Category: Government Actions

PDE Launches New Free Resource to Help Students, Families Fill Out the FAFSA

On July 19,2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced it has partnered with national nonprofit uAspire to launch a free statewide helpdesk to assist students with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application.

FAFSA completion nationwide is at crisis-low levels due to delays in the application release and subsequent processing and data errors, which is why it is now more important than ever for Pennsylvania to lend support to postsecondary students. PDE has worked closely with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, higher education institutions, and high school administrators to increase support for students who need help completing the FAFSA or addressing errors on their FAFSA application. The launch of the new helpdesk ensures that students have the help they need during the summer months when they canā€™t rely on school resources.

This summer, Pennsylvania students, families, and aspiring postsecondary learners can text 313-PA-FAFSA (313-723-2372) to receive personalized support through a scheduled phone call or virtual advising session. Assistance is available in English and in Spanish. In addition to the FAFSA helpdesk, the partnership will also provide postsecondary practitioners with free professional development on all aspects of FAFSA completion, including corrections and verification, as well as financial aid offer review. 

FAFSA is the sole gateway to all federal, state, and most institutional financial aid in Pennsylvania, including student loans available for all income levels.  For more information, click here.

Ceremonial Bill Signing Highlights Budget Investments to Support the Pennsylvania ID/A Community, and Promote Special Olympics

Governor Josh Shapiro joined Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A), caregivers and advocates, and legislative leaders for a ceremonial bill signing to highlight the 2024-25 budget he signed into law last week. Before the signing, the Governor hosted Special Olympics Pennsylvania for a bocce tournament and brunch at the Governorā€™s Residence.

For years, the ID/A community demanded real help ā€“ and Governor Shapiro heard them loud and clear. This budget finally stands up for Pennsylvanians with ID/A and the direct support professionals (DSPs) who care for them by securing $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers, which includes $280 million to help raise wages for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians and $74.8 million to begin the process of clearing the emergency waiting list ā€“ ensuring more Pennsylvanians receive the care they need and deserve.

The bipartisan 2024-25 budget investments build on theĀ $17.49 millionĀ secured in theĀ 2023-24 budgetĀ to help an additional 850 Pennsylvanians with ID/A get off the home and community-based services waiting list.

For more information, click here.

FAFSA Completion Numbers are Down; House Bill Seeks to Move Upcoming Ā Release Date to Oct. 1 (July 14, 2024)

The number of high school seniors who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid stalled this June, spawning fears of enrollment declines this fall,

According to the latest analysis from the National College Attainment Network, as of June 28th some 46% of the high school class of 2024 had submitted the new FAFSA form, which is drop from 53.2% at the same time in 2023. That is a decrease of about 250,000 applicants.

As a result, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced a handful of FAFSA support strategies for increasing completion rates. In fact, one $50 million investment has funded over 65 groups to encourage form completion by, among other things, allowing them to hire more advisers and coaches, as well as offering extended hours throughout the summer.

In addition, on July 10, 2024 the U.S. House education committee advanced a bill that would require the USDE to release the FAFSA by Oct. 1 each year. At present, the USDE is legally required to release the FAFSA by Jan. 1 each year. However, it typically makes the form public on Oct. 1.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Title IX Athletics Rule Delayed Again; Title VI, 504, and Medicaid SBS Rules Also Delayed (July 13, 2024)

As reported by K-12 Dive, a July 5th regulatory update from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shows the Title IX athletics rule proposal has been moved to a ā€œlong-term actionā€ without a rough deadline, meaning the agency doesnā€™t expect a regulatory action within at least the next year. Originally, OMBā€™s Spring 2024 Unified Agenda had also included updates for high-profile forthcoming regulations on race discrimination and Section 504 and the athletics regulation was listed as being in the ā€œfinal rule stage,ā€ or one step away from release. The US Department of Education (USDE) has now set a December 2024 deadline for releasing a proposed Title VI rule on protecting students from discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, in addition to other forms of racial discrimination. The USDE has also set November as the new deadline for a proposed rule for Section 504 covering students with disabilities in schools and colleges.

Another disability-related regulation ā€” also now expected by November ā€” is aimed at easing the process of obtaining parental consent for Medicaid school-based health services. School administrative groups advocating for the proposed change aver that it would make the parental consent process more efficient and cost-effective for schools while still protecting participating studentsā€™ benefits.

However, in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the longstanding Chevron doctrine complicates the path of all of the proposed agency rules changes.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

2024-25 PA Budget Addresses Higher Ed. Needs (July 13, 2024)

With the passage of the 2024-25 Pennsylvania budget, higher education in the commonwealth received the following:

-The creation of a new State Board of Higher Education that will, for the first time, coordinate every sector of higher education in Pennsylvania and utilize student-level data to determine whatā€™s working and whatā€™s not. The board will ensure higher education in Pennsylvania supports critical workforce needs and serves as an economic driver for generations to come. The board will also create a performance-based funding council that will develop recommendations on how to create a performance-based funding formula to drive funds to state-related institutions.

-Investments in public higher education institutions, including a $15.7 million increase ā€“ a 6 percent increase ā€“ for community colleges and $35.1 million increase for PASSHE schools ā€“ also a 6 percent increase.

-Funds to makes higher education more affordable for students with over $120 million in increased funding for scholarships and grants, including $28 million for scholarships to students pursuing a degree in a high-demand field, a $54 million increase to PHEAA student grants, and $5 million for disadvantaged studentsā€™ scholarships.

-Double the funding for student teacher stipends for a total of $20 million to ensure student teachers are compensated for their hard work. For more information, click here.