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More than 100 unaccompanied minors enrolled in Montgomery County schools

By WTOP Staff

WASHINGTON — Kids and teenagers who have crossed illegally into the United States on their own have been coming to Maryland and Montgomery County steadily over the last year. And in a briefing before the Montgomery County Council, school officials explained that a total of 107 unaccompanied minors, most of them of high school age, were enrolled in Montgomery County schools.

So what does next year look like?

“You know, we’re waiting to hear at this point; we don’t know what the numbers will be for the next school year,” Montgomery County Public Schools’ Spokesman Dana Tofig said after the briefing.

He added that the school system is preparing to help new arrivals address a host of issues.

“These kids are going to have a lot of services that they need,” Tofig said, adding that they include services that will deal with social and emotional needs of kids who may have suffered abuse or been targets of human trafficking.

After Carroll County officials rejected a plan to house unaccompanied minors in their community, Gov. Martin O’Malley made it clear that his approach to housing children and teens who’ve crossed into the U.S. would focus on a plan to work with state and local agencies as well as non-profits, to house the kids in foster care.

But would there still be the need for a federal facility to hold the minors until their asylum status was clear or until placement could be made? Director of Montgomery County Health and Human Services Uma Ahluwalia told WTOP Tuesday that “there is no identified center in Montgomery County.”

County Council member Nancy Navarro called for Tuesday’s briefing, saying it was important for county governments to know what obligations they may be facing as the U.S. deals with the influx of up to 60,000 unaccompanied minors at the Mexican border. Most of the immigrants have come from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Many don’t speak Spanish, but a Mayan language: Mam.

Council member George Leventhal asked about plans to assist the children and teens who’ve come to Montgomery County, adding, “I just want to say that I’ve only heard from constituents that want to help.”

Council member Cherri Branson, who is winding up her term, prodded officials who had mentioned there was information on a website on ways people could assist.

“Come on now; don’t make it hard! Just give up the number; how can they contact you?”

But not everyone is so eager to devote state and county resources to people — even children — who have come to the country illegally. Council President Craig Rice said during the briefing that he was hearing messages from some constituents via Twitter objecting to spending taxpayer dollars to meet the needs of unaccompanied minors.

Executive director of the group Help Save Maryland, Brad Botwin, also says he has issues with the way state and county officials are dealing with the influx of immigrants.

“To find out yesterday that they have over 100 so-called unaccompanied minors already in the public school system was kind of a shock to those of us who follow this issue,” he said.

Botwin argues that the county school system is already dealing with crowding, and adding students with greater needs — social and emotional as well as educational — puts too much of a strain on the county.

“There are other ways to handle this issue — we need to repatriate and reunite families back in their home countries,” Botwin said.

O’Malley, who is weighing a bid for president in 2016, has made clear that the latest influx of unaccompanied minors should be treated as refuge-seekers, not illegal immigrants. State and county officials appear to be following his lead.

“Look, we’ve been a humanitarian country for a very long time, and been very welcoming to people that are fleeing areas of violence. That’s kind of the way we’ve evolved as a country,” Rice said.

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WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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