Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
433.1 Tuition Payment for Advanced College Credits 433.1. TUITION PAYMENT FOR ADVANCED COLLEGE CREDITS 1. Purpose The Board recognizes that on-going professional development of employees profits students and enhances the quality of the district. One form of professional development is the taking of advanced college courses. 2. Authority To encourage eligible employees to take advanced college credits, the Board will reimburse tuition expenses provided that the following guidelines are strictly adhered to. 3. Delegation of Responsibility Annually, the Superintendent will recommend to the Board for approval an amount to be budgeted for payment of tuition for approved advanced college credits. 4. Guidelines Eligible employees shall include professional staff covered by the bargaining agreement and administrative staff including Act 93 administrators who have, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Professional Employees Covered By The Bargaining Agreement 1. Tuition Fees a. Full Payment. The district shall pay the Penn State University graduate rate for tuition fees incurred by teachers during the contract year for college credit hours of course work. b. Tuition. Tuition fees, as employed in this policy, shall be limited to the actual cost of the college credit hour and shall not include costs of textbooks, class materials, registration, laboratory or miscellaneous fees, room, meals, transportation or any other costs that may be realized by the employee in relation to the course. 2. Tuition Payment Eligibility a. In order to be eligible for such tuition payments, the course must be preapproved by the Superintendent, such preapproval requiring the employee to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the building principal and Superintendent, that the coursework in question is of benefit to the teacher's present teaching assignment or employment with the district and: 1) the course is approved by the employee's graduate advisor as part of a graduate program in education, or 2) the course is in the employee's area of certification, or 3) the course is in the general field of education including the areas of school administration, educational technology and educational methods. b. The district shall consider a course to be satisfactorily completed if the employee attains a grade of "B" or its numerical equivalent. If the course is only offered "pass/fail," then a "pass" shall be considered a satisfactory completion by the district. c. A teacher receiving benefits under this provision shall remain with the district at least two (2) semesters after the completion of the course; otherwise, the payment will be forfeited to the district. d. The limit on payment shall be twelve (12) hours per teacher per contract year, unless the teacher is involved in an approved sabbatical for the purpose of study, with no more than nine (9) credits scheduled during the school term. e. The teacher will observe the reasonable rules and regulations of the district in processing the application for approval and for the disbursement of tuition. 3. Manner of Payment a. The teacher must present proof of successful completion and proof of tuition payment. b. Payment will be made to the teacher within thirty (30) days of the presentation of the items above. c. If the teacher submits his/her application for course approval, showing the approval of the building principal and Superintendent, to the Business Office fifteen (15) days or more prior to the date of registration for the course, the district will advance the tuition payment provided for herein. If, for any reason, the teacher does not complete all the requirements for tuition payment stated herein, deductions will be made from the teacher's earnings for money advanced. Administrative Staff Including Act 93 Administrators 1. The Board will fully reimburse administrators for the tuition cost of up to twelve (12) credit hours during the school year and eighteen (18) credit hours during the budget year. 2. Prior to the commencement of the course for which tuition reimbursement will be sought, the administrator must receive course approval from the Superintendent by submitting a copy of the course description. If the course is not part of an approved graduate program, it must be approved by the Superintendent within fifteen (15) days in advance of enrollment. Such preapproval shall be dependent upon the Superintendent's determination that such course is related to the goals and interests of the district. 3. Within ninety (90) school days following successful completion of the approved course, the administrator must submit to the Superintendent a copy of a transcript or other documentary verification of the successful completion of the course and a copy of a cancelled check, receipt or other documentary verification of the cost of the course. 4. In the event that an administrator receives tuition reimbursement from the district, s/he shall be obligated to repay a prorated portion of such reimbursement via payroll deduction if s/he leaves the employ of the district within one (1) year. Other 1. Any eligible employee earning course credits beyond the prescribed limits may bank the extra credits for payment the following budget year. However, in any budget year, should the budget amount not be fully encumbered, payment for credits earned beyond the prescribed limits may be made, at the discretion of the Superintendent, to eligible employees. 2. If the Superintendent requests an employee to undertake specific course work in order that a change in assignment may be made, tuition for such courses shall be reimbursed by the Board and shall not count against any of the credit limits specified above. References: Board Policy – 433