Dayton Public Schools is working over the summer to help students catch up on filling out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.
"The FAFSA process has been a disaster across the country," said Sherry Gale oversees college scholarships for Dayton Public Schools.
Nationwide, there’s been a drop in high school graduates filling out the FAFSA form.
This year's form was supposed to be improved and easier to use, but the form rollout came with delays and errors that led to a big drop in students completing the application. Education leaders fear that may mean fewer students end up in college next fall.
"We’re talking about a possible 20-30% reduction in the number of students who can go to college this next year," Gale said.
Last May, nearly 600 high school seniors graduated from the DPS District.
According to Gale, universities use data from these completed forms to determine financial aid for applicants.
So the Dayton Public School District hired two part time counselors to help students and their guardians successfully fill out the digital forms.
Until the end of July, the counselors are available online and in person. One counselor is at Thurgood Marshall STEM High School, another is at Stivers School for the Arts. More information is on dps.k12.oh.us or counselors can be called on the phone: Thurgood Marshall STEM High School is at 937-542-6626 and Stivers School for the Arts is at 937-542-7390.
