District of Columbia Public Schools – Washington Teachers’ Union Tuition Reimbursement Benefit Program Guidelines and Procedures Background                                                                        Article XLI – Section K3 of the October 1, 2004 – September 30, 2007 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) establishes the provision for teacher reimbursement for tuition paid to attend job-related courses at accredited universities and colleges.  This program review outlines the provision and describes the tuition reimbursement program for course work undertaken by covered WTU bargaining unit members.  The provision does not apply to DCPS/employer-directed course work or training, approved course work or training under the Office of Workforce and Professional Development programs or DCPS/employer-directed meetings, conferences and workshops, i.e., training which is provided or paid directly by DCPS.  Definitions Job-related  Tuition Reimbursement: K-12 education related graduate level courses required as part of a Master’s degree program or higher, or graduate level coursework taken in pursuit of certification in reading, mathematics, special education, physics, chemistry or ESL. Acceptable Coursework:  Classes provided by an accredited School of Education (state-approved teacher or service provider education/certification program). Non-acceptable Coursework:  Classes provided or sponsored by and/or credits granted by Continuing Education Departments or Departments of Professional Studies are not acceptable. State-approved program:  teacher or service provider licensure program that results in licensure eligibility.  (Some ancillary requirements may apply, e.g. – testing). Program Description and Guidelines:   The effective date of this program is July 10, 2006.  Only coursework commencing on or after July 10, 2006 will be eligible for reimbursement. The Superintendent’s, or his designee’s decision to authorize tuition reimbursement will be based on the determination that:   the course is required for or is a necessary elective for completion of a Master’s degree or higher or as part of a relevant teacher dual certification program and is offered by an accredited university or college that grants graduate level degrees; the teacher applying for tuition reimbursement is currently a certified permanent teacher and has attained a performance evaluation of “meets expectations” or higher; and, the course work or credit hours submitted for tuition reimbursement are not otherwise paid for through grants, scholarships and/or other educational awards Coursework (including online courses) must be taken at any state accredited public or private higher educational institution or District of Columbia institutions (also see Section II for definition of acceptable coursework).   Requests for reimbursement for the cost of coursework are initiated by the employee.  A request for Tuition Reimbursement form must be completed and submitted for approval 30 days prior to the beginning of the coursework but not later than two (2) weeks after the beginning of the coursework.  The pre-approval requirement has been waived for courses which began July 10, 2006 but before February 28, 2007.  Thereafter, pre-approval will be required for all courses taken on or after March 1, 2007.   Coursework is to be taken outside of the employee’s tour of duty. From July 10, 2006 to September 30, 2006 and each fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) beginning October 1, 2006 and thereafter, no more than $1800 (at the rate of $200 per credit hour) will be reimbursed per fiscal year.  Fees, books, supplies and travel costs are not reimbursable. The following items must be submitted when requesting pre-approval and reimbursement Pre-Approval: A completed Tuition Reimbursement Form(approved prior to beginning of classes but not later than two weeks after the beginning of the coursework). A copy of the course description Reimbursement Request (must be submitted within 60 days after coursework completion): An invoice/bill from the institution and payment receipt as evidence of having paid reimbursable charges. Evidence of coursework completion with a grade of “B” or higher as indicated on an original/official grade report or transcript (copies will not be accepted). Form 1000 with Section A completed.  Human Resources will obtain all other necessary signatures Requests for reimbursement which do not include all of the above requirements shall be denied. Teachers who receive tuition reimbursements are required to work in the District of Columbia Public School system for a minimum of three years after receipt of the last or most recent reimbursement.  In the event an employee receives tuition reimbursement and fails to meet the three-year commitment, she/he will be obligated to return the reimbursed amount prorated to DCPS on an annual basis; otherwise the prorated amount will be deducted from his/her final paycheck.  This provision will not apply to teachers who are involuntarily separated from DCPS due to furloughs, abolishments or reductions in force (RIF). The taxability of reimbursements is subject to the existing provisions of Section 127 or any other relevant section of the Internal Revenue Code. Employees are advised to obtain tax counsel as to the reportability and deductibility of tuition/educational expense reimbursements. Generally, educational expenses qualifying as job-related are not reportable as income to the employee.