HomeMy WebLinkAbout074 - Education Assistance Policy ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 74
July 10, 2002
TO: All Departmen
FROM: Gary Crutchfi I it anager
SUBJECT: Education Assistance Policy
I. PURPOSE : To provide financial assistance to eligible city employees seeking job-
related education and training through an accredited education institution during the
course of their employment. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to supersede or override
any provision of any collective bargaining agreement between the City of Pasco and any
employee bargaining group.
II. EMPLOYEES AFFECTED:
This policy applies to all regular full-time employees.
III. DEFINITIONS:
A) Approval: Written notice that a specific course or courses listed in the request has
been accepted and budgeted for the current or upcoming fiscal year.
B) Review Committee: A committee consisting of the department head of the
employee' s department and the Personnel Manager. In cases where the department
head is the immediate manager, the City Manager will take department head' s place
on the committee.
IV. POLICY: The City of Pasco supports employees who seek additional educational
opportunities on their own initiative by reimbursing them for course expenses, subject to
certain conditions outlined as follows:
A) Requirements for tuition reimbursements are:
1 . Only regular full-time employees are eligible for reimbursement.
2. Employee must have completed one ( 1 ) year of full-time or part-time
employment with the city and is not currently within a probationary period of
any kind.
3 . Employee must not be eligible for educational assistance from other sources,
e.g., Veteran' s Administration, etc.
4. Educational assistance is for tuition reimbursement, books and lab fees only.
No reimbursement will be allowed for travel expenses, material cost or other
expenses.
5 . Reimbursement shall be based on the grade (or letter value equivalent) achieved
in the course as follows:
For a grade of A . ....... .. ....... ....... . . .... . .... 100%
For a grade of B ....... ....... ..... ..... .. ........... 75%
For a grade of C ......... ... ..... ..... .... ... . ... . ... 50%
Grades less than C will not be reimbursed.
Pass/Fail courses, if passed, will be reimbursed at 50%.
6. Courses must be "approved" (see Section V.A) to be eligible for reimbursement.
7. Employees must have had an acceptable annual evaluation with no unacceptable
ratings and at a minimum "meets expectations " in Work Quality and Work
Quantity.
8. Reimbursement will be based upon actual cost as verifiable by receipt.
9. Application for acceptance into the reimbursement program does not guarantee
acceptance. All decisions of the Review Committee are final.
B) Reimbursement Limitations :
1 . Only courses offered by state or regionally accredited educational or training
institutions are eligible for reimbursement. Exceptions to this limitation may be
approved by the Review Committee.
2. Education assistance may be granted for tuition, books and fees, with a
$400/quarter and $600/semester maximum and a $ 1 ,600 per person annual
maximum.
3 . The number of applicants eligible for reimbursement will be based upon
department funds budgeted for such purposes. Should funds become limited,
applicants for reimbursement will be selected based on the needs of the
department.
4. An employee who voluntarily leaves the city or is terminated for any reason
before obtaining a final grade shall forfeit reimbursement of expenses.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 74 — PAGE 2
C) Course Schedule:
1 . All courses must be taken at a time that will not interfere with the employee's
regular duties and responsibilities with the city. Study assignments must be
completed outside the employee's working hours. If during the current
evaluation period the employee receives a special evaluation due to performance
problems or a regular evaluation that does not meet or exceed the standard set in
Section IV.A.7, approval for future educational assistance may be denied.
V. PROCEDURE: An employee shall obtain written approval from the Review Committee
before registering for a course.
A) In order to receive approval to attend the course(s) the employee must submit a letter
justifying the value of the course or program of interest to their manager. The
manager shall forward the letter and a supporting memorandum to the Review
Committee one month before registration. The employee and manager shall, from
their professional perspective address the factors in Section V.B in their submittals to
the Review Committee.
B) In deciding whether to approve a request for educational assistance, the manager and
the Review Committee shall consider the following factors:
1 . The nature and purpose of the course of study.
2. The benefits to be derived by the employee and the city.
3 . The level of responsibility and length of service of the employee.
4. The estimated cost of the course completion to the city.
C) Upon successful completion of the course, the employee shall submit to the
department head a certified transcript of grades and receipts for tuition and expenses
along with a Claim for Expenses Form. Tuition cost will not be reimbursed for
incomplete classes regardless of letter grade attained during the course.
VI. EFFECTIVE DATE: This policy shall be effective July 10, 2002.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 74 — PAGE 3