Transcript NASFAA Update

The National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators
NASFAA’s Update:
Inside the Beltway
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Agenda
• Washington Political Climate
• Federal Budget Update
• President Obama’s College Affordability Plan
• Reauthorization
• Negotiated Rulemaking
• NASFAA Proactive Policy
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Washington Political Climate
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Washington Political Climate
• Partisanship, Brinkmanship, and “Blame Game”
• Deficit Reduction
• Budget Politics Dictating Policy
• Compromise = Bad word
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Budget Update—Gov’t Shutdown
• Government shutdown—result of Congress failing to pass
a spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2014 by Oct. 1
• Spending bill got caught up in larger partisan battles
• Shutdown will remain until Congress agrees on spending
bill
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Budget Update—Gov’t Shutdown
What is the impact of the government shutdown on
student financial aid?
• Very minimal, especially if shutdown is short-term
• No disruption to Pell, Direct Loans, campus-based
programs
• Due to furloughed staff, customer service will likely see
the greatest impact
• Furloughs at IRS could create problems with Data
Retrieval Tool (DRT) and requests for tax transcripts
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Budget Update—Sequestration
• Sequestration is a 10-year process
• Implemented 3/1/2013, Year 1 impact:
– 5 % across-the-board cut to FSEOG, FWS, TRIO,
GEAR UP
– 6 % across-the-board cut to TEACH Grant
– Increase in Direct Loan origination fees
– Pell Grant was protected
• Years 2-10 cuts will be achieved through lower
spending caps
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Budget Update—Sequestration
• Pell Grant is not protected in years 2-10
• Unless Congress passes a law to stop
sequestration it will remain in effect
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Budget Update—FY 14 Predictions
• It is likely that FY 2014 (award year 2014-15)
will ultimately be funded by a year-long
continuing resolution (CR)
• In this case, the student aid programs would
likely see the same exact cuts they
experienced in FY 2013 (award year 2013-14).
Pell would also likely be protected.
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President Obama’s College
Affordability Plan
• Plan announced in late August
• Three part:
– Paying for performance
– Promoting innovation and completion
– Ensuring that student debt remains affordable
• Key Feature:
– Prior to 2015 award year, develop a “college ratings system” that would
“compare colleges with similar backgrounds as well as colleges that are
improving their performance.” ED would be directed to involve key
stakeholders in developing the metrics and to include measures related to
access, affordability and outcomes
– The intent is that by 2018 an institution’s rating would be used to determine
the amount of student aid they receive
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President Obama’s College
Affordability Plan
• Other features of plan:
– “Race to the Top” for higher ed
– Reward colleges with a Pell “bonus”
– Strengthen Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
– Encourage innovation in learning models (MOOCS, Prior
Learning Assessment, Competency-based Learning)
– Make all borrowers eligible for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) & launch
a campaign to raise awareness about eligibility and enrollment
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President Obama’s College
Affordability Plan
• Odds of Implementation: Some features of the president’s plan
would require congressional action, while others would not
• No Congressional Action Needed:
– Development of “ratings list”
– Campaign to enroll more students into PAYE
• Congressional Action Needed:
– Coupling a school’s rating to student aid eligibility
– The parts of the proposal that would require new funding or make changes to
current programs
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Reauthorization
• Higher Education Act reauthorization *should* occur in 2014;
but that is very unlikely
– The process will definitely start, but there may not be a final bill
• NASFAA’s Reauthorization Task Force submitted
recommendations to House and Senate Ed Committees
• Predictions about reauthorization?
– Likely will occur piecemeal and not in full for at least another couple
of years
– Major subjects for debate are likely to be: student loans, innovative
learning models (MOOCs, Prior-Learning Assessment, Competencybased Learning), consumer information
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Negotiated Rulemaking: Gainful
Employment
• September, 2013: first negotiating session
• Ongoing: negotiators continue conversations within topical
sub-groups
• October 21-23: second (and last) negotiating session
• Prediction: no consensus
• Because of master calendar requirements, earliest possible
effective date is July 1, 2015
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Why is Proactive Policy
Important?
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NASFAA Proactive Policy
• Task Force on Student Loan Indebtedness
• Reimagining Aid Design & Delivery
• Task Force on Award Notification and
Consumer Information & related consumer
testing
• Consumer Testing of Award Letters
• Advocacy Pipeline
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Advocacy and YOU
• You are each in a great position to advocate!
• Visit our Facebook Page for updates on
student aid!
• Visit our website: www.nasfaa.org/advocacy
• Get students involved!
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Questions?
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