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Student Loan Repayment Assistance
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Who is eligible to participate in student loan repayment assistance?
Employees in their first ten years of a licensed position are eligible to participate in the student loan repayment assistance for a maximum of four years; this includes employees who were previously in service positions (e.g., paraprofessionals), were substitute teachers, or hourly employees. Employees are eligible for student loan repayment only in their first ten years of teaching.
For the purpose of this program, licensed positions include the following:
- Teachers, including general education, special education, and specialists
- Librarians
- School counselors
- School social workers
- School psychologists
- Speech language pathologist
- Occupational therapists and physical therapists
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How does the student loan repayment assistance work?
Stafford Schools has partnered with BenefitEd, a trusted a experienced vendor for education assistance programs, to administer this program. BenefitEd is capable of making payments to any student loan servicing body (whether public or private loans) on behalf of the employee.
Eligible employees will receive an invitation from BenefitEf directly to their Stafford Schools email address within 30 days of employment. To participate, employees will create accounts with BenefitEd and provide information about their student loan accounts. To be eligible, the provided student loans must identify that the employee was the beneficiary of the loan.
Once BenefitEd has verified that the provided student loan accounts are eligible for repayment assistance, BenefitEd will notify Stafford Schools that the employee has successfully enrolled in the program, Stafford Schools will then provide a monthly payment of $125 towards the employee's student loans' these funds will go to BenefitEd directly, which will then apply the payment towards each individual employee's registered loan accounts.
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I am a returning licensed employee; am I eligible for student loan repayment assistance?
Yes. Licensed employees with fewer than ten years of teaching are eligible for participation.
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If I participate in student loan repayment assistance, will Stafford Schools have access to information about my student loans?
No. Only BenefitEd will have access to this information for the purpose of making payments on the employee's behalf, and loan information is not shared with Stafford Schools. The only exception is if the student loan account registered with BenefitEd is fully repaid; in that instance, BenefitEd will notify Stafford Schools that the employee no longer has an eligible loan account to which payments can be made.
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I have student loans in my name, but someone else was a beneficiary of the loan (such as a child or other family member). Can I receive student loan repayment assistance?
No. Only student loans that were for the employee's own education are eligible.
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Can I receive both tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment assistance?
No; participation in these programs is mutually exclusive and you can only participate in one or the other, even if eligible for both.
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I hope to participate in a federal loan forgiveness program (either Teacher Loan Forgiveness or Public Service Loan Forgiveness); will participating in student loan repayment assistance from Stafford Schools affect my eligibility for this?
To the best of our knowledge, no. Eligibility for the federal loan forgiveness program for teachers is based on employment in a qualifying position and, in the case of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, making the required number of payments towards eligible loans.
However, Stafford Schools does not control this program or interpretation of its rules, so we encourage interested employees to contact Federal Student Aid with questions specific to their eligibility.
Tuition Assistance for Coursework and Credentials
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Who is eligible to participate in tuition assistance?
All contracted employees --whether licensed or service, full-time or part-time-- are eligible to participate in tuition assistance programs.
In limited instances, SCPS will approve tuition assistance for long-term substitutes who are completing coursework necessary for provisional licensure. Such approvals are at the discretion of the Chief Talent Officer based on the recommendation of the school(s) where the substitute works or has worked.
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What is the maximum amount an employee can receive for tuition assistance?
All employees are eligible for a maximum to $1,500 in tuition assistance in the contract year for eligible coursework.
This maximum increases to $2,500 for employees who request assistance for coursework that leads to licensure in a high need subject area. This is available to both current service employees who are preparing for initial licensure as well as current licensed employees seeking to add an endorsement in a high needs subject area.
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How will my assistance be calculated?
Qualifying expenses are reimbursed on a dollar for dollar basis for up to half of the maximum benefit ($750 for more employees; $1,250 for those enrolled in programs leading to high need subject area certifications).
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What licensure areas are considered "high need subjects?"
Any area listed on the state's Critical Shortage Area list for the current school yar or the school year in which the staff member enrolled in the program.
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I am a licensed employee; what types of courses are eligible for tuition assistance besides adding an endorsement in a high need subject area?
Licensed employees can seek assistance for any of the following:
- Any graduate program leading to an added endorsement on their license, including school administration (Note the increased maximum benefit for high need areas.)
- Coursework required to teach Dual Enrollment
- Expenses related to National Board certification
- Any graduate coursework or continuing education approved by their administrator as part of an overall professional growth plan.
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I am a service employee; what types of courses or other work are eligible for tuition assistance besides seeking licensure?
- Any program leading to a bachelor's degree
- Coursework or certifications related to current job duties or responsibilities
- Coursework or certifications related to skills needed for future positions, approved by their administrator as part of an overall professional growth and succession plan.
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How do I apply for tuition assistance?
- Apply for assistance.
- Complete the course/certificate and secure a passing grade.
- Submit the transcript or certificate demonstrating successful completion along with proof of payment to Human Resources.
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I want to request assistance for more than one course. Do I need to submit separate requests?
Yes. We require separate applications for each request so we can approve requests based on the eligibility of individual courses, and issue reimbursements upon receiving verification of successful completion for each individual course.
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Can I receive both tuition assistance and student loan repayment assistance?
No; participation in these programs is mutually exclusive and you can only participate in one or the other, even if eligible for both.