MN HF1170

Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education shall establish and administer a teacher shortage loan forgiveness program for teachers licensed by the Board of Teaching and employed in Minnesota school districts in identified teacher shortage areas.

Teacher shortage areas are determined annually by the Commissioner of Education using the teacher supply and demand report, identifying licensure fields and economic development regions experiencing shortages.

Eligible teachers may apply annually for up to five consecutive school years and receive annual loan forgiveness not to exceed a specified amount or their cumulative qualified educational loan balance, whichever is less.

Teachers who submit false or misleading applications may have their teaching license suspended or revoked, be disciplined by their school district, or be required to repay all forgiveness received plus interest.

Commissioner must report annually by February 1 to the legislature on the number of recipients, licensure areas, regions served, average amounts paid, and outcome indicators.