**UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION** 

OMB No. : 1840 - 0595 Expires: 01/31/20

_

_ **Date** SUMMARY: This letter is to notify each State of the requirement to submit teacher shortage area proposals for the 2 0__ - 20__ school ye ar for designation b y the U.S. Department of Education. Dear Chief State School Officer: This letter gives notice of the closing date for receipt of State - proposed teacher shortage areas for designation b y the U. S. Department of Education (Department) for the 20

____ - 20___ school ye ar. You must subm it yo ur 20

__ - 20__ proposed teacher shortage areas b y **December __,**  **20**

**___ .**  A copy of the Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing 1990 - 19 91 through 20

__ - 20__, published in

__ 20

__ , may

be found at the following W eb site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.html There are Federal program benefits available for those who may teach in shortage areas proposed by yo ur State under the following regulations:  Targeted t eacher deferment for borrowers under the Famil y Federal Education L oan (FFEL) and Federal Supplemental L oans for Students (SLS) programs (34 CFR 682.210(q));  Full - time teaching in fields of expertise, cancellation of up to 100% of their debt under the Fe deral Perkins Loan Program (34 CFR 674.53(c)); and  Teaching obligation fulfillment for recipients under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program (34 CFR 686). Copies of the following final regulations , publi shed in the Federal Register , are enclosed:  The December 18, 1992 (34 CFR Part 682), regulations regarding the targeted teacher deferment for borrowers under the FFEL and Supplemental L oans for Students (SL S) programs ;  The November 30, 1994 (34 CFR Part 674), regulations regarding the cancellations for full time teaching in fields of expertise for borrowers under the Federal Perkins L oan Program; and  The June 23, 2008 (34 CFR Part 686), regulations regarding the obligations for full - time teaching in a high - need field, at a low - income elementary or secondary

school for grantPage 2 - Chief State School Officer

recipients under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. Please refer to these regulation s, in addition to the enclosed checklis t , for assistance in preparing your State’s teacher shortage area proposal. If your State does not submit the required written documentation proposing teacher shortage areas, FFEL/SLS and Federal Perkins L oan borrowers and TEACH Grant recipients who teach in your State may not receive Federal program benefits to which they may be entitled. We are enclosing a Proposed Teacher Shortage Area Designation Submission Checklist that itemizes the information you must submit to the Department. To expedite process ing of your proposal, please ensure that **each item on the checklist** is addressed and that **all assurances** are clearl y state d. If your State chooses not to propose Teacher Shortage Areas, please repl y in a letter noting the applicable school years for which areas are not being proposed . Proposals sent by

regular U.S. mail , special delivery , or FEDEX services should be addressed to: **Andrea C. Baird** Program Officer U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. Office of Postsecondary

Education/High er Education Programs K Street Location, Room 6143 Washington, DC 20 202 Hand delivered proposals will be accepted at the above address between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily (Eastern Standard Time), except Saturday s, Sunday s, and Federal holiday s. Publi c Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 , no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection display s a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collectio n is 1840 - 0595. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 80 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information . The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefits contained in the Fed eral Family Education L oan Program (FFELP) regu l ations (34 CFR 682.210). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or an y other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden , to Andrea C. Baird , U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Office of Postsecondary Education, K Street Location, Washington, DC 20202. If you prefer, Andrea Baird can also be reached by phone at (202) 502 - 7797 or via e - mail at Andrea.Baird@ed.gov .Page 3 - Chief State School Officer

Thank you for submitting a timel y proposal. We look forward to receiving your proposal of desi gnated teacher shortage areas in yo ur State no later than December __ , 20

__ . John Clement Director, Institutional Programs Development Division Enclosures A Proposed Teacher Shortage Area Designation Submission Checklist B Final Re gulations published in the Federal Register on December 18, 1992 (34 CFR Part 682) C Final Rule published in the Federal Register on November 30, 1994 (34 CFR Part 6 74) D Final Regulations published in the Federal Register on June 23, 2008 (34 CFR Part 686)

**1 990 K STREET, NW WASHINGTON, DC 20006** 

**http://www.ed.gov** Our mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the Nation .