The Floyd County Public School Board recognizes that the skills and knowledge of its employees are critical to the success of the school division. The Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program encourages personal development through formal education so that employees can maintain and improve job-related skills.

Assistance Allotment

The division superintendent and the School Board shall determine through the annual budget process the amount of professional development assistance available to qualifying employees. Funds for the Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program are limited, and annually shall not exceed the amount budgeted by the School Board.

All applications for Tuition Assistance Reimbursements must be approved in advance and in writing by the division superintendent, and the qualifying employee and the division superintendent must sign the Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Agreement before the qualifying employee is eligible to receive such reimbursement.

Conditions of Assistance

Should requests for professional development assistance exceed available funds, priority shall be given to applications as follows:

1. An Employee’s pursuit of an advanced degree
2. The Floyd County School Division’s need for licensed educators in particular endorsement areas;
3. and Appropriateness of the desired course work to the applicant’s position with Floyd County Public Schools.

Approval to participate in the program within these priorities will be on a first-come/first-served basis, until budgeted funds are exhausted. The Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program is available to licensed employees that have completed three (3) years of successful service to Floyd County Public Schools or have permission from the Superintendent or the superintendent’s designee. The division superintendent or his/her designee shall approve all requests for tuition assistance reimbursement.

Employees shall not engage in any educational pursuit that interferes with the performance of the employees’ work duties during assigned work hours.

Employees who resign from employment with the School Board prior to receiving reimbursement for an approved course(s) will not receive payment. Employees who receive tuition assistance shall sign an agreement by which they agree to work for the Floyd County Public Schools for one year after receipt of the assistance for three credits (one course), two years after the receipt of assistance for six credits (two courses), and three years after the receipt of assistance for nine or more credits (three or more courses). An employee who fails to meet this requirement shall reimburse the school division the amount received.

Specifically, the employee agrees that if he/she leaves School Board employment for any reason, including resignation or termination, prior to the completion of the agreed-upon years required for which the School Board provided the employee tuition assistance reimbursement, the employee will pay to the School Board the full amount of the total paid by the Floyd County School Board for such tuition assistance reimbursement. Such amount shall be deducted from the employee’s final paycheck from the School Board. Should the final pay amount not completely satisfy the obligation, the employee agrees that he/she will repay the School Board the full amount owed within ten (10) days of written demand by the School Board.

Staff

Floyd County Public Schools will provide full-time employees with educational assistance in the following manner:

• $150.00 per credit for tuition (limited to $900.00 per employee per fiscal year) in an approved graduate program leading to endorsement in an area of critical need (i.e., school administration, school guidance, media specialist, math, science, special education) as determined by the Floyd County Public Schools;
• $250.00 per credit for tuition (limited to $1,500.00 per employee per fiscal year) in an approved doctoral degree program in the field of education;
• $150.00 per credit for tuition (limited to $600.00 per employee per 10-year certification cycle) of a class for recertification.

Individual courses or courses that are part of a degree, licensing, or certification program must be related to the employee’s job duties or a foreseeable future position within the Floyd County Public Schools.

Application Procedures

Applications for Tuition Assistance Reimbursement can be obtained from the Superintendent. The application must be completed and approval signatures obtained before the employee may begin graduate classes from an accredited college or university for which reimbursement is being sought. If proper approvals are not obtained before the beginning of the class, reimbursement may be denied. Upon completion of the course, the applicant must provide the superintendent with: (a) proof of payment by the applicant for the course/training; (b) a transcript showing that the applicant made a grade of “B” or better in a course where the course was taken for college credit from an accredited college or university; and (c) a copy of the course application approval. Reimbursement will be processed after receipt of the above items. Failure to provide all three documents mentioned above will result in no reimbursement.

The School Board reserves the right to terminate the Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program at any time and for any reason at all, including due to a lack of sufficient funding.