For Immediate Release
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March 6, 2013 (Sacramento, CA) – As of Friday, March 1, 2013, sequestration went into effect. On a national level, GEAR UP will be forced to take a 5.3 percent reduction. On a state level, California GEAR UP is prepared to manage the implications of a mandated reduction with the least amount of impact on the schools and large communities served by the program. For further information on the impact to the GEAR UP program nationally, please visit www.ed.gov and http:///www.edpartnerships.org.
Education Trust Awards:
The 5,370 Education Trust Award recipients should be relieved to learn that no reduction will occur in your award level. All Education Trust Awards to date have been fully funded. Education Trust Awards provide $2,000 in resources to defray the costs of college attendance. The awards are available to students within one year of high school graduation and upon college enrollment.
The goal of California GEAR UP is to provide a network of support for schools towards implementing long-term, sustainable strategies to create a college-going culture. We look forward to their continued growth and success as we collaborate to achieve this common purpose, regardless of the adversity presented by the current federal budget crisis.
Since 1999, California GEAR UP has impacted:
- 256 California Middle Schools
- 440,000 California Middle School Students
- 51,000 Families
- 2,100 Middle School Teachers
- 5,370 Education Trust Awards
“GEAR UP is an efficient program in local communities designed to increase the number of low-income and first-generation students prepared to enroll and succeed in college. Our economic prosperity and global competiveness is at stake when we put programs like GEAR UP at risk. We urge our leaders to consider the impact on low-income middle and high school students to enter and succeed academically when funding for effective programs, such as GEAR UP, is decreased.” –Penny Edgert, Executive Director California Education Round Table Intersegmental Coordinating Committee.
If you have questions regarding California GEAR UP and the effects of sequestration, please contact Sean Brennan, Communications Manager: sean.brennan@ucop.edu, 415-948-9262.
Sincerely,
Penny Edgert, Principal Investigator, California GEAR UP
