
Arne Duncan (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
He gets a glimpse of the district's "million-dollar room"
By S Brandt
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stopped by South High School in Minneapolis Friday morning to exhort students to take steps to get into college and to finish it, and told them what his department is doing to help.
After his speech, Duncan went to the school's College and Career Center, one of seven at the district's big high schools. Mayor R.T. Rybak likes to call them the district's "million-dollar rooms." That's taken from a stat the mayor dug out to the effect that students who earn a college degree earn $1 million more over their lifetimes.
Duncan told seniors and parents that an important first step is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid known as FAFSA, which he said has been greatly simplified. The district will be promoting FAFSA completion next month because effective use of it removes a barrier to higher education by opening the door to federal grants and loans.
But it's not just about going to college. The goal is to finish, said Duncan, who admitted that took him five years. He said that his advocacy in reducing the role of banks as middlemen in loans has freed up an additional $40 billion in federal aid for students without a bigger appropriation. He touted a $2,500 per year tuition tax credit that has a $10,000 cap. And he noted that starting this year, the annual repayment of federal student loans will be capped at 10 percent of a graduate's income, with forgiveness for those who work in the public sector for 10 years.
Among the student questions Duncan fielded was whether he plans to return if President Barack Obama is reelected. Yes, if Obama will have him, he said.
South, which draws many middle class students to its open and liberal arts programs, led the city in 2010 figures with 70 percent of students entering college the fall after graduation. It also had help from an award-winning counseling staff. It won the American School Counselor Association RAMP Award, the first Minnesota school win it, according to the district. The award recognizes helping students grow and achieve in their academic, career and personal lives. The school's team includes Anne Erickson (AchieveMpls College and Career Center Coordinator), Nicole Crowell, Marie Hassell, Don Dilla, Jackie Mosconi, Callie Sopiwnik, Kim Friesen, Elizabeth Engelhart and Tami Johnson.
Demuth says she’s honored to break ground but looks forward to the day it’s not an issue.