2015-28891 Reso RESOLUTION NO. 2015-28891
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FINANCE AND
CITYWIDE PROJECTS COMMITTEE TO AMEND THE CITY'S TUITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM AS FOLLOWS: TUITION ASSISTANCE SHALL BE BASED ON, BUT NOT
EXCEED, THE ESTABLISHED CREDIT HOUR TUITION RATE IN THE STATE'S
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT; ASSISTANCE SHALL BE
BASED ON A SLIDING SCALE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE EMPLOYEE'S
PERFORMANCE IN APPROVED COURSEWORK FROM ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS
OF HIGHER LEARNING WITH A SIX CREDIT HOUR LIMIT PER SEMESTER;
ASSISTANCE SHALL BE LIMITED TO 80 PERCENT OF THE TUITION COSTS FOR
COURSES IN WHICH EMPLOYEES EARN AN "A," 60 PERCENT WHEN THEY EARN A
"B," AND 40 PERCENT WHEN THEY EARN A "C," EXCEPT GRADUATE COURSES
FOR WHICH ASSISTANCE REQUIRES EARNING NO LESS THAN A "B"; A
REPAYMENT REQUIREMENT IF THE EMPLOYEE SEPARATES FROM EMPLOYMENT
BY THE CITY WITHIN TWO YEARS OF HAVING RECEIVED ASSISTANCE, WITH AN
EXCEPTION FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LAID OFF OR DIE; AND APPROVING THE
REVISED CITY OF MIAMI BEACH EMPLOYEE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SET
FORTH IN THE ATTACHED EXHIBIT A.
WHEREAS, there City of Miami Beach (City) has a long-standing tradition of
encouraging employees to further their education by offering a tuition assistance program; and
WHEREAS, the tuition assistance program has not been revised since 2004; and
WHEREAS, costs for a post-secondary education have risen considerably in the
intervening years; and
WHEREAS, tuition assistance is available only to full-time City of Miami Beach classified
employees who have completed their probationary periods, or for unclassified employees who
have a minimum of six (6) months of continuous service. (Time served in a
Provisional/Temporary status is excluded); and
WHEREAS, the Finance and Citywide Projects (FCWP) Committee members reviewed
the status of the program and recommended the following changes at the December 12, 2014
meeting: tuition assistance shall be based on, but not exceed, the established credit hour tuition
rate in the State's University System at the time of enrollment; assistance shall be based on a
sliding scale directly related to the employee's performance in approved coursework from
accredited institutions of higher learning with a six credit hour limit per semester; assistance
shall be limited to 80 percent of the tuition costs for courses in which employees earn an "A," 60
percent when they earn a "B," and 40 percent when they earn a "C," except graduate courses
for which assistance requires earning no less than a "B"; and a repayment requirement if the
employee separated within two years of having received assistance, with an exception for
employees who are laid off or die; and
WHEREAS, a revised City of Miami Beach Employee Tuition Assistance Program that
incorporates the recommendations of the FCWP Committee, and other clean-up revisions, is
attached as Exhibit A; and
WHEREAS, the applicability of the revised City of Miami Beach Employee Tuition
Assistance Program, as set forth in Exhibit A, to employees covered by a collective bargaining
unit will be subject to negotiations when the current collective bargaining agreements expire.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and the City
Commission hereby accept the recommendations of the Finance and Citywide Projects
Committee to amend the City's Tuition Assistance Program as follows: tuition assistance shall
be based on, but not exceed, the established credit hour tuition rate in the State's University
System at the time of enrollment; assistance shall be based on a sliding scale directly related to
the Employee's performance in approved coursework from accredited institutions of higher
learning with a six credit hour limit per semester; assistance shall be limited to 80 percent of the
tuition costs for courses in which employee's earn an "A," 60 percent when they earn a "B," and
40 percent when they earn a "C," except graduate courses for which assistance requires
earning no less than a "B"; and a repayment requirement if the employee separated from
employment by the City of Miami Beach within two years of having received assistance, with an
exception for employees who are laid off or die, within two years of having received assistance;
and approve the revised City of Miami Beach Employee Tuition Assistance Program set forth in
the attached Exhibit A ,
PASSED AND ADOPTED this if if day of ,/anifar , 2015.
