When students start out in debt, it’s hard to get a fair chance at life | Opinion

Coming out of high school this summer, I found myself struggling with a threat looming over my head: Earlier in the year, my school-issued Chromebook was stolen from me. When I went to the staff, I was told that the computer wouldn’t be replaced. Instead, I would have to pay for it — at a staggering $500 price for a standard school Chromebook, which can easily be bought for less than $100 at many retailers. If I didn’t pay it, all my years of hard work in high school, my diploma would be denied.

The incident immediately made something clear to me: A school shouldn’t have the right to wring money out of its students like this.

As of today, the median Missouri household income ranks 38th in the country, at about $68,500 a year. About 13% of the state’s residents live at or below the poverty line. At least partly as a result, the graduation rate for high school students is 90%, and only about half of Missourians attain their dreams of higher education.

That’s why I am helping to found a new nonprofit organization, Cromlech. We aspire to get the rate of Missourians with a credential or diploma beyond high school to 80% by the end of the decade. While we work on that, there are things that you can do right now to help yourself.

For new college students, the University of Missouri features an interesting tool on its website called the Net Price Calculator. It considers your residence, yearly income, high school performance and living situation to figure out what schools would be fitting options for you financially. It also roughly estimates how much of your education could you pay for through grants, scholarships and the like. Of course, ensure that you have your FAFSA federal student aid work done by the start of your college term. Be sure to check if you are eligible for scholarships, loans and other assistance. Although an obvious step, this tends to be overlooked.

Saving money throughout your college years can look like borrowing a textbook from a friend, borrowing it from the library, and even reading it online instead of breaking the bank to buy it. Take advantage of meal swipes that may be provided by your college, which can help you eat healthy and not waste money paying for fast food routinely.

In high school, things get tougher. First, find out if you are eligible for free or reduced lunch. If you cannot pay for things, this program is crucial. According to the Education Data Initiative, the national public school meal debt is at a staggering $194 million a year, and Missouri has 248,620 food-insecure students. Lunch fees exist because schools cannot properly pay off their provider, the National School Lunch Program. An ideal solution for this problem is that schools could augment NSLP support with more local providers. This would not totally cut off the NSLP, but it could reduce the reliance on one entity, and might allow for cheaper options to be found locally. This, in turn, could let debts be paid out quicker, leading to lower prices for food for students.

We at Cromlech started this mission to help underprivileged kids get through the world. We intend to get established in the Midwest by the end of this year, raising money by offering services to the community and selling merchandise to fund tuition, supply costs, food costs and more to underprivileged children. We also intend to publish information about thriving financially while you or your child pursues their education. We will create programs for students to participate in, giving them a chance to win a scholarship, aiming to go nationwide by the end of next year.

We began this mission because it’s unfair that nowadays, you have to pay for everything to have a fair chance at life. You go to college and lock yourself into paying off debts for the rest of your days, and you may never get to live out your dreams. But our goal is to change that. We are working on getting established here in Missouri. We intend to reach this goal through fundraisers and donations from the community.

Currently, Cromlech is tax-exempt because we haven’t made enough money to be liable for taxes. However, we look forward to eventually having to pay them. We hope you’ll join us in our mission.

Zachary Fedlan is a recent high school graduate from a small town in Virginia near Washington, D.C. He is co-founder of the nonprofit Cromlech.

This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 5:08 AM.