Birmingham Promise, the apprenticeship and tuition assistance program offered to high school graduates of Birmingham City Schools, has extended its application deadline and scheduled a telephone town hall meeting tonight in an effort to get more eligible students enrolled.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Birmingham Promise Executive Director Rachel Harmon held a news conference Tuesday morning to announce the extension. Birmingham high school students who graduated in May now have until Friday, Aug. 14 to apply for tuition assistance.

“These students deserve our help,” Woodfin said. “They’ve earned this honor. We’re very proud of them.”

Birmingham Promise, announced in spring 2019, provides graduates of Birmingham City Schools with apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities and helps Birmingham’s current and future employers meet their workforce needs. While the apprenticeship pilot kicked off last summer, the scholarship program – open to all Birmingham City Schools students for use at any two-year or four-year school in Alabama – had its first wave of applicants in March 2020. Woodfin said about 50% of the Birmingham City Schools students who graduated in May are eligible.

“We’re so proud to say that 690 students are eligible for the Birmingham Promise this fall,” Woodfin said. “It’s a number we are proud of and a number we intend to grow each year.”

Woodfin said about 250 of those 690 students have either not completed the required Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) paperwork or have changed plans since initially reaching out to Birmingham Promise staff. Harmon said she and her staff have repeatedly tried to contact the students and their parents.

“We’ve done several forms of outreach, including email, phone call and texting,” Harmon said. “We’ve also done some one-on-one sessions with students via video chat.”

Students or their parents are encouraged to make an appointment with the Birmingham Promise team by calling 205-843-5967, emailing info@birminghampromise.org or visiting birminghampromise.org.

A telephone town hall meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. for students and parents wanting to learn more or discuss options about the program. Attendees can call 205-775-8088 and enter meeting ID number 5132 to join.