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Home My WebLink AboutR2015-026sAlegal \our documents \resolutions \15 \tuition reimbursement policy amendment.docx RESOLUTION NO. R2015-O26 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS APPROVING A REVISED CITY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND SERVICES POLICY REGARDING TUITION REIMBURSEMENT; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS HEREBY RESOLVES: SECTION 1. Policy numbered 107.09 "Tuition Reimbursement" of the Personnel Policies and Procedure Manual of the City of Denton attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein, is hereby approved as official policy of the City of Denton, Texas, and replaces former policy 107.09. SECTION 2. The foregoing policy is attached hereto and made a part hereof and shall be filed in the official records with the City Secretary, SECTION 3.. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and approval. PASSED AND APPROVED this the day of 2015. „ �l lk- WATTS, MAYOR ATTEST: JENNIFER WALTERS, CITY SECRETARY APPR:) 11) AS "1 :) LEGAL FORM: ANITA BURGESS, CITY ATTORNEY oow W POLICY STATEMENT It is the purpose of the City of Denton to provide quality services for its citizens by encouraging upward mobility, employee development, and excellence of performance by sharing the expense of approved courses and educational programs. Tuition reimbursement assists employees in broadening their knowledge of their current position or preparing them for possible assumption of new job responsibilities within the City. The availability of tuition reimbursement is subject to City Council approved funding levels. The percentage of potential tuition reimbursement will be established annually as part of the City's budget process based upon anticipated participation and available funding. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES I. DEFINITIONS A. A course or educational program is a class of instruction taught at or by an accredited college, university, or trade school. B. A tuition reimbursement participant is an eligible employee who has submitted a Tuition Reimbursement Agreement Form. (Refer to Section III, B for eligibility requirements). II. EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY A. To be considered for participation in the tuition reimbursement program, an individual must be a regular full -time employee and have completed at least six months service with the City prior to application approval B. Employees who have been placed on a Managed Action Plan are not eligible for tuition reimbursement until successful completion of the Managed Action Plan. III. COURSE ELIGIBILITY A. Classroom and on -line courses offered by accredited colleges, universities, or trade schools are eligible for tuition reimbursement if they are: POLICY /ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE /ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE TITLE: TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PAGE REFERENCE NUMBER: 107.09 1. Required by a degree plan which is related to a City career field, 2. Required by a trade school course of study which is related to a City career field; or, 3. Related to a City career field as determined by the Director of the Human Resources Department or designee. B. Seminars, conferences, and courses unrelated to a City career field are ineligible for tuition reimbursement. Approval for reimbursement for seminars and conferences is subject to departmental training budgets. Non - credit continuing education courses containing the same or similar information as received in previous courses (repeat courses) as well as credit obtained under the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) are not eligible for tuition reimbursement. IV. GUIDELINES A. Reimbursement is limited to eight courses per academic year, not to exceed $5,250 per academic year. B. As a condition of reimbursement, participants must earn a grade of "C" or above in undergraduate level courses, "B" or above in graduate level courses, and "Pass" in Pass /Fail courses. For those courses for which grades are not assigned, a certificate of completion will serve as proof of course completion. C. Reimbursement for thesis or dissertation will be paid when the participant submits a final grade report or transcript that records a passing grade. Reimbursement will be paid for the required number of credit hours (six for thesis and twelve for dissertation) regardless of the actual number of hours taken. D. For advanced degrees requiring Internships as part of the degree plan, the City will reimburse a maximum of 12 credit hours, regardless of the actual number of hours worked as an intern. E. All courses must be approved by the Human Resources Department prior to registration. Participants wishing to receive reimbursement for such must provide official scholastic accreditation documentation and an official description of the course(s) or training to the Human Resources Department prior to registration. V. EXPENSES INELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT PAGE 3 OF 4 POLICY /ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE /ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE (Continued TITLE: TUITION REIMBURSEMENT REFERENCE NUMBER: 107.09 A. Parking, books, supplies, or other expenses in connection with courses to be taken, which are not included in the mandatory fees, are not eligible for reimbursement. B. Tuition reimbursement will be paid only once for each approved course. The City will not pay tuition reimbursement for courses for which tuition reimbursement has already been received by the employee. C. The City will not pay the cost of tuition which has been or shall be paid from other sources such as scholarships, grants, Veterans' benefits, student loans, or other subsidies. In the event of partial scholarship or grant, reimbursement will be calculated based on the actual expense to the employee. D. Tuition reimbursement will not be granted for audited courses. VI. APPLICATION AND REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS A. To begin participation in the Tuition Reimbursement program, employees must meet with the Human Resources Director or designee to obtain a Tuition Reimbursement Agreement Form and Tuition Reimbursement Policy. Employees must complete and submit the Tuition Reimbursement Agreement to the Human Resources Department prior to the start of the course. At least 30 days in advance is suggested. B. To request reimbursement for a specific semester, participants must obtain a "Tuition Reimbursement Semester Registration Form" from the Human Resources Department. The completed Registration Form will document the course titles and number of credit hours for which the participant intends to register. The completed Tuition Reimbursement Semester Registration Form must be submitted to the Human Resources Department prior to the start of the semester. Participants will only be reimbursed for the number of hours they have specifically completed under Section IV of this policy. If courses change from the initial registration form, the Human Resources Department must be contacted. C. Participants will pay all costs according to the parameters of their educational institution. Within 21 days of the end of the school term, participants will submit copies of the following to the Human Resources Department for reimbursement approval: 1. An itemized statement of tuition and fees, 2. Proof of payment which shall consist of an itemized receipt from the school indicating the amount paid by the student employee, and 3. A final grade report or transcript provided by the college, university, or trade school. PAGE „,_4,..._OF 4, POLICY /ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE /ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE (Continued TITLE: TUITION REIMBURSEMENT REFERENCE NUMBER: 107.09 D. Participants will be reimbursed based upon the actual fee schedule of the school they attend unless the fee schedule exceeds that of the University of North Texas (UNT) or Texas Woman's University (TWU), in which case the reimbursement will be calculated at the equivalent rate of UNT or TWU (whichever is greater). Tuition reimbursement will be processed through Human Resources at the end of each semester. Reimbursement requests submitted after the deadline will be denied unless prior permission is granted by the Director of Human Resources or designee. E. Mandatory fees shall be reimbursed as part of the tuition rate charges. F. The Human Resources Director may on behalf of the Executive Committee approve and authorize reimbursement. VII. TERMINATION If an employee resigns or is terminated for any reason prior to course completion, the City shall not be obligated to reimburse any part of the expense. An employee who resigns or is terminated less than two years after completion of a reimbursed course must return the monies to the City upon termination, using the following guidelines: • If an employee resigns or is terminated within 0 -12 months after receiving reimbursement, they must repay monies at 100 %. • If an employee resigns or is terminated after 12 months but prior to 24 months after receiving reimbursement, they must repay monies at 50 %. Employees terminated due to a reduction in force shall not be required to reimburse the monies,