MOHELA will reduce loan debt to encourage math, science teachers

A state loan authority will reduce student loan debt for math and science teachers in Missouri and offer a financial incentive for college freshmen to consider careers in engineering.

Missouri High Education Loan Authority officials announced the establishment of the two programs Wednesday.

Loan authority officials said the agency was responding to engineering, math and science needs in Missouri by offering to forgive millions of dollars annually in existing and future student loans.

Gov. Matt Blunt's Math, Engineering, Technology and Science Alliance called for increasing the quality and supply of math and science teachers in Missouri. The alliance also said students need to be encouraged to pursue engineering degrees to meet the needs of Missouri industries.

Quentin Wilson, associate director of MOHELA, said the first program, restricted to teachers who have been in the field fewer than five years, is designed to encourage new math and science teachers to stay in the classroom rather than leave for higher-paying jobs in business.

"A lot of teachers in math and science are leaving the field before they even complete five years," he said. "They are very much in demand."

Those who remain in the field for five years are far more likely to keep teaching, Wilson said.

MOHELA will forgive up to $2,500 of a teacher's student loan debt over the course of a year.

The authority said it will forgive an estimated $1.3 million in student loan debt for more than 500 math and science teachers in school districts across the state.

Wilson said MOHELA launched a similar program as a pilot project last year.

MOHELA hopes the program will not only help retain math and science teachers but encourage more people to pursue such teaching careers, Wilson said.

Russell Grammer, who teaches fourth grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, has seen teachers leave the field for higher-paying jobs in the private sector.

The loan forgiveness program could help keep teachers in the classroom, he said. "I think anything along that line will really pay off in the long run," Grammer said.

Keeping veteran math and science teachers in the schools also would benefit students by providing quality instruction, he said.

Grammer served on the METS alliance, which called for a greater investment in math and science education. He currently serves on the board of directors of the not-for-profit METS Coalition, which succeeded the alliance.

The other new MOHELA loan forgiveness plan will reduce federal student loan balances by up to $3,500 for each college freshman in Missouri who beginning this fall enrolls and subsequently completes two years of a college pre-engineering program or a four-year bachelor's degree in an accredited engineering program.

The loan forgiveness for engineering students could amount to more than $5 million a year, Wilson said.

Karen Walker, director of financial aid services at Southeast Missouri State University, welcomed MOHELA's loan forgiveness program for engineering students.

The amount of the loan forgiveness equals the maximum student loan for a school year.

"It is significant," she said. "You get all your loan paid back for the first year."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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