SB150: INCREASING CHAFEE GRANT ACCESS FOR FOSTER YOUTH February 7, 2019
INFORMATION TO PARTICIPATE T oday’s PowerPoint can be downloaded from the Ø ”handouts” section of your control panel T o submit questions, click on the “Questions” Ø panel, type your question, and click “send” Presentation materials and audio will also be Ø posted at www.jbaforyouth.org 2
¡ Introductions ¡ Experiences & Challenges to Academic Success that Foster Youth Face Agenda ¡ Chafee Education and Training Vouchers ¡ Senate Bill 150 Provisions ¡ How You Can Help ¡ Q & A
¡ Debbie Raucher Project Director, John Burton Advocates for Y outh ¡ Juana Hernandez Today’s Higher Education Manager, LA Area Chamber of Commerce Presenters ¡ Xavier Mountain Y outh Advocate, John Burton Advocates for Y outh ¡ Estevan Ginsburg Legislative Aide, Office of Senator Jim Beall
Children Over 66,000 Overview of 0-17 enter 30,000 children foster care current and youth due to and former Child Welfare currently abuse foster in foster and/or youth are care in neglect in enrolled in California the home. college
Abuse and/or neglect in home Removal from home Experiences Separation from siblings Foster Youth Face Instability - multiple placements Frequent changes in school
One third of students in foster Over one in five youth in foster care change schools at least care has a disability, almost once during the school year— three times the rate of the four times the rate of other general population students Challenges to School High rates Academic Mobility of disability Success High Rates Poor school of Chronic quality Absenteeism Over half of One in four foster California foster youth in California are youth attend poor chronically absent quality high schools compared to one in compared to one- ten for the general third of the general student population. student population. .
Percentage of students who scored at each of five proficiency levels at the California Standards T est in English Language Arts Experiences Result in Academic Delays
The extension of foster care to age 21 has expanded college enrollment by 10-11% for each additional year in care Foster Youth and Post- By age 19/20, 54.8% of foster youth are enrolled in college Secondary Education Of those enrolled in college, 84.8% enroll in a 2-year community college Once enrolled, however, foster youth struggle to be successful
Course Success Rates at Community College 80% Foster youth 71% 70% 61% succeed in 57% 60% college courses 47% 50% at a lower rate 40% 30% than their 20% counterparts. 10% 0% credit courses basic skills Foster Youth Non Foster youth Course success is defined as achieving a grade of A, B, C or P
Highest Grade Completed at Age 26 Former Same age foster youth comparison group No high school diploma or GED 20% 6% Level of High school diploma only 31% 18% Education GED only 9% 4% One or more years of Completed college, but no degree 32% 26% 2-year college degree 4% 10% 47% 8% 4-year college degree 3% 24% One or more years of graduate school 1% 13%
Decreasing Opportunity
Outcomes From Lack of Education
POVERTY At age 26, foster youth are 300% more likely to be living in poverty Outcomes From Lack of CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT At age 26, foster youth are 2 to 5 times more likely to Education be arrested At age 26, foster youth are 4 to 9 times more likely to be incarcerated
Students with a zero-expected family contribution who receive: Financial aid impacts college 17% graduation $1,000-2,500 persistence and or transfer rate success. 3x 47% graduation $7,500 or transfer rate
¡ Grants up to $5,000 for current or former foster youth ¡ Paid through a combination Chafee of state and federal dollars Education and ¡ Available for a maximum of 5 years or up to age 26 Training ¡ Can be used for living costs FY 2017-18 Vouchers rather than just tuition and $13.2 million fees 3,516 students ¡ Funds authorized through $3,750 average award the Department of Social Services and managed FY 2018-2019 through California Student Aid Commission $17.2 million
Grant disbursement delays ¡ Many students do not receive funds until well into the school year Satisfactory Academic Progress Challenges of ¡ Estimated 20-50% of Chafee recipients the Chafee ETV lose funding due to not making SAP ¡ Loss of all financial aid makes continued enrollment extremely challenging ¡ Students returning to school after previous SAP disqualification remain ineligible
¡ Represents the 15 th District (San Jose, Cambell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga) SB 150 ¡ Three decades of public service ¡ Distinguished legislative track record: Author: ¡ Extension of foster youth care from age 18 to 21 Jim Beall ¡ Affordable Housing ¡ Transportation Infrastructure ¡ Mental Health Services ¡ Cal Grant Expansion ¡ Thank you Jim Beall!
