Lunch and Learn Milwaukee Public Schools FAFSA Completion Challenge 1

Context & Introductions Milwaukee Succeeds – Milwaukee Public Schools 2

Do You Remember….? What did tuition, room and meal plan cost in your first year of college? 3

Average Tuition, Room/Meals & Fees  Wisconsin Statistics 1980 – 1981 Average costs were $2, – 2016 Average costs were $19,548 (average for in-state 4 year public university)  National Statistics (in dollars) from NCES 1980 – 1981 Average cost $8, – 2015 Average cost $21,728 4

Outcomes We will…  Discuss how to embed FAFSA completion into high school culture.  Strengthen your knowledge so you can promote FAFSA awareness and completion by your students and parents.  Which includes the changes in the application process and timeline.  Share the developed resources to support parents in this process.  Explore possible resources for you to promote FAFSA completion. 5

Today’s Agenda:  The Approach to Embed FAFSA into School Culture  Facts – Myths/Barriers – Changes  Parents: What to Consider?  Resources & Support 6

FAFSA Completion Challenge The Goal:  Our goal, as a community, is to increase the MPS FAFSA completion rate from 39% to 59%!  (Benchmark established last June, 2015) 7

Q: How do schools currently support postsecondary access?  ACT/SAT Tests  College Applications - Wisconsin Students Go To College (WSG2C)  College Fit (2 year, 4 year, tech schools/programs)  Write letters of recommendations for students And, we also need to consider the cost of attending…. 8

So, What about The FAFSA? (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)  Q: What do you already know about the FAFSA?  Q: What are you and the school already doing to support the completion for the FAFSA? 9

Schools and All Senior Level Staff Have a Role…  Cost is a major factor in whether a student attends college.  It is our responsibility to make sure our students file the FAFSA and to help them with the process – this means all staff who have contact with senior students need an awareness about the process.  And it starts with something as simple as helping both parents and students create a FSA ID. 10 The ultimate guardians of excellence are not external forces, but internal professional responsibilities. - Paul Ramsden, 1992.

The FAFSA: How can we embed it into our culture? Creative activities to engage Students and Families  Take classroom time to create an FSA ID – electronic signature  Host Tuition Tuesdays – have a Financial Literacy class (highlight financial literacy tips)  Offer extra credit when students document FAFSA completion  Offer discounts to school events when students document FAFSA completion  Invite outside partners to talk with students or assist in any of the above activities 11

The FACTS about the FAFSA  Attending and completing college will IMPROVE our community  The FAFSA is necessary to qualify for federal, state and some types of institutional aid  Students are more likely to attend college if they file the FAFSA  – 149,003 Wisconsin students filed the FAFSA and received need-based financial aid at higher education institutions in Wisconsin  Students are more likely to attend full-time if aid is received; and therefore, they are more likely to complete a degree if full-time.  Students who file early, on average receive more than twice the funding from federal, state and college sources than those who file later in the year. 12

FAFSA Barriers and Myths Myths:  The FAFSA is too complicated, difficult or intrusive  I won’t qualify for financial aid, my parents make too much money  Only students with good grades get financial aid  Belief that the FAFSA only qualifies a student for grants, not loans or scholarships  Students with Undocumented parents cannot apply  Military benefits will cover every thing, I don’t need to file a FAFSA 13 Barriers:  Lack of Parent involvement or access to parents and/or parents’ information  Lack of understanding its importance  Fear of how it works and the length of time it takes

New: The Early FAFSA  The FAFSA can be filed beginning October 1, 2016  Federal Tax information requested on the FAFSA is from 2015 for the FAFSA (The taxes should already be completed.)  Goal is to have financial aid information while making a college admissions decision 14

Parent Involvement  Parents are 100% vital to the process.  It is imperative that THEY obtain an FSA ID (their electronic signature).  Use Parent/Teacher conferences as an opportunity to discuss the FAFSA and college preparation events.  Add a message to senior mailings and calling campaigns to inform families about the FAFSA.  Existing relationships can make a difference when discussing their role as essential to their child’s success. 15

MPS Resources  School-Based FAFSA Team : Principal, Counselor(s), Parent Coordinator, School Support Teacher  School Counselors  TEAM UP College Access Centers  Wisconsin Students Go To College (WSG2C) Activities during October & November  District-Wide FAFSA Events: October 5 and 12  Financial Aid Nights (in school buildings) planned by your School-Based FAFSA Team. 16

Local and State Resources  College Goal Wisconsin  Great Lakes  DPI-WEOP (Department of Public Instruction-Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Program  Milwaukee Public Library  College Possible  Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee  Junior Achievement  Make A Difference  Lead To Succeed  UWM Talent Search  Upward Bound Programs  Local Colleges and Universities  Local College Financial Aid Offices 17

What Can You Do?  Actively engage both students & parents in conversations about the FAFSA  Embed this into the college and career going culture in your classroom  Remind students about important FAFSA deadlines  Direct specific questions and unique situations to the counselor  Utilize partnerships to provide information to your students  Work with your school counselor and School-Based FAFSA Team for online resources 18

Toolkit: More Resources The Toolkit Includes:  A lesson plan that a teacher can use to teach financial literacy and starting the FAFSA process.  A list of partners that are available to come in and teach a lesson on financial literacy and starting the FAFSA within a classroom.  Ideas about utilizing the school/regional/city-wide existing FAFSA events  Other items to include: Dates of FAFSA events, a sheet for tricks/tips for helping parents, a sheet for how to calculate the true cost of college, a list of common errors on the FAFSA, etc. 19

The Need for your Leadership: You will be instrumental in helping to embed this effort into school culture and we thank you for your leadership. 20 Things to do immediatelyThings to do soon:Things to do down the road: Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do. ― Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe