Anne Arundel County Public Schools

AACPS Employee Tuition Reimbursement Benefit Information

General Information

All permanent AACPS employees are eligible for a tuition reimbursement benefit for college coursework taken while employed with AACPS. The reimbursement amounts are based on the assigned Unit of the employee and the negotiated agreements or administrative policies for those Units. For more specific information such as rates of payment and minimum coursework grades required, please refer to the negotiated agreement or policy for your unit.

TAAAC Members	Unit I Negotiated Master Agreement, Article 9
AEL Members	Unit II Negotiated Master agreement, Article 12
Professional Support (V)	Terms of Employment
Executive Staff (VI)	Terms of Employment
SAAAAC Members	Unit IV Negotiated Master Agreement, Article 14.6
	Unit IV Reimbursement Fact Sheet
AFSCME Members	Unit III Negotiated Master Agreement, Article 18.10

Each unit is limited to a specific number of credits or a dollar amount per year. For the purposes of reimbursement of college credit, a year begins with the fall semester and ends with the following summer. Reimbursement payments are included on an employee’s regular paycheck.

Note: Courses that are paid by a partnership arrangement with a college such as those courses listed in the Staff Development course booklets may not be submitted for reimbursement. Refer to the booklet for payment information. Cohort participants may not submit for tuition reimbursement for the courses paid by the partnership. Courses offered through an AACPS/college partnership cohort are directly billed to AACPS by the participating college; therefore, an individual reimbursement form may not be submitted for any of the cohort courses and these courses also count toward the reimbursement credit maximum per the Unit agreement.

Applying for Reimbursement/Payment Schedule:

To receive tuition reimbursement, the employee must submit the following:

An official transcript showing the completed course and grade earned,
A copy of the college/university bill showing the completed course payment and
The official reimbursement form that can be accessed here or - the Employee Intranet at Forms > Human Resources > Tuition Reimbursement > Request for Reimbursement for College Credits

Effective March 1, 2012

YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TOGETHER
OR THE PACKET WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU
Do not submit items separately. We will not hold incomplete submissions.

Persons must be actively employed by AACPS when the course is taken and also on the reimbursement pay date to be eligible to receive reimbursement. (Please see calendar below) Employees who leave employment after their college course is completed but before the next scheduled reimbursement date will NOT be eligible to receive payment.

Also, employees who change bargaining units will receive reimbursement for coursework based on their assigned unit at the time the course was taken. The rate of reimbursement will adjust to their new unit effective with the date of their unit change.

All required items must be submitted by the deadline listed to be reimbursed for coursework. Employees should submit all items at one time to ensure timely processing; please address the reimbursement request to TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES. All items must be submitted by the quarterly document deadlines to be eligible for the following payments:

Reimbursement for Advanced Degrees in Critical Shortage Areas (Unit I only):

Unit I employees pursuing advanced degrees in designated shortage areas, as approved in advance by the Director of Human Resources, shall have the option to be reimbursed the full tuition amount up to the University of Maryland graduate rate. Employees choosing this option shall incur a 4-year service requirement from the date of the completion of the program for which the tuition reimbursement is paid. This service requirement may be pro-rated or waived by the Director of Human Resources under specific circumstances.

Unit I members must apply for approval into the program for the reimbursement for an advanced degree in a Critical Shortage Area (CSA) by completing the Request for Approval form. Unit I employees may access the CSA approval request form here. To be eligible for the Critical Shortage Area program, an applicant must be adding a new area of certification to their teaching certificate or become Highly Qualified in a current area of need. All information requested on the form is required including an initialed acknowledgement of each statement on the form. A short written statement of how the advanced degree program will enhance your expertise on your job must be included. A copy of the proposed program signed by the college advisor is also required. Submit all necessary items together to TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES. The Director of Human Resources reviews all requests. The employee will receive verification of the approval to include the date of approval as the Critical Shortage Area reimbursement begins only after that date of approval. All reimbursements requested prior to the approval date will be paid at the standard reimbursement rate for Unit I.

Reimbursement for Career-Related PhD Program Reimbursement (Units II, V & VI):

Unit II members are eligible for enhanced reimbursement if enrolled in an approved career-related doctoral program. This program must be approved by the Director of Human Resources. The rate of reimbursement is up to a maximum of $2,450 per academic year or up to 9 credits per school year. To apply for the Doctoral Program, you may access the form here or Human Resources, Employee Forms, Human Resources.

All information requested on the form is required including an initialed acknowledgement of each statement on the form. A short written statement of how the Doctoral program will enhance your expertise on your job must be included. A copy of the proposed Doctoral program signed by the college advisor is also required. Submit all necessary items together to TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES. The Director of Human Resources reviews all requests. The employee will receive verification of the approval to include the date of approval as the Doctoral program reimbursement begins only after that date of approval. All reimbursements requested prior to the approval date will be paid at the standard reimbursement rate for Unit I.

Units V & VI are now able to apply for reimbursement on pre-approved, eligible professional development activities that do not award college credit. These seminars and courses must be relevant to the position held. This reimbursement is limited to $1500 per year and follows the same reimbursement year calendar as above. This reimbursement is limited to course fees only and does not include other expenses such as mileage. The Professional Development Allowance reimbursement form(s) must be submitted with appropriate supervisory pre-approvals and documentation.

For the most current application forms for reimbursement and reimbursement programs, please click the appropriate link below: