Will college be only for the wealthy?

I read your editorial concerning ACT scores in the Aug. 16 edition of the Daily Herald.

As a high school teacher with 31 years of experience, I share your concerns that minority students are not showing the level of success that we work so hard to produce. But your editorial fails to deal with an important issue. Many minority students see very little hope that they will attend college due to the incredibly high cost of a 4-year college education.

Your editorial fails to expose the lack of financial aid available to students in Illinois. I'm no financial aid expert, but my experience with funding my daughter's college education has made me keenly aware of the lack of money available to cover the exorbitant costs of tuition, fees, and room-and-board.

Minority students are aware of the $50-120K cost of a 4-year degree in Illinois. It saddles students with and enormous burden of debt upon graduation. Many are unwilling to accept this burden and the many years required to pay off their loans. Too many talented minority students simply see a "wall" too high to scale - A burden too heavy to carry.

Unless something is done about the soaring cost of college in this country, eventually, only the wealthy will be able to send their children to college. Shame on us all if we allow this to happen.

Mark Shoub

Hoffman Estates