Happening Now! BOOST Open House Through 9:30 PM - BOOST Application Deadline this Thursday, June 15

By BJLife/Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, Mid-Atlantic Region Director, Agudath Israel of America
Posted on 06/11/17

Baltimore, MD - June 11, 2017 - BOOST OPEN HOUSE - To assist those who may have had difficulty with the application or do not have internet access, Bais Yaakov of Baltimore will once again play host to a BOOST Open House this Sunday evening June 11^th from 7:30 – 9:30 pm at their high school building at 6302 Smith Ave. Any necessary computer hardware and software will be available for anyone to come and complete their BOOST applications. In addition, several staff and volunteers from the local schools will be there to assist in the process, and I will be there as well to answer any questions that come up.

Baltimore, MD - June 7, 2017 - The application period for those seeking a BOOST tuition scholarship for their child(ren) for the 2017-2018 school year will end next Thursday night June 15^th at 11:59 pm.

All those who have already completed their online applications, including the uploading of necessary tax/income related documents and enrollment verification, and submitted it through the BOOST online portal --- THANK YOU FOR DOING SO and you don’t need to do anything more. If you have any questions about your submission and would like to be able to re-access it to make changes or add another child, please send an email requesting that to boost.msde@maryland.gov.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO APPLY - If your household income is within the financial eligibility bracket determined by the FARMs (Free and Reduced-Price School Meals) income verification formula, PLEASE APPLY ASAP – by going to the BOOST application webpage - http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/Pages/boost/application.aspx and create an account through which you can apply for all of your children going in to grades K-12. (Please note: Kindergarten is the grade before First Grade, not in Nursery)

REMEMBER: Even if your child received a BOOST scholarship for 2016-17, you will need to apply anew for a 2017-18 scholarship.

BOOST OPEN HOUSE - To assist those who may have had difficulty with the application or do not have internet access, Bais Yaakov of Baltimore will once again play host to a BOOST Open House this Sunday evening June 11^th from 7:30 – 9:30 pm at their high school building at 6302 Smith Ave. Any necessary computer hardware and software will be available for anyone to come and complete their BOOST applications. In addition, several staff and volunteers from the local schools will be there to assist in the process, and I will be there as well to answer any questions that come up.

PLEASE BRING ALONG WITH YOU THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OR INFO:

Child’s Date of Birth
Parent’s social security number
Your 2016 federal tax return (IRS Form 1040, 1040a, or 1040EZ) to show family size and income
Those without a tax return must bring another government recognized income verification document, such as a Budget Letter from the Department of Social Services or W-2 wage form.
Those participating in food supplement programs, please bring your nine digit case number.
The dollar amount of scholarships received for 2016-17 school tuition

Your school will provide you with a letter verifying the student’s enrollment status which will be uploaded with the application together with the tax or income documents.

Please remember that it is critically important that all families that are within the FARMs income bracket submit an application for each of their children. There were families last year who did not apply thinking it was not worthwhile or were mistakenly concerned about potentially losing some of their government benefits (that will not happen due to this) and lost out on getting this vital benefit.

Any additional questions can also be sent to boost@agudathisrael-md.org.