2004-5 academic year. Budget officials at the department have estimated that 84,000 students would lose their eligibility for Pell Grants, the government's main source of aid for low-income students. Mr. Keller believes that if the Republicans allow students to lose their Pell Grants, the party will pay a heavy price.