North Carolina community college students enjoy the benefits of higher education at a relatively low price – about $1,344 per year in tuition. But add on book fees and other expenses, and consider the fact that many community college students are paying for living expenses while working, and that number grows.

Many of the community college students are going it on their own, without much help from Mom and Dad. What's more problematic: They have access to fewer student aid resources, even though they often have greater needs than their counterparts in four-year colleges and universities.

Fewer than half of the state's 58 community colleges offer access to every loan program offered by the federal government. Community colleges are penalized if 25 percent or more of students at their school default on loans for three years in a row. That's all the more reason counselors and advisers should help those students find jobs that will allow them to pay back what they borrow.

The N.C. General Assembly would do North Carolina's post-high school population a world of good by putting more money into the N.C. Community College Grant Program.

The grants would help high school graduates get a better education, even if a four-year college is out of reach. That's especially important in Eastern North Carolina, where a better educated workforce could help attract better jobs.

The General Assembly can't cure all of North Carolina's education needs by throwing money at the issue. That's all the more reason to channel funds into programs that can count on a high rate of payback.

That's a win-win situation for the state and for tomorrow's skilled workers.