Tulsa Teachers Relieved After Biden Administration Relaxes Rules For Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans who believe they were failed by a federal student loan program may soon have their student loans forgiven by President Biden.

A Tulsa teacher said she thought she would have to work 10 more years after enrolling in an "Incorrect Loan Program." Merrie Wolf teaches math here at Memorial High School. She says she is in her 12th year of a 10-year loan plan and was devastated-- until now.

"I look in my kids' eyes and I couldn't do anything else."

Merrie Wolf became a teacher 26 years ago to make a change in the lives of children. It was her second career.

"I decided somebody needed to step up," Wolf said.

She began making payments on a 10-year loan program, called the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. It promised people that went into public services like teaching, nursing, the military, and law enforcement, that their student loans would be canceled after paying and working for 10 years but for most people that wasn't the case.

"They said well no, you don't qualify, I'm like, how can I not qualify? Here is my history of payments-- there are 142 of them," she said.

Merrie said she was getting ready to retire when she found out she had been paying the wrong loan the entire time. She was told she would have to start the 10-year program over again.

"They said you got to start over," she said. "I was 64. I am now in my 12th year of a 10-year program."

Merrie spoke up. She began writing to state and federal leaders, and was able to be a part of a roundtable with the US Secretary of Education this week. Now, the program is getting a complete overhaul, and Merrie's $50,000 dollars in loans will be forgiven immediately.

"They said I was immediately eligible for forgiveness," she said. "I didn't have to do anything else."

"Now, I have options, so I'm excited about that," she said.

The changes are set to impact nearly 500,000 people. The government says now through next October anyone who has made payments during their qualifying jobs can get immediate loan relief and need to apply.

For more info CLICK HERE