NDE offers forgivable loans, application due May 5

The Nebraska Department of Education's 'Enhancing Excellence in Teaching Program' is being offered again this year. Teachers admitted and enrolled in an advanced degree program can apply for the NDE to reimburse their graduate classes for the following year. The deadline to apply is May 5 for courses that begin between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018.

The Enhancing Excellence in Teaching Program (EETP) provides forgivable loans to Nebraska teachers enrolled in an eligible graduate program at an eligible Nebraska institution.

The process for the 2017-18 award:
Applicants send the required paperwork directly to the institution they will attend.
The institutions send all applications to NDE by June 1.
NDE will process the applications and notify all applicants by June 24 of their status and will send a contract to recipients.

Eligible students may apply, on an annual basis, for an EETP loan in an amount of up to $175 per credit hour, or a maximum of $3,000, for coursework that has been identified by the institution as part of the student's graduate program. In return for receiving an EETP loan, the student agrees to complete the graduate program that s/he is currently enrolled in and maintain full-time employment in an accredited or approved public or private school in Nebraska. If the student meets the loan forgiveness obligations, loans will be forgiven, beginning after the first two years of full-time teaching, in an amount up to $3,000 for each year of teaching or in an amount up to $6,000 for each year of teaching if the student teaches in a school district that has been classified as very sparse or in a school building in which at least 40% of the students qualify for the poverty factor.

Contact Karen Buller at the NDE at 402-471-4837 or karen.buller@nebraska.gov for more information.

If you are a secondary teacher and not in a degree program, there is still time to apply for UNL's Master of Arts for Teachers. Contact Lindsay Augustyn at laugustyn2@unl.edu for more information.

Find the application here:
https://www.education.ne.gov/EducatorPrep/LoanForgiveness/EETP/EETPAppInfo.html