Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund Program Narrative
The Traditional Scholarship Program supports the continuing education of Saint Louis Public School Teachers and Administrators employed full time who have served one continuous year (12 months). This program is designed to provide scholarships to qualified educators for educational tuition assistance who wish to pursue additional training or education that will support their work in the classroom or career related profession. The Fund has an online application process which is available during three funding cycles (spring, summer and fall). Each session is open for a limited time; you are encouraged to apply early. Please see upcoming deadlines.
Parsons Blewett has partnered with select approved universities in a direct-pay program, meaning the Fund does not pay in advance.
An educator must be financially prepared to pay the Institution at the time of registration.
Payment to the university will cover educational tuition only. Any additional fees and academic hours will be the student’s responsibility. At the beginning of the semester, Parsons Blewett will forward to the institution electronically a list of approved scholarship recipients, accompanied by a signed grade/financial release form for each student.
At the end of the semester, the institution will send an invoice for the list of approved scholarship recipients. The invoice packet should include official transcripts and financial aid information for each student.
Parsons Blewett compares the supporting documentation received from the institution against our semester scholarship approvals. The Fund will make payment directly to the university within thirty days of receiving the invoice and supporting documentation.
The institution will use the Parsons Blewett tuition payments to reconcile the student’s accounts with the approved scholarship recipients according to the agreement for payment originally established between the student and the institution at the time of their enrollment.
Typically, the entire process takes a minimum of 8-10 weeks from the close of the semester.
- Fontbonne University
- Harris Stowe University
- Jefferson College
- Lindenwood University
- Maryville University
- Missouri Baptist University
- Saint Louis Community College
- Saint Louis University
- Southeast Missouri State University
- Southwestern Illinois College
- Southern Illinois University/Carbondale
- Southern Illinois University/Edwardsville
- Southwest Baptist University
- Truman State University
- University of Missouri, Columbia
- University of Missouri, Saint Louis
- Washington University
- Webster University
To be eligible to apply for a scholarship, an individual must:
- Be employed (full time) by Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS)
- Posses a Missouri certificate of license to teach in one of four areas in which Certificates of License to teach are granted by the State of Missouri – Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)**:
- Administration;
- Career (Vocational) Education;
- Professional; and
- Student Services
- Individuals whose sole license is designated by DESE as “Provisional,” “Temporary” or “Substitute” are not eligible. Individuals whose sole license is in Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) are not eligible.
- Have served one continuous year (12 months) of employment with SLPS in any capacity. If an individual incurs a break in service with SLPS, the individual must serve another continuous year (12 months) after their newly assigned appointment date.
- Must be in good standing with the Fund as to the requirements on all previous scholarships and or other Fund assistance.
Eligibility does not create a right for anyone to receive a scholarship. In addition to the above eligibility criteria, other guidelines and rules apply to the evaluation of applications for scholarships and to the granting of scholarships by the Fund. Scholarships are awarded by the Fund at its complete discretion. Within each of the four certificate classifications described above, the individual’s license may vary as to a specific subject or grade level. For example, early childhood, elementary, middle school subject-specific, high-school specific, vocal music, special education, school psychologist, etc. Furthermore, within each classification certificates can be classified with terminology providing an indication of the length of time the certificate is in effect. These classifications are currently: Initial, Transition, Career Continuous, Provisional, Temporary, Substitute, or Lifetime (issuance of Lifetime ended in 1988).
The Traditional Scholarship Program supports the continuing education of St. Louis Public School Teachers and Administrators. It is not intended for teachers and/or administrators to pursue careers outside the educational field or the St. Louis Public School District. This program assists St. Louis Public School staff members who satisfy the Fund’s eligibility criteria. This scholarship is designed to assist with educational tuition only for eligible coursework taken from the School of Education for academic credit. Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund is a separate public charity and is not considered part of the St. Louis Public School District. This program does not create a right for anyone to receive a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by the Fund at its discretion.
Scholarship General Guidelines
- You may apply for and receive up to three (3) scholarships annually (fall term, spring term, and summer term).
- Fund scholarships support educational tuition assistance only. Additional fees are not covered by the scholarship.
- Scholarship awards are limited to a maximum of six (6) credit hours per semester. The lifetime maximum total of scholarships awarded to you will not exceed the sum of $30,000.00.
- No extended service agreement is required as a condition of receiving a scholarship award.
- Scholarships are granted one semester at a time. They are not automatically renewed from one semester to the next. You must reapply each semester to continue receiving scholarships from Parsons Blewett. The Fund will not replace funds due to failure to reapply or missed deadlines.
- A scholarship must be used during the semester for which it is awarded. Your scholarship is non-transferable to a different individual, semester, or university.
- It is your responsibility to immediately notify the fund in writing of your cancellation. If you are unable to use the scholarship during the funded semester, click here to cancel.
- Parsons Blewett will fund scholarships for online coursework at institutions it currently supports. Please note that the St. Louis Public Schools may not accept all online coursework for purposes of its programs. You must check with the St. Louis Public Schools to determine its policies in this regard.
