P 4560 Reimbursement for Additional College Credit

Every teacher or administrator is expected to continue his/her professional growth through attendance at professional meetings, through reading professional literature and through the earning of additional college credit. One hundred dollars ($100.00) for each semester hour approved in advance by the Superintendent will be paid to regularly employed teacher/administrators. When the teacher/administrator begins the program of graduate study, he/she will file with the Superintendent a copy of the planned courses of study he/she will pursue to earn the Master’s degree as a teacher, or up to Administrative Specialist degree leading to principal certification if an administrator. The Master’s degree may be in the teacher’s field of study, guidance and counseling, administration, or other similar education field. This plan must be approved by the advisor at the college or university. Reimbursement will be approved for the courses on the plan which will be directly related to the teacher’s/administrator’s specific required courses which the college or university requires for those degrees in education. Courses of an elective nature which do not meet either of the qualifications will not be reimbursable. Required courses for the Master’s degree which are taken prior to the teacher’s/administrator’s filing of his/her plan with the Superintendent will not be reimbursable.

The extra payment will be for one (1) year only and do not remain a part of the teacher’s/administrators annual salary. Please note that this payment will be made even if by this attendance the teacher is advanced from one step to another on the salary schedule. This policy is in effect only if the probationary or tenured teacher or administrator returns to this school system the following year after attendance. Pay for credit earned during the summer will normally be paid first semester. Credit earned the first semester will normally be paid in January or February. Credit earned second semester by a probationary teacher, tenured teachers and administrators will be paid provided that they return the next school year. For payment to be made, an official transcript, or grade report, or a letter from the person’s advisor verifying the classes taken and hours earned must be received by the Superintendent.

When a teacher or administrator qualifies for tuition reimbursement under any program the same as or similar to the “Excellence in Education Act” which had been discontinued, the local reimbursement will not apply and the person will receive the reimbursement according to the provisions of the Act or program unless the amount paid by the state or other entity is less than the $100.00 per hour. In that case the District will supplement the amount of payment to bring it up to the level of  $100.00 per hour.

If a teacher wishes to seek a second Master’s degree while at Crawford County R-II after requesting tuition reimbursement on the first Master’s degree while at Crawford County R-II, the teacher will not be eligible for tuition reimbursement from the District on the second Master’s degree.