The U.S. Department of Education has announced a time-limited waiver to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on eligible borrowers’ Direct Loans after they have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. Under the waiver, federal student loan borrowers who work for a qualifying employer may receive credit for past payments who would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. Specifically, any period of repayment will count as a qualifying payment, regardless of loan type, repayment plan, or whether past payments were made in full or on time.

The deadline to take advantage of the waiver is Monday, Oct. 31. For more information on eligibility requirements, the application process and to access the PSLF Help Tool, click here. If you have questions, visit the PSLF FAQ page.

Celebrate Career and College Success Month by wearing your favorite college gear every Friday in October! Use this opportunity to spark career and college conversations with students about your path after high school and the importance of planning for their futures, including considering college, vocational training, the military or a path that's right for them. 

Capture the college spirit of your team with a photo or a screenshot and send it to Nadine Perez. Also, don’t forget to follow DPS on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see how our students are preparing for success in their career and college journeys -- and add your stories to the celebration by tagging #MyPlanDPS!

Top 5: Favorite College Course 

In the spirit of College and Career Readiness month, we asked Team DPS to remember their most interesting college course or post-secondary training. Congratulations to our giveaway winner, Holli Coburn! A few favorite courses are featured below and you can read all of them here.

5. “One of the classes that I really enjoyed was Interpersonal Communication. Every day I use the skills I learned in that class.” -- Marlene Rivas, Samuels Elementary

3. “The best college course that I took was Entrepreneurship! I had a mobile hair styling service and as I went throughout the semester I expanded my clientele. At the end of the course we had to present to the Sharks on Shark Tank and I was the winner of $10,000.” -- Ariel Ruempolhamer, East High School

4. “My freshman year of college I took Philosophy 140, Introduction to Logic at Central Michigan University. As strange as it sounds, I believe that introductory philosophy class taught me how to think. Before that class, I didn't have strategies or names for my own thought processes. After taking the class, I was able to intentionally reason through problems, reason deductively, and call out fallacies in others' ideas as well as my own. Overall, it gave me confidence in my own mind which has stuck with me ever since.” -- Matt Albrecht, Research, Analytics & Data

2. “I took Intro to Mass Communication my second semester of college and it changed my whole world. I then ended up majoring in Communication Studies and that took me all over the world.” -- Wendeth Rauf, Higher Education Academics

1. “My favorite college course at UNC Greeley was American Sign Language. This was an awesome course which provided me with a strong foundation for basic sign language. I have a student who is deaf in one ear and the basics I learned in College Sign Language Class have helped me have empathy and ensure that my student is comfortable and confident to do well academically and socially.” -- Holli Coburn, Maxwell Elementary

It's time to start shopping for Halloween candy, and we want to know Team DPS' favorites! Answer the poll question below and check back next week for the results!

The DPS Employment Practice Manual provides managers and employees with guidance around key Human Resources (Office of Talent) practices. Please review the manual to help raise awareness of administration policies, regulations, practices and expectations.

Want to learn more about your PERA retirement benefits? Join the live PERA 101 webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. This webinar will be hosted by a PERA representative and is designed for anyone in the PERA Defined Benefit Plan (DB Plan).  

To register, click here or scan the QR code! 

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