WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) together have introduced legislation that will eliminate a barrier for teachers in military families to earn loan forgiveness for their years of public service. S. 2351, the Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act, would ensure that military spouses teaching in our hardest-to-serve school districts do not lose eligibility for the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness program should they follow their military spouse’s relocation or reassignment.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Loan Forgiveness program incentivizes teachers to commit to students in our lowest-income school districts in exchange for up to $17,500 in federal student loan forgiveness. Teachers qualify for the program once they have taught full-time for at least five consecutive years at a low-income school or educational service agency. Teachers who are military spouses often are forced to move in the middle of the school year to follow their spouse to an onward assignment. Under current guidelines, such a move would void that year of service and cause a teacher to lose eligibility for the program. He or she would be forced to restart their five years of service under current law.
“Military families make enormous sacrifices each day for our country. Spouses committed to public service and educating our children should not be penalized for keeping their family together for a new military assignment. This commonsense legislation will allow military spouses to earn the benefits they have dutifully worked towards and continue to incentivize individuals to serve our hardest to educate children,” said Senator Cardin.
“Military spouses and families make countless sacrifices in support of their loved ones and the safety of our nation, and this often means leaving their jobs during relocation,” said Senator Cornyn. “For the selfless men and women serving as teachers in low-income schools, this legislation helps provide them the stability to find new employment while remaining eligible for their loan forgiveness program.”
The Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act (S. 2351)
The Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act allows military spouses to complete their five consecutive years in five complete years. The bill:
- Provides a waiver from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program’s five consecutive years of service requirement for military spouses if their spouses is relocated during the school year pursuant to military orders from the Armed Forces.
- The waiver will allow individuals to remain eligible for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program should they resume teaching full-time at a qualifying low-income school within one year of their relocation.
- Requires the Department of Education to provide a report to Congress every two years on the number of military spouses who remained eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness as a result of this legislation.