Appeals and Acceleration
Accelerated Tuition Reimbursement (ATR)
All permanent MCPS employees may apply for a maximum of nine credits per fiscal year of tuition reimbursement. MCPS has the option to approve more than nine credits per fiscal year based on system need and the number of credits required (per fiscal year) by a university program. Acceleration must be required by the employee's university. In general, if a non-accelerated option is available, accelerated tuition reimbursement will not be approved. Requests for acceleration based entirely on the employee's desire to complete a program at an accelerated pace will be denied. This does not limit the employee from enrolling in an accelerated program of their choice, focused in K-12 instruction or leadership, and then applying for nine credits per fiscal year of tuition reimbursement.
Employees considering accelerated programs that meet a current critical need in MCPS, including SEIU unit members, are encouraged to apply.
All applications for accelerated tuition reimbursement must be submitted prior to the start of the program, with an attached program of studies, the number of credits to be earned during a specific time frame, and signed by the university's program coordinator. Under no circumstances will more than 45 credits be reimbursed over a five year period.
The ATR application can be accessed here: Accelerated Tuition Reimbursement Application. After completing the application please upload and submit the application to tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org. Screen shots will not be accepted. All submissions and uploads must be in pdf format.
Appeals
All tuition reimbursement requests must be received in the tuition reimbursement unit within 60 calendar days of the employee's course end date. This is the course end date or last day of class, not the date when grades are received or transcripts are provided. Official transcripts are not required by the tuition reimbursement unit. Exceptions will not be made for missing the deadline due to grades or transcripts. When the employee enrolls in a non traditional semester course, it is the employee's responsibility to ensure final grades will be accessible prior to 60 days of the course end date. This is especially true for on-line, self-paced, year-long courses.
Submitting an application for tuition reimbursement along with all supporting documentation within 60 days of the course end date, is a negotiated requirement in all three union negotiated agreements. Missing the 60 day deadline due to employee error cannot be appealed under any circumstance. If MCPS has made a processing error, please contact tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org
- Employees may appeal:
- Applications that have been denied due to eligibility of a course.
- Applications that have been processed in error by MCPS.
- Applications for accelerated tuition reimbursement that have been denied.
The Tuition Reimbursement Appeal Form can be accessed here: Tuition Reimbursement Appeal. After completing the application please upload and submit the application to tuitionreimbursement@mcpsmd.org. Screen shots will not be accepted.All submissions and uploads must be in pdf format.
What happens to my appeal?
Once received by the tuition reimbursement unit, the processor will gather all information including the original application and any email correspondence. The processor will forward the appeal request and all supporting documentation to the fiscal specialist for review.
- The fiscal specialist will make a determination to uphold or reverse the denial.
- If the fiscal specialist upholds the denial, at the employee's request, it will be forwarded to the Chief of the Office of Human Resources and Development.
- The appeal will be reviewed by the Chief and a final decision will be made.
- If the Chief overturns the denial, the application will be approved and processed as soon as possible.
- If the Chief upholds the denial, the application will remain denied.
How long will it take?
The appeal process can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.