The US Department of Education (USDOE) has designated the following areas as teacher shortage areas in Arkansas for the 2009-2010 school year.
Licensure Areas:
Mathematics (Secondary) 7-12
Foreign Language - French, Spanish
Gifted and Talented
Library Media
Science - Life/Earth (7-12) and Physical/Earth (7-12)
School Counselor (P-12)
Special Education (P-12)
The following loans under the federal designation of teacher shortage areas that may qualify for forgiveness or deferment are as follows:
• 34 CFR 682.210(q) enables a borrower who had no outstanding Federal Family Education Loan (FEEL) Program loan on July 1, 1987 but who had an outstanding FEEL Program loan on July 1, 1993 to qualify for deferment of loan repayment under the Federal Stafford Program anytime within the life of the borrower’s loan(s);
• 34 CFR 674.53© enables Federal Perkins Loan borrowers who are full time teachers of mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education or any other field of expertise where the State educational agency determined there is a shortage of qualified teachers to qualify for cancellation of up to 100% of the loan;
• 34 CFR 686.12(d) enables grant recipients to fulfill their teaching obligation under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program; and
• 34 CFR 653.50(a)(2)(ii) enables scholars to qualify for the reduction of teaching obligation under the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program.
Individual teachers that have questions about an outstanding personal loan including the teacher shortage area deferment, Federal Stafford/SLS borrowers should contact the Federal Student Aid Hotline at 1-800-4FED-AID; http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/repaying.jsp , Federal Perkins Loan borrowers should contact the school where the loan was received; and Douglas Scholars should contact the State agency that awarded the scholarship.
If the above references do not resolve individual questions, please contact Mary A. Miller, Program and Management Analyst, at 202-502-7824 or via email at mary.miller@ed.gov