[Publib] Tuition reimbursement info (Long)

[Greg Mickells]

I was just informed that the link I sent would not permit you into our 
staff page to read our policy. So here is a cut and paste. -Greg

Douglas County Libraries
Tuition Assistance Policy
Effective January 1, 2005. THIS UPDATED POLICY REPLACES ALL PREVIOUS
VERSIONS OF THE POLICY, INCLUDING THE POLICY DOCUMENTED IN THE
STAFF HANDBOOK DATED JUNE 2002.
If you are regularly scheduled for 20 hours or more per week, you are 
eligible to apply for
educational assistance in the form of tuition reimbursement to improve 
your work-related skills.
You must have at least one year of service with the district before 
beginning the course.
Exceptions may be made to the one-year requirement only when district 
staffing needs are
urgent, at the discretion of the Human Resources Manager.
All classes and course work must be completed on the staff member’s own 
time (not during work
time). Scheduling issues should be negotiated between the staff member 
and her/his manager
before the start of each course.
Staff members must sign an agreement to fully reimburse the district if 
employment is terminated
within two years of receiving tuition assistance. Additionally, tuition 
reimbursement recipients
must satisfactorily complete each course with a "B" grade or better.
The tuition reimbursement recipient will be expected to pay tuition 
costs to the educational
institution, and then receive reimbursement upon satisfactory completion 
of the course. Federal
taxes may be applied to any reimbursement funds awarded to the staff 
member, per current IRS
regulations.
Tuition reimbursement funds are awarded to staff selected through a 
competitive application and
possibly an interview process. Budget considerations, district staffing 
needs, current levels of
tuition reimbursement participation within the branch/department, 
seniority and quality of
applicants will be considered in determining who will receive tuition 
reimbursement each year.
Also, the manager of the staff member who is seeking tuition 
reimbursement will be consulted
for their input during the application approval process.
The manager of the staff member who is seeking tuition assistance must 
give approval based on
the staff member’s current performance level before the application will 
be considered.
Educational programs that qualify for tuition reimbursement 
consideration are Master of Library
Science (MLS) degrees (learning institution must be accredited by the 
ALA for MLS programs)
and technical certifications. Other undergraduate or graduate degrees 
will also be considered. All
approved classes/programs must be directly related to the staff member’s 
current position and/or
documented future career goals with the District.
Tuition reimbursement funds will be approved for the budget year only. 
Tuition
reimbursement recipients are required to submit an application for 
approval annually.
Strong consideration for continued reimbursement funding will be given 
to tuition
reimbursement recipients who continue to meet the eligibility criteria 
set forth in this
policy.

Benefit levels (to be paid up to the yearly cap amount – see below for 
more details):
1 to 2 years of service: The district will pay 25% of tuition.
2 to 3 years of service: 50% will be paid.
Over 3 years of service: 75% will be paid.
In order to receive this benefit, the staff member must have at least 1 
year of service before the
start of the course. When a staff member’s length of service moves to 
the next benefit level, they
will receive the increased benefit coverage with the approval of their 
next tuition reimbursement
form, or at the start of their next course.
All approved tuition assistance funds will carry a reimbursement cap for the
calendar/budget year. The amount may vary from year to year, based on budget
considerations. The cap amount will be announced to all applicants annually.
Tuition Assistance applications must be received by July 31 of the year 
prior to the start of your
course of study.
Grand Fathering Process for Previously Approved Staff Members:
This revised policy becomes effective for all tuition reimbursement 
applications for courses
beginning on January 1, 2005. Graduate program students who were 
approved prior to this date
and who are actively enrolled as students in a degree program are 
approved for reimbursement
through December 31, 2006, but current funding caps will apply. The 
previous policy’s benefit
levels (as stated in the DCL Staff Handbook, dated June 2002, pages 
15-16) will apply for those
who are covered under this grand fathering process.
All tuition assistance graduate program students who were previously 
approved for
reimbursement will be required to submit for reimbursement funds on an 
annual basis by the July
31, 2006 deadline if classes will not be completed by December 31, 2006.
Any staff member who received tuition reimbursement approval for an 
undergraduate program
course prior to January 1, 2005 will be required to apply for additional 
reimbursement funds
annually. This provision is not changed from the previous version of the 
tuition assistance policy,
as stated in the DCL Staff Handbook (dated June 2002, pages 15-16).
If you have questions, please contact the Human Resources Manager at 
303-688-7631, or see
your manager/supervisor. Thanks.


Greg Mickells wrote:

> From Douglas County Libraries in Colorado. Three members of my current 
> staff have obtained their MLS with the organization picking up 75% of 
> the tuition costs.
>
> http://staff.douglascountylibraries.org/emp_res/tuitionPolicy.pdf
>
> G. Mickells
> Library Manager
> Philip S. Miller Library
> 100 S Wilcox St
> Castle Rock, Colorado 80104
>
> Betz, Joyce A. wrote:
>
>> We are thinking of starting a tuition reimbursement program for our
>> employees taking college classes. If you do something like this in 
>> your library could you send me some
>> information about it.
>> We are looking for information about Who, can participate, Do you pay 
>> or reimburse for all levels of college classes or just
>> graduate classes, How do you decide who gets tuition money?
>> Do you require a commitment to stay for a certain period of time.
>> Thanks in advance
>>
>>
>> Joyce Betz
>> Staff Development and Training Coordinator
>> Jackson District Library
>> 244 W. Michigan
>> Jackson, MI 49201
>> E-mail: betzja at jackson.lib.mi.us
>> Phone: 517-788-4099 ext 260
>> Fax: 517-788-6024 _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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