NEA EdAction – Help Needed Cancel Educator Student Debt

In 2007, the federal government promised educators that if they serve their communities for 10 years and pay their student loan payments on time, their student debt will be forgiven.  

That promise has not been kept. To date, 98 percent of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (or PSLF) applications have been denied.

That’s not right, and we’re determined to fix it.

Now is your chance to share with the Department of Education your PSLF experience. How has student debt impacted you your family, and your schools? Why should the Department cancel student debt?

Your personal letter will go on the official record and help create a powerful case for PSLF and student debt reform.

If your debt was forgiven, what dreams would you be able to pursue? How would it allow you to focus on your students and profession? And if you applied for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, what were the difficulties you faced? If you were rejected, what did that mean for your future in the public service sector?

We’re calling on the Department of Education to keep its word and forgive the student loan debt of public service workers with at least 10 years of public service and cancel $50,000 in student debt for all other federal loans. No technicalities. No loopholes. Just cancel the debt.

Will you write a personal letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling on him to cancel student debt? To make things easy for you, we’ve given you some prompts and a sample letter to adapt, if you want.

For too long, student debt has held back our families, our communities, and our profession.

By cancelling student debt, we can recruit—and retain—the best educators and make sure every student, from Phoenix to Bangor, has educators who inspire their love of learning.  

Thanks for taking action,

The NEA EdAction Team