Latest news with #FreshStart
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Works begins on almost £45m worth of new school buildings in NI
The principal of a Co Down post primary school has said the beginning of work on a new £38m building is 'a significant milestone for the school community'. Clare Foster was speaking as Education Minister Paul Givan helped to cut the first sod on the project at Strangford Integrated College. It was one of two new school building projects to break ground on Thursday, with the minister also visiting Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, where work began on a £4.9m extension to accommodation. 'Staff and students are excited to see the new building progress,' Ms Foster added as work officially commenced in Carrowdore. 'Since we opened our doors in 1997, Strangford Integrated College has continued to grow in numbers and reputation. This new building on our existing site will enable us to provide students with access to high quality integrated education in a modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building in which our young people will continue to thrive and flourish. 'Our students deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that the enhanced school facilities and top-class sporting facilities will offer to both students and staff. 'A great deal of work has gone into getting to the new build project to this stage I would like to thank the Department of Education, project consultants AECOM and the Board of Governors for their support in making this happen.' News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May The Strangford Integrated College scheme is being funded under the Fresh Start capital programme and Mr Givan said he was delighted to see the progress being made. 'The significance of this £38m investment will be reflected in the many benefits it will deliver for pupils, families and staff and the wider community,' he said. 'This major project will provide modern new facilities that will support the teaching and learning needs of the pupils for many years to come and create an environment that helps them to thrive.' The minister also paid a visit to Magherafelt where work was getting underway on Kilronan School's new £4.9m single storey extension with new specialist classrooms, social areas and support accommodation as part of the School Enhancement Programme (SEP). It's the first of 10 special school projects to proceed, having been announced in the second tranche of 16 schools to receive a funding commitment in 2019. 'This is an exciting day for everyone at Kilronan, marking the start of a very important programme of construction,' the minister said. 'The investment of nearly £5m will deliver many benefits for pupils, school staff and local families. This project will provide modern facilities which will help children and young people to grow, thrive, learn and achieve their full potential.' Construction is due to be completed in late summer 2026 and Principal Sharlene Deehan said she was delighted to see work finally underway. 'Governors, staff, parents and pupils are delighted to be at this stage of our SEP Journey, and we are thankful to the previous principal, governors and staff who initiated the project many years ago. 'On completion the SEP should provide equality for our learners with their mainstream peers in terms of resourcing and experiences, providing a modern, bright building which will vastly enhance the day to day running for the ever changing profile of pupils, our dedicated and caring staff and indeed the whole school community.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Recent Americorps cuts putting local program in jeopardy
(WLAX/WEUX) – A local Fresh Start program is in jeopardy following recent Americorps funding cuts. 12 at risk youth are left without a supervisor to build a home in Strum, and without a supervisor, the crew can not continue the work themselves. The program has helped build the lives of 600 young adults by having them build homes since 1998. Western Dairyland is helping the Fresh Start crew with job placement and other resources, while also looking for contractors to help finish the home. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Department of Education to resume loan payback for borrowers
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The U.S Department of Education will officially resume collecting defaulted federal student loans on Monday, May 5, marking the end of a three-year pause, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic. For thousands of Missourians, and particularly residents of St. Joseph, this could mean renewed pressure from loan services, especially for those whose loans are currently in default. However, for St. Joseph resident Lorna Davis, the deadline will be of no concern as she believes its starts with making smart decision before taking loans. It's a matter of catching it beforehand and deciding if you want to go to a four year school and if you're actually going to stick with it," Davis said. "If there is any way to avoid them, I think that's best." The pause, which began in March 2020, offered temporary relief to more than 40 million borrowers, halting interest accrual and collections on defaulted loans. But starting this month, collections on federally held student loans in default are restarting, with garnishments of wages, tax refunds and Social Security benefits once again on the table. In an April interview with Fox Business, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon urged Americans to act swiftly. 'It's very simple, we've announced that by May 5, you must start to repay your loan,' McMahon said. 'This is not meant to cause hardship. There are several different payment plans available.' What This Means for St. Joseph Residents According to the most recent data from the Department of Education, Buchanan County has a significant number of residents with student debt, and many of those loans are currently in default. Local borrowers who have fallen behind could now face renewed garnishments or negative credit reporting if they do not act quickly. For St. Joseph resident Beth Crumpler, the return to repayment is daunting. "Right now I haven't been navigating them because I haven't had to pay with the forbearance going on,'Crumpler said. "But I'm just going to have to work probably until the day I die. I'll just be working to pay what I have to pay." The Fresh Start initiative, a temporary program from the Department of Education, allows borrowers in default to return to good standing and avoid collections. Borrowers can: Remove the default status from their loans, re-enter regular repayment plans, restore eligibility for federal financial aid, and prevent wage or benefit garnishment. Borrowers must act soon, as Fresh Start is not automatic. To enroll, visit or contact your loan servicer. "I don't know if it was worth it to have the loans but college prepared me for my job absolutely, Crumpler said.