- Your scholarship award reflects the enrollment intentions you listed on your application form. The Fund may revise or terminate your scholarship award if any changes are made without written consent from the Fund.
- It is your responsibility to immediately notify the Fund in writing of your departure from the St. Louis Public School District for reasons such as resignation, retirement, termination, leave-of-absence or probation from the District. Failure to notify the Fund may result in your scholarship being withdrawn or terminated.
- The Fund is not required to mail 1099 miscellaneous forms to scholarship recipients. Questions regarding tax consequences of the scholarship should be directed to your personal tax advisor or Internal Revenue Service office. A scholarship recipient should maintain a personal record of all scholarships received.
Scholarship Conditions
Even if you are awarded a scholarship, your actual receipt of payment to the University is conditioned on the following:
- No Duplication This program is designed to assist with tuition expenses only. Fund Scholarship recipients may receive additional funding from other sources, including but not limited to other foundations, institutions, organizations, or government. However, the Fund will not duplicate funds provided by other sources. The combined benefits from all grant and scholarship sources for a semester may not exceed the cost of tuition and fees as stated in the educational institution’s cost-of-attendance budget. For example, if full funding for a semester has been provided by other sources, applicants must notify the Fund, canceling their Fund scholarship. If partial funding has been provided for a semester by other sources, applicants must notify the Fund, partially canceling their Fund scholarship. Benefits from all sources combined may not exceed the costs of tuition and fees.
- Satisfactory Academic Progress Failure to maintain a grade of 2.0 or better (a grade of CR (credit), P (passed), or S (satisfactory) is also acceptable) will result in the cancellation of the current scholarship award. You must maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or above AND receive a letter grade of at least a C or above in each course funded by a Fund scholarship to remain eligible for future scholarships from the Fund. A grade of CR (credit), P (passed), or S (satisfactory) is also acceptable. (This applies no matter how many courses are taken – i.e. if one course is taken with a grade of 2.0, the GPA falls below 2.5 and the scholarship is revoked).
- Coursework must be taken out of the School of Education or must be selected from those courses which may be offered outside of the School of Education but which would result in a certificate (administration, professional, career education or student services) issued by DESE or in a degree or certificate issued by a School of Education. You may be asked to furnish the Fund with evidence demonstrating the eligibility of the courses during the application process.
- Your application will not be accepted without your electronic signature. You will be asked to electronically sign a contract agreeing to all scholarship guidelines and conditions before any scholarship is awarded to you. By signing electronically you are agreeing that the scholarship process will be conducted electronically and that your digital signature included in any agreement used in the scholarship process is intended to authenticate such writing and to have the same force and effect as the use of a manual signature.
The scholarship process is similar to the College/University process. First, you should identify the university or college that you wish to attend. Start your scholarship research early. The more time you can put into your search, the more options you’ll have. You’ll need time to research scholarships, request information and application materials, to complete your application online. Some scholarships have early deadline dates.
Read Eligibility Requirements Carefully If you have a question about your eligibility for a particular scholarship, contact the scholarship sponsor, or to assess eligibility requirements visit the “Eligibility Criteria” tab on this page.
Organize All Scholarship Materials Create a separate file for each scholarship. Keep a calendar of application deadlines and follow-ups. Many scholarships require you to provide them with additional information such as a transcript, financial aid forms, tax returns, and letter(s) of recommendation.
Make Copies of Everything You Send If research or application materials are lost, having copies on hand will make it easier to retrieve or discuss your situation with a staff member.
Get Your Applications in Early You’ll lose out if you miss scholarship deadlines. Verify the deadline schedule to avoid submitting your online application late, click here.
Follow-Up If you have not received the materials you requested by webmail, follow up by contacting the scholarship sponsor by telephone or email.
How Scholarships Affect Your Financial Aid
Colleges/Universities must consider outside scholarships as part of a student’s financial resource to pay for education costs. It’s a good idea to contact the financial aid office of Colleges/Universities that interest you about their specific policies regarding outside scholarships.
Application Process
You must complete an online scholarship application form on our website online application.
All scholarship applications shall be submitted electronically to the Fund by the deadline date. Once the application has been transmitted electronically; changes are prohibited. All applicants will be notified of their application status via webmail. Application status history is also available in your online account.
Registration
Students are responsible for registration at the university for which the scholarship was approved. This includes making arrangements for all financial obligations. This means payment in full or payment arrangements must be secured at the University at the time of registration or no later than semester end. This may also require that you apply for a loan through the University or make a monthly payment(s) acceptable to the University or a loan through external sources.
Even if your enrollment is with a university for which the Fund has a direct pay arrangement you must make arrangements for any charges not covered by your scholarship for educational tuition.
In the event your scholarship is revoked due to failure to meet the guidelines and conditions herein, the university will look to you for payment.
Additional Fees
A scholarship recipient is solely responsible for additional fees, such as parking, class materials, book, incidental, internet, lab, student activity, student center, technology, out-of-state fees or any fee incurred when registering for course study.
For additional information about the Traditional Scholarship Program, contact us.