Pre-Approval of Tuition Reimbursement

All regular City employees are eligible to participate in a degree completion tuition reimbursement program that provides for 50% reimbursement of tuition and books.  Subject to the policy provisions, employees can participate based upon the approval by the department head , the HR manager, and City administrator.  Tuition reimbursement requests by the City Administrator must be approved by the City Council.

 

Not applicable

The requested course (Foundations in Public Administration) is a prerequisite for other course work in the degree program of public administration.  The course will help build my understanding of the role of public officials, will broaden my exposure to current and past practices, and will broaden my knowledge and network of contacts for the benefit of the City.  I have completed about one-half of the coarse work for a doctorate in public administration under previous employers, and hope to complete the program over the next several years. The City's reimbursement policy is silent in regard to advanced degrees, but does provide for advanced skill development, allows reimbursement when there has been a determination that the course is job-related and deemed to be a benefit to the employer.

The Council has the alternative to reject this request.
 

The 50% tuition expense would be allocated from budgeted administrative training and professional development.

It is recommended that the Council consider approval of the tuition reimbursement request for Fall semester 2015 as outlined in the attached Pre-approval for Tuition Reimbursement form.

Motion to approve the tuition reimbursement request for the City Administrator for Fall Semester 2015.