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
How to Know if Student Loans Are in Default Before Change Happens Next Week
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A major shift in federal student loan policy takes effect May 5 as the U.S. Department of Education begins reporting defaulted loans to credit agencies again—a move that could impact millions of Americans' financial standing. The change ends a pandemic-era pause in negative credit reporting and renews pressure on borrowers who remain behind on payments. Why It Matters Roughly 43 million Americans hold student loans, with an estimated 9 million currently behind on payments or already in default. Those with loans more than 270 days delinquent are considered in default, which until now had not been reported to credit agencies due to the federal "Fresh Start" initiative launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. That program suspended the negative consequences of default, including damaged credit scores. But beginning May 5, defaulted loans will once again be reported, lowering affected borrowers' credit ratings and potentially increasing the cost of borrowing for everything from car loans to mortgages. A person walks past the U.S. Department of Education on March 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. A person walks past the U.S. Department of Education on March 20, 2025 in Washington, To Know To check your default status, you can log into with your FSA ID. The dashboard will show if any loans are in the danger zone. You can also request a free credit report from to see the status of these loans. The May deadline ends a three-year reprieve designed to give borrowers time to get back on track. After that date, defaulted borrowers will see their loans sent to credit reporting agencies unless they take steps to rehabilitate their loans or enter a new repayment plan. Borrowers with loans still in default may also become subject to collections, wage garnishments, and Treasury offsets, which allow the federal government to withhold tax refunds to recoup unpaid balances. The Department of Education has urged those in default to take action before the credit reporting resumes. For those who find themselves in default, loan rehabilitation is possible if you make nine monthly payments within 10 months. What People Are Saying Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of told Newsweek: "In a few days, the party's officially over for defaulted student loans. After a 5-year pandemic pause, what's left of the Department of Education is dusting off those collection tools. Wage garnishment, snagging your tax refunds, even dipping into Social Security benefits. Trust me, that's not how anyone wants to kickstart their summer." Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: "During the pandemic, one measure enacted to provide financial relief was to put a pause on student loan payments being due for borrowers. This also included lenders reporting defaults and delinquencies to credit bureaus. However, in May, this all changes, as the Department of Education has announced those records will start being reported to credit entities again." What Happens Next The Department of Education plans to notify borrowers in default by early May. But those who do not act in time may face immediate consequences. "If you're a borrower who has gone into default or delinquency, now is the time to start verifying what you owe and making plans to resume payments," Beene said. "Continuing to miss payments will not just result in doing further damage to your credit score, but it could also lead to your wages being garnished to start to recoup those monthly payment amounts." Experts continue to encourage individuals to review their accounts and make necessary adjustments before the policy takes effect. "The worst thing you can do? Stick your head in the sand," Ryan said. "I mean, who wants up to 15 percent of their paycheck suddenly disappearing or watching their tax refund vanish into thin air?"
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State joins lawsuit to block Trump administration cancellation of AmeriCorps
Participants in Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council's Fresh Start program build a house, learning construction skills in the process. Program participants enroll in AmeriCorps and are paid an hourly wage for their work. (Photo courtesy of Western Dairyland EOC Inc.) A coalition of 25 states, including Wisconsin, sued the Trump administration Tuesday to block the cancellation of AmeriCorps programs across the country. The cancellation has upended plans at more than two dozen organizations in Wisconsin that have engaged AmeriCorps members in community service work, and stranded scores of participants in the midst of one-year stints in the program. 'I was completely blindsided,' Parker Kuehni told the Wisconsin Examiner on Tuesday. The University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a degree in global health was in his second year with AmeriCorps, working at a Madison free health clinic and preparing to start medical school in June when he learned Monday morning that the program was canceled. Created by Congress in 1993 as the Corporation for National and Community Service, its official name, AmeriCorps has deployed community service workers across the country in the decades since. AmeriCorps members are usually recent college graduates who join the program for a year or two. They teach in schools, assist with disaster relief and take on a host of other roles. Wisconsin has 25 AmeriCorps programs that operate at more than 300 locations across the state, according to the office of Gov. Tony Evers. In Wisconsin, AmeriCorps operates through Serve Wisconsin, which administers its Wisconsin contracts and is housed in the Department of Administration. On April 16, AmeriCorps placed about 75% of its employees on administrative leave with pay, the New York Times reported. At 6:20 p.m. on Friday, April 25, Jeanne Duffy, the Serve Wisconsin executive director, received an email message that AmeriCorps grants and their recipients in Wisconsin were being terminated immediately 'because it has been determined that the award no longer effectuates agency priorities.' The form letter instructed recipients to notify all organizations and agencies with AmeriCorps-related projects. 'You must immediately cease all award activities. This is a final agency action and is not administratively appealable,' the message said. