Oregon Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program Overview
The Oregon Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is designed to incentivize individuals to pursue and remain in the teaching profession, particularly in high-poverty schools. The Oregon Department of Education plays a crucial role in determining school eligibility for the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory, which allows teachers to apply for loan forgiveness. The program aims to support teachers in managing their loans by providing information, but teachers must directly contact their loan originators or financial aid offices for specific details. Qualifying schools must meet specific criteria to be listed on the TCLI Directory.
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Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
Purpose The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the teaching profession Due to the criteria for loan forgiveness, this program also aids high-poverty schools in recruiting teachers 2 Oregon Department of Education
Oregon Department of Educations Role To determine eligibility for Oregon schools and ESDs to be placed on the Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory Submit the list of Oregon eligible schools and ESDs to the Directory Once a school/ESD is listed on the Directory, the school s teachers may apply to the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program 3 Oregon Department of Education
ODE is NOT Responsible for Decide a teacher s eligibility for the program Forgive or cancel loans Give information about teacher loans Answer questions regarding a specific loan Help consolidate loans Defer or receive loan payments Teachers must contact the loan originator or financial aid office from which the degree was received to obtain information specific to their loan, qualifications and options 4 Oregon Department of Education
TCLI Directory Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory: A national list of schools and ESDs serving low-income families Directory details: Eligible schools/ESDs for the current school year are added to the Directory in May, this is when the data is available to verify eligibility Qualifying schools can be added to the Directory for previous school years The Directory is available to the public for searching instructions and link available at ODE s Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program webpage. The Directory is referred to by the loan company when determining whether a teacher is eligible for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program 5 Oregon Department of Education
Directory Criteria Schools must meet the following criteria in order to be listed on the TCLI Directory for each individual year: Must be a registered Oregon school with ID# Must be a Non-profit school, Private Schools must submit proof of IRS non-profit approval status Must be an Elementary/Secondary school Must be in a Title I qualifying school district, does not need to have received funds, but must qualify for Title I funds 30.02+% of the total school enrollment must qualify for services provided under Title I 6 Oregon Department of Education
Process for School to be Listed Schools are listed through two (2) Methods: 1. Data: ODE uses the data collected for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or Community Eligibility Program (CEP) to determine eligible schools. 2. Application: Schools that do not participate in the NSLP or CEP programs, may submit a School Eligibility Application available on ODE s Teacher Loan Forgiveness webpage. 7 Oregon Department of Education
Application Information Verification Schools who submit an application to be added to the TCLI list will have the following information reviewed: The school s information is verified through ODE s records The Non-Profit status is verified The Title I qualifying School District is verified The Low-Income Student rate is verified All schools who submit a School Eligibility Application will receive an approval or did not meet criteria letter (please allow at least 3-4 weeks) 8 Oregon Department of Education
Poverty Rate Verification If the school participated in NSLP or CEP the poverty rate is verified through the data collections If the school does NOT participate in NSLP or CEP: The School District s Superintendent must sign the School Eligibility Application, certifying that the school district has on hand and available upon request a Oregon Family Income Survey form for each low-income student reflected in the poverty rate reported on the application The poverty rate is verified through additional means 9 Oregon Department of Education
Common Ineligible Reasons School falls below the 30.02% Poverty Rate School is not registered as a current Oregon school, does not have a current ODE Institution Identification (ID) # 10 Oregon Department of Education
Apply Every Year If the school participates in NSLP or CEP, each year the school s eligibility will be determined through the data If the school does not participate in NSLP or CEP, each year the school s eligibility will be determined through their annually submitted School Eligibility Application 11 Oregon Department of Education
Why isnt My School Listed? Common reasons schools are not found on the TCLI Directory are: The Directory was searched incorrectly (common) The school didn t apply The school is not eligible It is not a school, it is a program 12 Oregon Department of Education
Native American Schools All elementary and secondary schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) qualify as schools serving low-income students These schools are considered qualifying schools for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program whether they are listed on the Directory or not 13 Oregon Department of Education
Teacher Informational Document The Teacher Informational Document was created to offer assistance for teachers looking into the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. It includes: Steps to follow for the Loan Forgiveness Process High-Level Criteria for teacher eligibility Links to the Federal Student Aid website (the main resource) Link to the web page which hosts the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application Trouble-Shooting help, Common Terms and their definitions Other helpful links 14 Oregon Department of Education
Teacher Loan Relief Teacher Loan Forgiveness - available with these loans: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans Other Teacher Loan Relief Programs: Perkins Loan Cancellation and Discharge Federal Perkins Loans Public Service Loan Forgiveness Direct Loans 15 Oregon Department of Education
Teacher Criteria The following requirements must be met for teacher s to be eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness: Must have worked as a highly qualified teacher for 5 consecutive full-time years teaching elementary and or secondary During 1 of those 5 years your school must be listed on the TCLI Directory You must not have had an outstanding balance on your Direct or FEEL Program loan or You must not be in default on a subsidized or unsubsidized loan (unless arrangements have been made) The loan(s) must have been made before the end of your five academic years of qualifying teaching service 16 Oregon Department of Education
Amount of Loan Relief Amounts for teachers who began teaching on or after Oct. 30, 2004 Highly qualified full-time elementary or secondary teacher: up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness Highly qualified full-time mathematics or science teacher in a secondary school: up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness Highly qualified special education teacher whose primary responsibility was to provide special education to children with disabilities that correspond to your area of special education training: up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness Visit the Federal Student Aid Website for the definition of highly qualified and for information for teachers who began teaching before Oct. 30, 2004 17 Oregon Department of Education
Other Program Criteria Perkins Loan Cancellation and Discharge Federal Perkins Loans Cancelation is based on eligible employment or eligible volunteer service and the length of time that you were in such a position. Discharge may occur under certain circumstances. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Direct Loans Forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. Please visit the Federal Student Aid website for detailed requirements. 18 Oregon Department of Education
Resources Oregon Department of Education s Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program Contact: Jennifer Sappington, jennifer.sappington@ode.oregon.gov Oregon Department of Education s Teacher Loan Forgiveness TCLI Directory School Eligibility Application Teacher Informational Document Teacher Loan Forgiveness - Federal Student Aid website ODE Institution ID# Search 19 Oregon Department of Education
