Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 008 - Department of Higher Education
Division 10 - Financial Aid Division
Rule 008.10.05-003 - Teacher Opportunity Program Rules and Regulations

Applications will be available for download from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education's website. Applications will also be mailed to individuals upon request.

Applications include personal information, as well as education and employment information. The Department of Higher Education will review all applications to ensure that all pertinent data are included and will notify the applicant of the status of the application. If the application is incomplete, ADHE will notify the applicant of this status, the information that is missing, and the deadline to submit the information. This deadline will be no less than two weeks from the date of the notification letter.

The application deadline will be set each year by the Department of Higher Education. All applications must be postmarked by the established deadline date. Applications received after the deadline date will not be considered for participation in the Teacher Opportunity Program. The Department may establish alternate deadlines for applicants based on the start date of each term.

The applicant must obtain verification from the president of the local board of directors of the school district where the applicant is employed, that:

The applicant must obtain verification from the teacher certifying official at the applicant's college or university verifying:

The loan or loans made to one individual within one fiscal year may not exceed the aforementioned costs associated with six semester hours or the equivalent of six semester credit hours.

Each term the institution will verify the enrollment of its students in the program to ADHE and will report this status, along with amount of the actual, eligible charges. ADHE will disburse its share of the matching funds to the institution, who will then disburse the funds to the student in accordance with the institution's disbursement procedures. ADHE will notify each school district of the amount due, the names of the recipients, and the institution to whom payment is to be made. Districts will disburse funds to the institutions within 10 working days of receipt of notification from ADHE.

For funding to students not in the Dual Certification Incentive Program the Teacher Opportunity Program is a reimbursement program.

A check made payable to the individual recipient is mailed to the student once he/she has successfully completed the funded course with a satisfactory grade and has provided the Arkansas Department of Higher Education with an original copy of the itemized paid receipt and grade report or transcript for the funded course.

The president of each local school board that nominates a teacher to participate in the Dual Certification Incentive Program is responsible for appointing one representative from the school district office to receive all communications, forms, etc. relating to the Dual Certification Incentive Program. The district will disburse funds each term for each of its teachers participating in the Dual Certification Incentive Program within 10 working days of receipt of notification by ADHE of the amount due and the institution.

ADHE will cancel a recipient's repayment obligations if it determines:

There shall be no penalty for prepayment or repayment of all or any portion of the principal and all interest accrued thereon.

Loan recipients required to repay their loan(s), and who fail to meet their repayment obligations, may have added to their total obligation any costs for collection of the debt and shall have their teaching license in Arkansas revoked by the State Board of Education. In addition, ADHE will notify the Arkansas Department of Education of the failure to repay. The Arkansas Department of Education may pursue appropriate action to suspend the loan recipients teaching license.

Accounts will be retained by ADHE in the Financial Aid Division until the individual is no longer eligible for forgiveness or deferment. The account will be turned over to a vendor for repayment. The student will be notified by mail that their account is being placed with a vendor for collections and they will be sent a loan amortization schedule along with the letter. The account will remain with the vendor until repaid or 120 days past due. Loan recipients who are determined by ADHE to be 120 days delinquent will be mailed their first letter of notification 10 days after the installment payment is due. The co-signer will be notified at the same time. If payment is not forthcoming within 60 days from the original payment due date, a second letter of notification will be sent to the loan recipient and the co-signer declaring their account is delinquent and requesting that the account be immediately brought up to date. If the loan recipient has not responded within 90 days from the original payment due date, the third and final letter of notification will be sent to the recipient and co-signer informing them that the account will officially be in default if outstanding payments are not made within 30 days. At this time the account will be turned over to a debt collection agency.

No sooner than 30 days after sending the third letter of notification, ADHE shall institute a civil suit against the recipient and co-signer for repayment of the loan. Small Claims Courts will be used to satisfy debts of accounts up to $5,000.00. If over $5,000. 01, ADHE must use Circuit Court. If the account is $5,000. 01 or above, ADHE may choose to use Small Claims Courts and waive the difference because of the expense involved in going to Circuit Court. If ADHE chooses to waive the difference, it cannot later try to collect the difference. Forms to take the recipient and/or co-signer to Small Claims Courts are requested from the recipient's and/or co-signer's county of residence.

Teacher Opportunity Program loans may be written off as uncollectible if ADHE shows due diligence to satisfy the collection of the debt, and documents in the recipient's file that: