OOD Main Page > Supporting Services

A&S - Tuition Reimbursement
for Members of MCAAP/MCBOA

Procedures for Tuition Reimbursement

Reimbursement Criteria

Coursework

Submission Procedures

Processing Requests

Contact Information

Susan Mitchell, Office of Organizational Development, MCPS
Upcounty Regional Services Center, Suite 3305
12900 Middlebrook Rd.
Germantown, Maryland 20874
301-601-0300

MCAAP/MCBOA
30 West Gude Drive, Suite 100
Rockville, Maryland 20850
301-947-4721

Procedures for
MCAAP/MCBOA Tuition Reimbursement

Requests for Tuition Reimbursement for courses are made using PDO. Staff will be able to submit requests for reimbursement and track the progress of the request using the new online form found on the Tuition Reimbursement tab. Submission procedures can be found below.

For detailed directions on submitting Tuition Reimbursement requests using PDO refer to How to Submit Tuition Reimbursement through PDO.

Procedures for Tuition Reimbursement

1. REIMBURSEMENT CRITERIA:

a.   Eligible unit members are defined as full time MCAAP/MCBOA unit members.  Unit members on sabbatical leave for academic study are not eligible for tuition reimbursement.

b.   A maximum of nine (9) credits will be reimbursed per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Any courses starting prior to June 30 and ending after July 1 count toward the new fiscal year’s tuition reimbursement allotment. The nine (9) credits may be taken together in one semester or in any semester within the fiscal year.

c.   The 9-credit-hour limitation may be waived for a specific year or years under the following conditions:

(1).Completion of the requirements of an approved program requires enrollment in more than 9 credits during one or more years of the program, or MCPS approves enrollment in more than 9 credits in order to meet a specific school system need.

(2).No reimbursement for additional credits outside the approved program will be approved until the total reimbursement from the first year of excess credits is less than the average of 9 credits per year.

(3).If the employee retires or resigns prior to the time the average reduces to 9 credits per year, the employee will be required to repay MCPS for any excess reimbursement beyond the average of 9 credits per year from the first year of excess reimbursement.

(4).In no event may the employee be reimbursed for more than 45 credits in the five-year period, beginning with the first year of excess reimbursement.

d.       Reimbursement will be made equivalent to one-half (1⁄2) the current cost of graduate and undergraduate in-state tuition for the University of Maryland at College Park. NOTE: Undergraduate courses do not count towards salary advancement.

e.       Reimbursement will not be made for the cost of registration, books, materials, and/or lab fees.

f.        Reimbursement shall be for courses that will enable unit members to continue their professional development and to maintain or increase their skills as education professionals in their employment with Montgomery County Public Schools. 

g.      Both graduate and undergraduate courses could be eligible for reimbursement for all employee groups.  Courses would continue to be approved for reimbursement based upon the established MCAAP/MCBOA guidelines.  Undergraduate courses will be reimbursed at the undergraduate rate.

h.   Non-college training will be reimbursed by converting clock hours to credits, 15 clock hours equals one (1) credit.  Prior approval for these classes is available, and encouraged, if there is a question about whether the class is reimbursable or not.

i.         Tuition reimbursement should be provided at the end of the course and upon receipt of the course grades and confirmation of tuition paid.  Reimbursement would be charged to the program in which unit the person was working at the beginning of the course.  For purposes of fiscal year limits on reimbursement, a course is counted in the fiscal year in which the coursework is completed.

j.       Courses receiving a “Pass” taken on a “Pass/Fail” basis will now receive tuition reimbursement.

k.      Employees will not be reimbursed for outside courses or training if such courses are also offered by MCPS and are available in the same semester to the employees in that unit.  Exceptions will be made for credits that are needed as part of a degree, certificate, or professional development program in which the employee is enrolled if the MCPS course would not be counted and the credits would otherwise be reimbursable.  Exceptions may also be made if MCPS courses are full and unavailable.

l.    Requests for tuition reimbursement must be submitted to the Office of Organizational Development within 60 days of course completion. 

2. COURSEWORK:

a.       Courses must be from a regionally accredited college or university.

b.      Participant must receive at least a "B" in a graduate course or a "C" in an undergraduate course to receive reimbursement. Audited courses are not reimbursable.

3. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES:

a.      Log onto PDO at http://pdo.mcpsmd.org.

b.      Click on the Tuition Reimbursement tab

c.      Click on the New Request button

d.      Select A&S using the pull down menu

e.      Complete the form with your course information (complete a new form for each       course)

f.       Submit the form by selecting the Save and Submit button.

g.      Print the form and pony it to OOD/URSC with the proof of payment and documentation of grade.

NOTE: No requests will be processed without proof of payment and documentation of grade.

h.      Request status can be monitored through the Tuition Reimbursement tab in PDO.

i.        All documentation for payment must be submitted to the Office of Organizational Development within 60 days of course completion.  In the event there is an incomplete or a problem receiving the grade, the unit member must contact Organizational Development promptly.

j.       Documentation for payment includes:

(1). Photocopy of official grade slip or transcript, or printed online transcript.

(2). Proof of payment showing the full amount of tuition paid. One of the following will be accepted:

• A stamped and/or signed official university receipt.
• Canceled check (front and back).
• Credit card statement showing your name.
(3). PDO printout of reimbursement request.

     4. PROCESSING REQUESTS: 

1. Tuition reimbursement requests will be date stamped by OOD on the day of receipt.

2. A record of requests will be maintained by OOD to assure unit members meet the eligibility and time requirements as set forth above.

3. Organizational Development shall complete the approval process and update the request status in PDO.

4. Organizational Development shall generate a pay memo and submit it to the MCPS Controller for processing.

5. MCPS will notify the unit member that a separate electronic deposit is being made to his/her bank account. Please allow three business days for the deposit to appear.

5. QUESTIONS: