Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed a "full-scale review" of the Financial Student Aid (FSA) office in the aftermath of the botched rollout of a federal aid website that disrupted millions of students in their college search, NBC News reported Thursday.
In a letter to staff members obtained by NBC News, Cardona is taking aim at the management of the glitch-prone Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application program was plagued by issues since the rollout of its updated interface in October.
Cardona wrote that the Department of Education is conducting a "full-scale review of FSA's current and historical organization, management, staffing, workflow structures, business processes, and operations."
Further, Cardona said "transformational changes" will take place at the FSA office, decisions that will be "informed by input from students, educators, and experts in systems design."
The DOE has tapped Denise Carter, acting assistant secretary of the office of finance and operations, to be the interim chief of FSA while it searches for a new executive to replace Richard Cordray, who departs in June.
The FSA office has cleared the backlog of 10.3 million forms as of May 29, according to a spokesperson. FAFSA completions are now down to 15.5% from 40% in March, according to NBC News.
"As we implement these changes at FSA, we remain committed to ensuring its core functions continue," Cardona wrote. "We are working tirelessly to help all students have access to the resources they need to attain higher education."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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