College Now asks county for $500,000 to continue scholarships; committee hears completion and debt‑repayment results

Katie Warshawski and Bob Durham of College Now Greater Cleveland briefed the Cuyahoga County Education Environment Sustainability Committee on April 16 on the organization’s scholarship work and two county-funded programs aimed at boosting college completion.

Warshawski said the county’s longstanding scholarship program has helped 855 county high‑school graduates through the most recent school year and that 78% of those recipients were either graduated or still enrolled at last report. She asked the committee to continue funding the scholarship program with a $500,000 appropriation that would support roughly 70 new students. "The scholarships we request to total up to $8,000 in total, so over 4 years up to $2,000 a year," Warshawski said, adding that College Now awards are last‑dollar scholarships paid after Pell, the Ohio College Opportunity Grant and institutional aid.

Durham described two additional county initiatives funded with ARPA and budget dollars: a completion‑scholarship program that provided $2,000 "finish‑line" awards to high‑need students and a targeted institutional‑debt repayment program that pays up to $2,000 in past balances owed to colleges so students can reenroll. Durham said an early round funded about 305 students at a cost of roughly $600,000 and reported 34% of that cohort have graduated. He said program administrators paid modest account balances — often under $1,000 — that nonetheless prevented students from registering or receiving transcripts.

On the debt‑repayment program, Durham said eligibility required students to meet with an adult advising team and provide enrollment verification from partner institutions such as Cuyahoga Community College (Tri‑C) and Cleveland State University before funds were applied. "Once we received that verification that the student was enrolled in classes, we could pay off the past due debt," he said.

Committee members asked whether proposed or rumored federal changes to the Department of Education and FAFSA processing were discouraging students from applying for aid. Presenters said students have called College Now worried about Pell eligibility and FAFSA access — issues that could reduce the pool of students eligible for the county’s last‑dollar awards.

Members expressed broad support for the programs despite a county operating deficit. The committee discussed shifting some remaining debt‑repayment dollars to another round of completion scholarships; presenters said roughly $1 million in funding remains from prior allocations and that the proposed reshuffle could allow more completion awards while preserving debt relief for future applicants.

The committee did not take a funding vote at the meeting; staff and presenters agreed to provide follow‑up scholarship selection materials and fiscal details to support forthcoming legislation.