Brenda French-Jeffryes made about $20,000 a year as a hairstylist before enrolling at Fort Lewis College in Durango in hopes of getting a higher-paying job to support her two college students and an eighth-grader. French-Jeffryes and her sons attend college with help from federal need-based Pell grants, so she had three reasons to cheer the federal stimulus law that raises the maximum Pell grant per award year from $4,731 to $5,350 on July 1, according to the Associated Press. The amount would rise to $5,550 next year. She said she is paying about $3,200 per semester in tuition and fees as she works toward a business degree. "Every little bit helps," said French-Jeffryes, 47. "I am happy to see they’re increasing it a little, especially for those of us who survive because of the Pell. I couldn’t go to school without it." College students in Pell and federal work-study programs are some of the clear winners from the sprawling stimulus bill. But Colorado’s 178 school districts and its roughly two dozen higher-learning institutions could benefit too…

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