Boost board approves renewal awards, directs quick review of incomplete applications

The Boost Advisory Board voted to prioritize renewal scholarships and ordered a short, targeted review of incomplete applications before allocating remaining funds to siblings of renewal recipients from public schools who qualify for free meals. The board’s decision followed a presentation from Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) staff on application counts, verification procedures and funding constraints.

MSDE program staff Nicole said the new online application, run through vendor Submittable, received roughly 7,036 total submissions, of which 4,741 were complete and eligible as of late July. MSDE told the board that about 665 applications were listed as incomplete and roughly 1,600 were income-ineligible after automated processing; incomplete files had been messaged multiple times during July and the vendor flagged many problematic uploads for manual review.

Board members focused on two legislative constraints: (1) a statutory preference that the board prioritize current Boost recipients and their siblings and (2) a requirement that at least $700,000 of the appropriation be used to provide an additional award for students with special needs. MSDE reported that renewals alone generate approximately $686,900 in special-education adjustments, just short of the $700,000 target. Board members discussed options — including moving a small number of special-education recipients up the list or relying on sibling awards — to meet the statutory threshold without exceeding the roughly $9.08 million appropriation.

After scenario analysis, the board adopted a three-step approach: (1) finalize awards for eligible renewals as soon as practicable; (2) direct MSDE to perform an accelerated, one- to two-week review of incomplete and potentially misfiled renewal applications and to notify ineligible families with a short response deadline; and (3) if funds remain, award scholarships next to public-school siblings who qualify for free meals, proceeding down the ranked list until the appropriation is effectively allocated. Board Chair summarized the motion and a member stated, “That’s my motion.” The chair called the vote; members voiced approval and the motion passed.

MSDE said families would be notified in August, schools must confirm enrollments at the start of the school year, and the first checks are expected in September or early October. MSDE also said it will report back to the board in October on any remaining funds and on the results of the incomplete-applicant review. The board requested that official minutes record the unusually high demand this year — MSDE and public commenters noted an estimated need of roughly $18 million — for inclusion in legislative reporting.

Action items from the meeting include MSDE issuing notification messages to ineligible applicants with a short deadline for appeals, completing the accelerated review of incomplete renewals within one to two weeks, and preparing an October report on awards and any remaining funds.