Due to Gear Up’s partnership grant not being approved, Gear Up will not be continuing its college and career counseling for its high school students.
According to a statement shared by Dr. Ron Iarussi, they are “in conversations with both MTC and an organization called College Now out of the Cleveland Area” for the ability to continue the program. However, it is unclear if negotiations are going anywhere, with the district waiting patiently for confirmation.
Gear Up is a 7 year federally funded program through the United States Department of Education and was granted its funds in August of 2014. A state Gear Up grant is unable to be renewed once it's been assigned within a district. So, it is upon the district to determine the longevity and sustainability of the grant itself.
Gear Up has had lots of success with previous superintendents and district service staff to continue the programming, with their grant being extended far beyond its initial expiration.
Although its new expiration date has been reached, its partnership grant has been denied by less than one decimal point despite "countless hours to polish the grant and make sure all of the corrections were there."
The current cycle of Gear Up is so competitive that even the programs that were eligible and received a sufficient amount of points were denied.
Before the Gear Up program, college readiness fell on the shoulders of the Guidance Office and its counselors. This programming was not as rigorous as it is today due to the excess work school counselors were tasked with. Gear Up and Guidance support each other to do this work.
Gear was approved in August of 2014, with one anonymous source saying that there was "lots of hope that I could help students get to their point B, you know, whatever that point B or point C would have been."
They went on to explain that in the beginning month of being approved, they were fully embraced, with a wall even being knocked down to give them a door connected to the main offices. As it went on, Gear Up advisors were able to build relationships with their students, with alumni even coming back to work with them.
For many, Gear Up acts as a safe space for students and alumni alike, with a source explaining that "I think that it speaks volumes to the work that we've done...it means that just because you've graduated, it doesn't mean you have to stop coming to us for assistance."
Gear Up's impact is apparent with its students, with many coming to Marion City Schools Board meetings to express their support for Gear Up and its impact.
There are numerous stories of the effect Gear has had. One student's story reflects the stories of many, as they were "notorious for not being that high of an academic achieving student." However, with the support of Gear Up through their last years of high school, they slowly got their GPA up and started showing up to class on time.
Then when it came time for them to graduate, they were accepted to OSU Marion with a higher GPA than they could ever imagine as a freshman.
Other students faced the challenge of not having the support in their college experience, with one student's parents refusing to fill out their FAFSA.
The Gear Up advisors were unsure what to do in order to aid this student in this situation. However, they refused to give up, with one advisor reaching out to their state colleagues and eventually getting hold of another guardian to complete their FAFSA, allowing them to not pay anything out of pocket for their first few years of college.
Students are advised to "continue to do whatever they are doing. The students know what they have done and what they have decided to do. If they continue to advocate for the Gear Up program, I feel that is a positive thing that the students and the district deserve."
Though the decision is ultimately in the hands of the district, the support of students is invaluable in showing how important the continuation of the Gear Up program is. Despite some trying to discourage students from using their voices, suggesting that our support does little to change the decision, the fact that the discussion is being had just shows how powerful we can be in this conversation.
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