The US government is offering an education grant program to help pay for public education for low-income families.
But the program is being criticized by advocates who say it’s not enough.
The program, which is being offered by the Department of Education, requires recipients to pay back at least 10% of their state and local property taxes over the course of the next 10 years.
The government estimates that the grant program will cost taxpayers $1.8 billion over the next five years.
But the Department has said that the funds won’t be distributed until the 2020s.
The education department says it will use a combination of incentives, grants and the Federal Reserve’s purchasing power to ensure the program meets the needs of low- and moderate-income Americans.
In a statement to Recode, the department said that its initiative is aimed at providing a low-cost, affordable alternative to public education and that it has “strong partnerships with schools, local governments and other institutions that support education in low- to moderate- income communities.”
The Department says that its program is designed to address some of the biggest challenges facing low-wage workers: student loan debt, job insecurity, and lack of affordable housing.
Critics say the program fails to address the needs or needs of students and families.