Chelan School District receives grant to boost college, career readiness

CHELAN – The Lake Chelan School District is one of 13 rural school districts in Washington to receive funding through the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) to enhance college and career readiness opportunities in the district.

WSAC received a seven-year, $35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue supporting students from low-income backgrounds through the Washington State GEAR UP Program. 

GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. It is a federally funded program that partners with high-poverty school districts to increase the number of students who are prepared to attend and succeed in postsecondary education. 

“It just really enhances the college and career readiness opportunities that we can do, and the support that we can offer, so more college trips to college campuses, more college and career exploration activities,” Lake Chelan School District Superintendent Bradley Wilson said. 

“It'll fund a site director, so we'll have somebody on site that just works on that,” he said. “So it really will allow us to offer a more robust program for students, and there's a lot of family outreach activities that will go along with it. So it should really help prepare kids for what comes after high school.”

The school currently has a person who works in this area but due to funding they only have the capacity to work with seniors and some juniors.

“Having that site coordinator, just coordinating activities for students, staff and families is a big resource,” Wilson said. “I mean, it's a big endeavor to engage in that work, you know, starting with seventh graders all the way through the end of high school. So that'll be a great resource for us.”

The grant funding will allow the site coordinator to work with students to encourage them to start thinking about their future steps earlier. They do not need to decide their futures by seventh grade but will have more chances to explore options, build awareness, and gradually narrow their focus from middle school to high school. This approach helps students and families make informed decisions about which classes to take and what experiences to pursue, Wilson said.

A four-year college or associate's degree may not be for everyone but 70% of today's jobs require some form of post-secondary training. To better serve the community Wilson hopes to  encourage students to pursue further education and skill development after high school, he said.

“I guess that's what we're trying to emphasize when we say post secondary or post high school, that's everything from certification programs to the military, not just, universities and community colleges,” Wilson said.

“So I think this will really help, you know, inform that and help students to be ready for what's next,” he said. “Whether that's technical training, two year school, four year school, private school, that variety of opportunities to find something that'll prepare them for the future that they hope for.” 

“We are incredibly grateful to receive this funding,” said Isaac Kwakye, Deputy Executive Director of WSAC. “GEAR UP has a proven record of providing services and support to students and families from low-income backgrounds, allowing them to achieve their educational aspirations.”

WSAC will administer the grant in partnership with 13 rural school districts, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Treehouse, Washington State Employees Credit Union, Focus Training, SEEDS and colleges and universities. The school districts include Aberdeen, Brewster, Elma, Entiat, Lake Chelan, Manson, Mossyrock, North Beach, Oakville, Okanogan, Pateros, Rochester and White Pass. 

Approximately 6,800 students each year are supported, beginning in 7th grade and continuing through their first year of postsecondary college or training. Eligible students will receive up to $800 in scholarships. 

This is Washington’s fifth consecutive state GEAR UP grant. The University of Washington has also received a $21,246,400 grant for its own GEAR UP program. 

Washington State GEAR UP provides tutoring, mentoring, academic advising, financial aid counseling, FAFSA completion support, access to dual enrollment courses, and career and college exploration activities to help more students enroll and succeed in college. 

For more information on the GEAR UP program, visit gearup.wa.gov.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.