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Gear Up Kentucky wins seven-year grant; Bath County to add college-career coach and new scholarship for rising seventh graders
Summary
Sheila Armstrong, Bath County district program manager for Gear Up, told the school board the program secured a seven-year federal grant that will fund a college-and-career coach, student engagement teams, expanded services and a new Gear Up scholarship (minimum PEL $740) for participating rising seventh graders.
Sheila Armstrong, district program manager for Gear Up in Bath County, told the board on June 22 that the program secured another seven-year federal grant and will expand services in the district, including hiring a college-and-career coach based in the middle school and launching a Gear Up scholarship for rising seventh graders.
Armstrong said Gear Up — a federally funded college-and-career-readiness initiative — will continue serving seventh, 11th and 12th graders under the new grant cycle and will emphasize graduation, postsecondary enrollment and postsecondary persistence. The program provides college- and career-advising support, classroom curriculum (financial literacy, academic preparedness and social-emotional learning), industry tours and summer opportunities. Armstrong said the program already serves more than 10,000 students across eight districts in this grant cycle.
For the first time in Gear Up’s history, Bath County students in the rising-seventh cohort will receive a Gear Up scholarship. Armstrong described the scholarship structure as a minimum PEL (projected eligible level) award of $740 for each qualifying student and an additional $600 if the student persists into the second year. Armstrong also said she will begin hiring a college-and-career coach and that the grant funds a student engagement team that will visit districts quarterly to run events and supports.
Board members asked how students and families can access services; Armstrong said she maintains an office in the high school, visits classrooms, posts information in Google Classroom and uses QR codes and district communications to share contact details. She encouraged board members and community volunteers to visit and observe Gear Up activities. "We're very thankful for the partnership," she said, and asked board members to help publicize opportunities to parents and students.
The board did not take action on the presentation itself; the program update was informational and staff said they will email materials to board members and post resources online.
