Our Plan
The Scioto Foundation’s UCAN plan has four components:
1. Creation of School-Initiated Scholarship Endowment Funds
2. Support for Local School Districts in Establishing or Expanding AP Class Offerings
3. Establishment of a Centralized Scholarship Database for Scioto County Youth
4. Formation of a Marketing Campaign Focused upon the Importance of Saving for College
1. Creation of School-Initiated Scholarship Endowment Funds
In the fall of 2008, school districts located in Scioto County, Ohio will have the opportunity to access matching grants for building scholarship funds from the Scioto Foundation’s UCAN program. To do so, a school district must establish a scholarship fund at the Scioto Foundation, submit a letter of intent and Board of Education resolution to participate in the program and follow other guidelines set forth by the Scioto Foundation.
To encourage fundraising efforts, the Scioto Foundation will offer each school district a 1:1 Matching Grants Program of up to $10,000 per year. The number of scholarships and amount of award per student will be directly impacted by each school district’s ability to raise funds, the Scioto Foundation’s rate of returns and the Scioto Foundation’s “pay-out” policy statement. To support the Matching Grants Program, the Scioto Foundation initially pledges over one-half million dollars of total support or $110,000 per year for the next five years.
The Scioto Foundation will assist school districts in creating “Road Maps” or plans in order to raise funds for the initial five-year period. Planning is an integral part of fund raising and is needed to develop significant scholarships over a period of time. Annual audit/fundraising planning retreats will be scheduled to assist school districts in creating their “Road Maps.” The Foundation will present each participating district an annual one-page report indicating fundraising activity and investment performance that can be shared with the community.
2. Support for Local School Districts in Establishing or Expanding AP Class Offerings
Supporting local school districts in establishing or expanding AP class offerings is a two-fold process:
The Scioto Foundation, participating school districts, the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center and Shawnee State University will work to create an AP University Center on the campus of Shawnee State University. The AP Center at SSU will assist local schools in increasing their numbers of AP certified teachers by reducing the costs of teacher training significantly. Currently, teachers travel to various universities located across Ohio and Kentucky to receive certification. Typically, the training is three to five days in length and requires overnight accommodations, which in addition to increased cost, can also be a major commitment on the part of a teacher. On average, the cost to certify one AP instructor is approximately $2,000. An AP training center closer to home could reduce costs significantly. The Scioto Foundation plans to underwrite a portion of these costs to ensure even more participation from local schools.
To expand the number of and/or support students taking AP courses, the Scioto Foundation will offer mini-grants of up to $1,000 per school district. These grant dollars will be used as stipends to cover the costs of students’ PSAT, AP, and ACT/SAT exams and preparation materials.
3. Establishment of a Centralized Scholarship Database for Scioto County Youth
Numerous scholarships are available to students in Scioto County, Ohio. However, contacts, application procedures and deadlines vary. A consolidated website, attached or linked to the Scioto Foundation website, could serve as a one-stop location for graduating seniors and their parents to search for scholarship opportunities. To achieve this goal, the Scioto Foundation will work with an outside consultant to develop a county-wide scholarship locator for local students. Maintaining the website on an annual basis will be another key factor; as you well know, a website is only effective is its information is current.
4. Formation of a Marketing Campaign Focused upon the Importance of Saving for College
The Scioto Foundation plans strategies to encourage more families to participate in qualified 529 plans. The foundation envisions a partnership with local brokers, the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, local universities, schools, local businesses and other funders to create a media campaign which persuades parents and grandparents of elementary-aged children to help by making small monthly payments to college savings funds.
The goal of the campaign is to change mindsets. No longer should parents and/or grandparents focus on the question: Why should I save if my child doesn’t attend college? Instead, the focus should be on, what if I fail to save and my child does attend college? In addition, many parents and/or grandparent may feel that only the wealthy can participate in a savings plan. Yet to participate in the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, a parent or grandparent has the opportunity to create a savings plan with a minimum installment of $15.00 per child. Payroll deductions through employers are a great way of saving. While creating a savings plan that pays for a complete four years or even one year of college for many families is not realistic, any savings that helps to reduce loans for your child or grandchild is money well saved!
The Foundation will offer mini-grants for school districts/PTO’s and PTA’s to promote college savings plans during elementary aged-programs, teacher conferences, school open houses, Back to School Nights and other events.