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McAllen AFT News - November, 2011

Volume 19, Issue 3
November, 2011
 
 
 
MCALLEN AFT NEWS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

 


LOAN FORGIVENESS


 

We have looked into the Loan Forgiveness information AFT has available online (http://www.aft.org/ ) and it is the same as the information available in a brochure we have.

However, we find that the information in the brochure answers many frequently asked questions about this topic that are easier to find than if you go online and look through the website.

Although AFT does not directly offer loan forgiveness, there is plenty of information and help offered by the U.S. Department of Education. As a result of the current state of the economy, the Department of Education is exercising a leniency with student loans and providing a one-year forbearance option to those who are having difficulty paying back their loans. We have included several helpful links.   Please let us know if you have any trouble accessing these links or if you have any further questions regarding this matter.
 
 
 
 

http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/PSF.jsp

Phone number for Federal Student Aid Information Center: 1-800-4-FED-AID


 TIDBITS  
 

The Texas Department of Public Safety warns that six of the seven Mexican Cartels have established command and control networks in Texas.   Students are hired to support the cartels drug, human, currency, and weapon smuggling operations on both sides of the border. The Texas border region represents 9.7% of the state’s population, yet this region has 19.2% of the state’s juvenile felony drug referrals and 21.8% of the state’s juvenile felony gang referrals. The Mexican Cartels have corrupted nearly an entire generation of youth living in Northern Mexico and are trying to corrupt our youth.

 

STATUS REPORT ON TRS PENSION FUND
 

Of late, some in politics and the media have been stoking fears about the sustainability of major state pension systems. To put those skewed claims in perspective, it’s worth noting some important data reported to Texas Teacher Retirement System trustees at their meeting in Austin on November 4. For instance, from the end of fiscal year 2010 to the end of fiscal year 2011 (August 31, 2011), the market value of your TRS pension fund rose sharply to $107.4 billion from $95.7 billion. The fund has rebounded strongly from losses recorded during the depths of the recession a few years ago. The funding ratio of the TRS pension fund at the end of fiscal 2011 was 82.7 %. A funding ratio of 80% or more is generally considered to be a sign of a very healthy pension system. The pension plan is projected to have sufficient assets to pay unreduced benefits through the year 2075, under current assumptions, if combined state and employee contributions rates are not changed. The TRS rate of return has exceeded the 8% rate by TRS actuaries for decades.

 

TEXAS COLLEGE ENROLLMENT GROWS!


 
Universities 2011
Fall 2011
Public 571,323 + 2.47%
Independent 122,851 +1.17%
 
Two-Year
Fall 2011
Public Community College 776,612 + 6.35%
Public State
Tech 13,101    + 0.59%
Ind. Jr. College 1.069 - 27.08%
 
Health Related
Fall 2011
Public   21,514 +6.27%
Independent   2,628 -2.30%
 
The report shows that overall, Texas public and private student enrollment increased by nearly 62,500 students (a 4.3% increase) from a year ago.
The best growth reported was in 2008 and 2009. An increase of more than 100,000.

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