ATTEST:
Mayor
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Rafa I E. Granado, ;t�y leFk
A APPROVED AS TO
FORM & LANGUAGE
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COMMISSION ITEM SUMMARY
Condensed Title:
' A resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida, accepting the
recommendation of the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee to approve changes to the tuition
assistance program.
Key Intended Outcome Supported:
Ensure that a universal culture of high quality customer-service is driving the conduct of the City
Commission and all City employees
Item Summary/Recommendation:
The Tuition Assistance Program is an employment benefit, so long-term that the last time it was reviewed
was ten years ago in October 2004. The purpose of the program is to encourage employees to further
their education by taking approved or accredited courses which will improve their performance in the
services they were hired to perform or would be relevant to the employees' career development and
potential advancement within the City.
After significant discussion, the FCWPC recommended that the tuition assistant program be modified as
follows, upon City Commission approval, for employees in the unclassified and "others" salary groups.
• Assistance based on a sliding scale directly related to the employee's performance in school, for
approved coursework from accredited institutions of higher learning
• Six credit hour limit on the number eligible for tuition assistance per semester
• A repayment requirement if the employee separates within two years of having received assistance,
with an exception for employees who are laid off or die
Undergraduate Programs
• 80% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn an "A"
• 60% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a"B"
• 40% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a"C"
Graduate Programs
• 80% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn an "A"
• 60% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a"B"
Applicability of these changes to employees covered by a collective bargaining unit will be a subject to
negotiations with representatives from the American Federation of State County and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP),
Government Supervisors Association of Florida (GSAF) and the International Association of Firefighters
(IAFF)when current collective bargaining agreements expire.
Advisory Board Recommendation:
At the December 12, 2014, Finance and Citywide Projects Committee meeting, members unanimously
voted to continue approve changes to the tuition assistance program as set forth herein.
Financial Information:
Source of Amount Account
Funds: 1 $305,000 011-9590-000367
. 2
OGPI Total
Financial Impact Summary:
City Clerk's Office Legislative Tracking:
Sylvia Crespo-Tabak, Human Resources Director
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City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive,Miami Beach, Florida 33139,www.miamibeachfl.gov
COMMISSION MEMORAMDUM
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of the City Corn ,fission
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FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager Mana •
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DATE: January 14, 2015
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE FINANCE AND CITYWIDE PROJECTS
COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
BACKGROUND
At the November 19, 2014, City Commission meeting, the subject program was referred
to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee (FCWPC) for its review and
recommendations and the matter was addressed at the December 12, 2014, meeting.
The Tuition Assistance Program is an employment benefit, so long-term that the last
time it was reviewed was ten years ago, in October 2004. Budgetary allocations during
the same period of time have fluctuated between $30,000 and the current $20,000 per
year. Expenditures in 2004 were over budget by almost $8,000 but every year since
then, except for 2010, expenditures were significantly below allocated amounts. In fiscal
year 2013/14, 34 employees made use of the benefit for a total expenditure of slightly
over $19,000. Based on the amounts reimbursed, six of the 34 employees who filed for
reimbursement are enrolled in post-graduate programs.
The purpose of the program is to encourage employees to further their education by
taking approved or accredited courses which will improve their performance in the
services they were hired to perform or would be relevant to the employees' career
development and potential advancement within the City. The City reimburses tuition
only for one course per semester for a total of 12 credit hours per calendar year.
