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Montgomery County Unveils Website To Deepen Understanding Of Budget

By WTOP Staff

B-CC High School Addition Project, in Montgomery County's new budget website

Montgomery County on Monday unveiled the “first stage” of a new website that will allow users to better understand and navigate the county’s operating and capital budgets.

The “financial transparency suite” is meant to allow residents and other stakeholders the ability to pinpoint certain government programs or projects and isolate charts and graphs more specific to their concerns. The website is coupled with a new electronic budget presentation that shows what portion of the budget different programs in different departments take up.

The county unveiled a collection of new open data sites in 2012. It worked with Socrata, its contractor on that project, to develop a new, more attractive website for its budget documents.

The site shown off on Monday includes a map of capital projects and bar graphs that allow a user to drill down into specific expenses of each program or project in each county government agency.

In a matter of a few clicks, a user can find out how much each contract costs within the STD/HIV Prevention & Treatment Program of the county’s Health and Human Services Department.

Or, a user could find out how much money (and the sources of that money) is devoted to an individual school addition project.

“The County clearly understands that government in the 21st century must achieve even greater transparency, operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making, fueled by better and broader access to its own data,” said Socrata founder and CEO Kevin Merritt in a prepared release. “This is how the innovative public sector becomes more than just a service dispensary and, instead, helps to provide increased connection and quality of life for constituents and communities.”

The county said it consulted members of the civic and business community to see which kind of information the website should include.

The county also said it will add spending and procurement data to the site. On Wednesday, Aug. 6, county officials will demonstrate ways to use the site at a reception with senior managers from the county and Socrata at the Microsoft offices in Friendship Heights.

The Data Montgomery site has 550 datasets, including salaries for all county government officials, parking space availability in county garages, commercial building permits and others.

Screenshots via Budget Data Montgomery

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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