The Maine DOE has been notified of the requirement to submit Maine teacher shortage areas by December 9 for designation by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2017-18 school year.
The U.S. Department of Education annually designates teacher shortage areas for purposes of deferment of loan repayments or reductions of teaching obligation under the following student loan programs:
- Targeted teacher deferment for borrowers under the Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) Program and the Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS) programs [34 CFR 682.210(q)];
- Cancellation of up to 100 percent of their debt under the Federal Perkins Loan Program [34 CFR 674.53(c)] for full-time teachers in field of expertise; and
- Fulfillment of the teaching obligation for recipients under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program (34 CFR 686).
The Department intends to propose the following as K-12 teacher shortage areas during the 2017-18 school year for the entire state:
- Special Education (includes teachers and speech-hearing clinicians)
- World Languages (French, German, Russian, Spanish, Latin)
- Science
- Mathematics
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Gifted/Talented
- School Librarian
- Industrial Arts
The Department invites you to share any additional shortage areas to suggest or information on this matter before Friday, Nov. 18 by contacting commish.doe@maine.gov.