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GEAR UP presenters tell Goshen County trustees the free program boosted FAFSA completion from 47% to 64% locally
Summary
Presenters from GEAR UP told the Goshen County School District board that the program served 119 local students (about 32% of service-area slots), provides free college and career supports including FAFSA nights and ACT prep, and reported FAFSA completions rising from 47% to 64% among served students.
Representatives from GEAR UP (a college-readiness program) presented to the Goshen County School District board on July 14 to describe services and local metrics.
Kathy Peters (S6) opened the presentation explaining GEAR UP's mission to provide early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs for students in grades 7 through 12 and eligible college freshmen or trade-school students. Laurie Langdon (S5) identified herself as a GEAR UP coordinator and Chelsea Ballard (S7) said she is the GEAR UP director; Ballard reported the program served 119 Goshen County students in the last school year (about 32 percent of the program's service-area enrollment) and noted the program can serve up to 350 students.
Presenters said GEAR UP offers counseling, academic and career planning, financial-aid advising and college visits, and organizes FAFSA nights they call "FAFSA frenzy." Ballard said FAFSA completion among their students rose from 47 percent to 64 percent over the past two years. Presenters also described planned statewide ACT-prep support and noted automatic eligibility rules (for students in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or who are independent/emancipated).
Trustees asked about enrollment deadlines and eligibility; presenters said students may enroll in summer before seventh grade and in some cases as late as a senior's spring semester, though earlier enrollment provides fuller access to services. Trustees and presenters discussed outreach and the program's role in serving students who might otherwise be missed. The board thanked the presenters for the overview.