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Maryland charges the Trump administration's cancellation of the program 'flouts Congress's creation of AmeriCorps and assignment of agency duties; usurps Congress's power of the purse and thereby violates the Constitution's separation of powers; and arbitrarily and capriciously — without any reasoned analysis — vitiates the agency's ability to function consistent with its statutory mission and purpose.' The suit charges that the program's abrupt end also violates federal law, which states AmeriCorps can make 'significant changes to program requirements, service delivery or policy only through public notice and comment rulemaking.' 'The attempt to dismantle AmeriCorps is part of a pattern from the Trump administration of disrespect toward those who serve others,' Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. 'That approach is not just shameful — it's misguided. AmeriCorps volunteers and projects help strengthen communities. AmeriCorps should be thanked for its work, not abruptly dismantled.' Evers' office telegraphed Wisconsin's plan to join the lawsuit late Tuesday morning. 'Once again, the Trump Administration is trying to cut federal funding that Congress already approved and Wisconsin is counting on to help kids, families, and communities across our state — all so they can pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires,' Evers said in a statement. 'These latest reckless Trump and Musk cuts will hurt Wisconsin's kids who are homeless or who need tutors for math and reading, folks who are working to overcome addiction and substance use, stop work on conservation projects, as well as all of the dedicated public servants whose livelihoods are depending on this work.' AmeriCorps' cancellation affected organizations and agencies all across the state. In Madison, the United Way of Dane County enlisted 27 AmeriCorps members in two tutoring programs — one in math for high school students and the other in reading and literacy for elementary school children. AmeriCorps members were placed in schools to help identify students who would benefit from tutoring, United Way officials said. They also screened and conducted background checks for more than 175 community volunteer tutors as well as serving as tutors themselves. More than 1,000 children have received tutoring in the two programs this year. 'And these kids are able to accelerate their academic success, which puts them on track for [higher] graduation rates,' said United Way CEO Renee Moe. 'So, this is a really huge loss for us.' AmeriCorps members were 'really key to having successful volunteers support students in literacy,' said Emily Greene, director of Schools of Hope, the elementary program. In the high school program, Achievement Connections, members have supported and trained other high school students as peer tutors. That helps those students 'be engaged in their school in a way that they otherwise wouldn't be and also gain some skills,' said Karl Johnson, director of Achievement Connections. 'We find that those relationships . . . are some of our strongest when it's students helping each other out, and our [AmeriCorps] members are a pretty key part of facilitating that,' Johnson said. The Wisconsin Association of Free and Charitable Clinics has deployed 30 AmeriCorps members throughout Wisconsin this year. Some assist clinics, local health departments or the state Department of Health Services in administrative tasks, writing grants, collecting and analyzing data and related work, said Domonique Coffee, the association's AmeriCorps program manager. Others staff clinics in a public health role, taking a patient's blood pressure or other vital signs, teaching patients about managing their diabetes or hypertension or providing other direct care, she said. The program allowed 'free and charitable clinics to increase their services and capacity for services . . . to those who are underinsured or uninsured,' Coffee said. It has also helped prepare the AmeriCorps members as future health care providers — 'the future physicians and public health leaders of our next generation,' she added. Parker Kuehni had graduated with a degree in global public health two years ago and was preparing to go to medical school. But he knew he first wanted to get more experience in directly working with patients. He volunteered as a barbershop health screener for the Perry Family Free Clinic, which serves uninsured, low-income Madison residents. Through the clinic he connected with AmeriCorps and then shifted to helping with patient coordination, communication and scheduling, discussing care plans with patients and managing referrals to specialists. The experience 'built my empathy for people,' he said. The experiences he had 'will contribute to me being an overall better future physician.' While the typical AmeriCorps participant is a college graduate, the Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council in Eau Claire took a different approach with the program. Since the late 1990s Western Dairyland has operated Fresh Start, an education, skills and career program for young adults ages 18 to 25. Participants often have a sparse job history and might not have completed high school. The program engages up to 15 participants in a year-long house-building project. 'We provide them with life skills and job skills and technical education, allowing them to then leave the program and either go on to school or attain full-time employment,' said Dale Karls, Western Dairyland's communications coordinator. The participants themselves become AmeriCorps members and earn an hourly wage on the job. Some 600 young people have gone through the program over the last three decades, building 45 homes, Karls said. All the organizations the Wisconsin Examiner contacted Tuesday said the news of AmeriCorps' cancellation came too recently for them to know what they will do if the program isn't restored. Coffee said the Wisconsin Free and Charitable Clinics Association is trying to support its AmeriCorps members, 'helping them find their footing.' At United Way of Dane County, 'We've spoken to our school district partners,' said Moe, the agency's CEO. 'We have reaffirmed with them that tutoring continues to be an important strategy to help with academic success. And so right now we're trying to be creative around how to best keep really effective tutoring programs going.' 'We're hoping that the funding will be reinstated,' said Karls of Western Dairyland. In the meantime, he added, 'We have a half-constructed house in Strum, Wisconsin. We have to find a way to finish that.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
