教育部长米格尔·卡多纳将任命拉旺达·托尼(LaWanda Toney)为负责战略沟通和伙伴关系的副幕僚长，因为随着入学截止日期的迅速临近，部长团队希望解决大学的可负担性问题。
托尼在接受美国广播公司独家采访时表示:“信息很明确:我们希望让部长这样的人有可能上大学，他是第一代大学生，不确定自己是否有可能上大学。”
在担任教育部长的三年里，推动充分的大学和职业培训计划一直是卡多纳的首要任务之一。但过去几个月一直深陷高等教育困境，比如最高法院的困境取消平权行动去年和乔·拜登总统初始学生债务减免计划2022年推出(以及被最高法院驳回去年)。
最近，有普遍存在的问题免费申请联邦学生援助或FAFSA表格。本署今年已尝试简化表格-实施更好的FAFSA形式-并在今年春天加大了运营力度，解决了没有社会安全号码(SSN)的贡献者无法启动或访问该表单的问题。
“对教育部来说，没有什么比这更重要的了，”卡多纳本周在众议院拨款委员会2025财年预算请求听证会上说。“我们正在夜以继日地进行这项工作，因为我们希望确保我们的学生获得做出明智决定所需的信息。”
然而，据接受ABC新闻采访的高等教育消息人士称，大学学费多年来一直在上涨，一些大学从未从2008年金融危机中恢复过来。与此同时，每年的学费已经上涨到近六位数一些机构和数百万学生对自己的大学前景持谨慎态度。
卡多纳在接受美国广播公司采访时表示:“我们真的在努力让全国各地的高等教育更实惠、更容易接受。”GMA3“星期二。
与此同时，高等教育专家表示，大学学费是学生和家庭列举的最大入学障碍。
教育部的一名高级官员告诉ABC新闻，随着托尼的战略信息，教育部将努力确保人们可以上大学。“时间是至关重要的，”这位官员说，因此该部门正在努力满足每个年轻学生的需求:选择职业或上大学。
“我们希望每个人都有深造的机会，”托尼告诉ABC新闻。“无论他们(学生)选择什么道路。如果是为了走上职业道路，那么确保高中在这方面为他们提供支持。如果他们选择上大学，他们有这些选择。”
据知情人士透露，作为受过大学教育的教师的女儿，霍华德大学塑造了托尼，托尼在这所历史上属于黑人的大学的经历赋予了她力量。
托尼从她在通信和外联办公室的高级顾问职位晋升为副幕僚长。
在该部门工作之前，Toney在全国家长教师协会(PTA)负责战略沟通团队。执行董事内森·莫尼尔与她共事多年，他说托尼领导了“大学准备和可及性”战略。
Education secretary elevates new deputy chief amid focus on affordability as enrollment deadlines loom
Education SecretaryMiguel Cardonawill name LaWanda Toney as deputy chief of staff for strategic communications and partnerships, as the secretary's team looks to tackle college affordability with enrollment deadlines quickly approaching.
"The message is clear: We want to make college possible for folks like the secretary, who's a first-generation college student [and] wasn't sure if college was possible for him," Toney told ABC News in an exclusive interview.
Pushing for adequate college and career training programs have been among Cardona's top priorities during his three years as education secretary. But the last several months have been mired by higher education woes, such as the Supreme Court'sgutting of affirmative actionlast year and President Joe Biden'sinitial student debt relief planintroduced in 2022 (andstruck down by the Supreme Courtlast year).
Most recently, there werewidespread issueswith the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. The department has tried to simplify the form over the course of this year -- implementing theBetter FAFSA Form-- and has ramped up operations this spring, fixing an issue that prevented contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) from starting or accessing the form.
"There's nothing more important to the Department of Education," Cardona said during a House Committee on Appropriations' fiscal year 2025 budget request hearing this week. "We’re working on this around the clock because we want to make sure our students have the information they need to make informed decisions."
However, the price of college has gone up over the years, according to higher education sources who spoke with ABC News, and some colleges never recovered from the 2008 financial crash. This comes as the annual cost of tuition has risen to nearlysix figuresat some institutions and millions of students are wary about their college prospects.
"We're really trying to make it so that higher education is more affordable and accessible across the country," Cardona told ABC's "GMA3" on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, higher education experts say college affordability is the top barrier to entry cited by students and families.
With Toney's strategic messaging, the department will work to ensure college is attainable, a senior Department of Education official told ABC News. "Time is of the essence," the official said, so the department is working toward what every young student needs: The choice to either choose their career or attend college.
"We want everyone to have the opportunity to further their education," Toney told ABC News. "Whatever path they [students] choose. If it's to go to a career, then making sure that high schools are set up to support them in that way. And if they choose to go to college, they have those options."
The daughter of college-educated teachers, Howard University shaped Toney, according to a source familiar, and Toney's experience at the historically Black institution empowered her.
Toney was elevated to deputy chief of staff from her senior adviser role in the office of communications and outreach.
Prior to her work at the department, Toney ran the strategic communications team at the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Executive Director Nathan Monell worked with her for years and said Toney spear-headed "college readiness and accessibility" strategies.