Authorize CSAC to over-award Chafee grants in order to ensure timely receipt of payments Allow students to receive Chafee grants for two years before losing grant due to not making SAP SB 150 Provisions Allow returning students to regain eligibility for Chafee grant Specify criteria for appeal for the loss of a Chafee grant
Current Process: • CSAC awards Chafee grants to qualified students. Current • About half of students are distribution of not enrolled or are ineligible, and funds are Chafee Grants withdrawn and awarded to leads to delays students on waiting list. • Students awarded in later in financial aid rounds of funding don’t receipt receive funds until late in the school year.
Provision 1: Authorize CSAC to over-award Chafee grants in order to ensure timely receipt of payments Proposed Process: • Starting in the 2021-2022 award year, CSAC would be authorized to distribute up to twice the allocated Chafee budget (“over-award”) during the first award cycle to ensure faster disbursement. • Bill protects from overages by stipulating that CSAC deduct any spending overages from the program in the following year.
Impact of Cal Grant Over-awarding 2015- Provision 1 would 61.90% 2016 implement a process that has 2017- 82.20% 2018 been successful for the Percentage of students receiving their grant by January distribution of the The process of over-awarding was implemented for the Cal competitive Cal Grant program in 2017-2018 and found to speed up the Grant disbursement process by 33%. Total percentage of awards paid increased from 92.8% in 2014/2015 to 100% in 2016/2017
Provision 2: Allow students to Current Process: receive Chafee Failure to meet grants for two Satisfactory Financial Aid Academic T ermination years before Progress (SAP) One year losing grant due to not making Satisfactory Proposed Process: Academic Failure to meet Progress (SAP) Satisfactory Financial Aid T ermination Academic T wo years Progress (SAP)
Standard that students must meet to receive state and federal financial aid, including publicly subsidized loans and work study. 67% 150% 2.0 Satisfactory Pace timeframe GPA Academic Progress Students must Students must The required GPA complete a set complete their is set by individual percentage of degree within 150% institution but credits attempted. of the credit hours must be set no required for their It is commonly set lower than 2.0. program. at 67%.
¡ Federal law requirements requires States to implement some form of academic progress requirement for the Chafee grant ¡ BUT it is not required that it be the same standard as federal aid standards. Is the Chafee ¡ The decision to impose SAP subject to SAP requirements on the Chafee Grant in California was made in 2001 when the requirements? program was created. ¡ Improved understanding of the challenges foster youth face in college and importance of financial aid points to a need for reevaluation of these SAP requirements.
SAP Requirements Federal aid Subject to SAP per federal law • Pell Grant • Federal Work Study • Subsidized loans Precedent exists State aid Subject to SAP per state law for special • Cal Grant considerations • CA Dream Act for foster youth Chafee ETV Subject to SAP currently – federal law allows flexibility in standards Community College Foster youth are exempted from Promise Grant (fee SAP requirements by regulation waiver)
Percentage of students who have a 2.0 GPA or How are foster higher in California’s Community College 100% youth grades in 90% college 80% 67% 70% compared to 60% 51% the general 50% 40% population? 30% 20% 10% 0% Chafee recipients General Population
A July 2018 survey of youth in the state’s two transitional housing programs for current and former foster youth found that one in five youth in both housing programs have lost financial aid due to failure to meet SAP. Losing financial aid Lost Financial Aid Due to Failure to due to SAP Meet SAP disproportionately 20% affects foster youth. Maintained SAP 80%
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