(A) Subject to the constraints of the annual budget, the city will attempt to make individualized opportunities available to its employees for further development of specific skills and expertise deemed of mutual benefit to the employee and the city. The continuing education assistance provided under this policy is intended to support the pursuit of a formal degree and to supplement employee development provided through seminars, workshops, conferences, and similar activities that are paid for by the city under the Professional Memberships, Training, Licensing, and Certification Policy within this section.
(B) All full-time employees who have completed at least one year of continuous employment with the city are eligible to receive continuing education assistance reimbursements up to a maximum of $1,500 per fiscal year for tuition and instructional materials for approved educational activities.
(C) All education and training courses, for which reimbursement is requested, must relate directly to the employee's current job functions and responsibilities, or to job functions and responsibilities within the city that the employee, in the view of management, will likely have the opportunity to undertake in the foreseeable future.
(D) Continuing education assistance funding shall be available only on a reimbursement basis, and only to the extent authorized in the city's annual budget. Reimbursement will be made in accordance with the following schedule if the employee successfully completes the approved educational activity:
(1) A 100% reimbursement will be granted for preapproved educational courses where the employee receives a letter grade of “A” in undergraduate, or equivalent, coursework or the letter grade of “A” or “B” in graduate-level coursework. Further, 100% reimbursement is granted for preapproved educational coursework where the class is graded on a pass/fail basis and the employee achieves a passing mark.
(2) An 85% reimbursement will be granted for preapproved educational courses where the employee receives a letter grade of “B” in undergraduate or equivalent coursework.
(3) A 70% reimbursement will be granted for preapproved educational courses where the employee receives a letter grade of “C” in graduate-level coursework.
(4) A 50% reimbursement will be granted for preapproved educational courses where the employee receives a letter grade of “C” in undergraduate or equivalent coursework.
(E) If continuing education assistance funding for an individual employee exceeds $500 in any fiscal year, the employee may be asked to enter into a contract with the city for repayment of the funding in the event the employee terminates employment with the city within a specified time after completion of the coursework.
(F) All requests for funding shall be submitted, in writing, to the employee's immediate supervisor. The request must include specific details of the proposed activity, cost, duration, and an assessment of the potential benefit to the employee and the city. All requests for funding shall be made no later than 30 days before the beginning of the requested activity. Exceptions may be made to the 30-day period for coursework where the total cost does not exceed $300.
(G) Supervisors shall be responsible for reviewing the request, discussing it with the employee, and forwarding the request, along with the supervisor's recommendation, to the City Clerk for final approval by the City Commission if not included in the city budget. Final decisions regarding continuing education assistance funding shall be made based on the relevance of the activity to the employee's job functions and responsibilities, the employee's workload, equity among staff members, seniority, budget constraints, and other factors that are deemed appropriate under the circumstances. Supervisors should consider these factors in making recommendations to the City Clerk regarding the request.
(H) Within 60 days of the completion of an educational or training activity for which reimbursement is sought, the employee shall submit a written report to the employee's supervisor concerning the outcome of the activity. The report must include the transcript, or other official documentation of grades achieved (if the activity is graded), and any other evidence of successful completion of the activity. The supervisor shall forward the report to the city clerk with any pertinent comments and recommendations regarding reimbursement and the city clerk shall forward it to the City Commission for final approval.
(I) Approval in one fiscal year does not guarantee that an employee will be approved again in any subsequent year nor shall approval for or successful completion of an educational activity under this policy be interpreted, or relied upon, by the employee as any type of promise or guarantee regarding compensation or advancement.
(Ord. 5-11-2023-A, passed 6-8-2023)