To be eligible for reimbursement, employees must successfully complete each course
taken, which means earning a grade of"C" or better and a "pass" if the course is graded
on a pass/fail basis. Reimbursement rates are as follows:
• Approved undergraduate community college and non-credit/certificate courses -
$158.25;
• Approved undergraduate university courses - $251.16; and
• Approved graduate courses - $531.15.
DISCUSSION
At the December 12, 2014, meeting, Committee members were informed that in addition
FCWPC RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH TUITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
January 14,2015
Page 2
to the tuition assistance program, the City of Miami Beach has partnered with Barry
University, Carlos Albizu University, Florida International University and Nova
Southeastern University to offer employees preferred tuition rates for a number of
programs. Offerings vary, yet despite significant discounts, post-graduate credit hours
may cost as much as $760, exclusive of application and lab fees, books and other
related expenditures.
In April 2014, staff undertook an informal survey regarding tuition assistance and
received eight responses from municipalities in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
One did not offer any assistance; another offered it to select bargaining unit employees
and a third suspended its program due to budgetary constraints.
The different approaches among the entities that responded were striking. Two entities
allocated a certain amount to the program and reimbursed at the State tuition credit hour
rate until the allocations were exhausted. Since there were no limits on the number of
credit hours eligible for assistance, reimbursement was based on available funding. If
an employee delayed submitting the required information, he or she ran the risk of losing
out on the benefit due to budgetary constraints.
Two municipalities, the Village of Key Biscayne and the City of Doral, based their
reimbursements on employee achievement. An "A" was reimbursed at 100%, a "B" and
75% and a "C" at 50% at both organizations. The Village of Key Biscayne reimbursed
an employee up to $4,000 per fiscal year and the City of Doral reimbursed up to 18
credits per fiscal year.
Miami-Dade County reimburses up to 50% of tuition costs to any employee who earns a
"C" in an approved course after financial and other assistance has been applied.
ANALYSIS PRESENTED TO THE FCWPC
Should the City elect to make changes to the Tuition Assistance Program, the matter will
have to be negotiated with labor representatives as part of the collective bargaining
process. Changes, if adopted, may apply to employees in the unclassified or "others"
salary groups upon adoption.
The attached revised program procedures incorporate the following:
• Assistance based on a sliding scale directly related to the employee's
performance in school
• No limit on the number of credit hours eligible for tuition assistance
• A repayment requirement if the employee separates within two years of having
received assistance, with an exception for employees who are laid off or die
The Administration recommends a two-year pilot program because it is difficult to
anticipate how much interest the program will generate and whether the City will be able
to afford to offer such an employment benefit. The cost analysis is based on the
following assumptions and the undergraduate tuition cost at Florida International
University and $760.00 per credit hour for the Corporate Master of Business
FCWPC RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH TUITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
January 14, 2015
Page 3
Administration also at Florida International University.
Undergraduate Program
• Instead of 28 employees, 56 enroll in an undergraduate program (a twofold
increase);
• Each of the 56 takes 6 credit hours per semester for a total of 18 semester hours
per year at $203.59 per credit hour;
• 40% earn an "A"which results in a cost of$66,000;
• 30% earn a "B" which results in a cost of$37,000; and
• 30% earn a "C" which results in a cost of $25,000 for a total expenditure of
$128,000
Corporate Master of Business Administration
• Instead of 6 employees, 18 enroll in this graduate program;
• Each of the 18 takes 6 credit hours for a total of 18 semester hours per year at
$760 per credit hours;
• 60% earn an "A" which results in a cost of$118,000; and
• 40% earn a "B" which results in a cost of $59,000 for a total expenditure of
$177,000
Consequently, based on the above assumptions, this pilot program could run at
$305,000.
RECOMMENDATION
After significant discussion, the FCWPC recommended that the tuition assistant program
be modified as follows, upon City Commission approval, for employees in the
unclassified and others salary groups.
• Assistance based on a sliding scale directly related to the employee's
performance in school, for approved coursework from accredited institutions of
higher learning
• Six credit hour limit on the number eligible for tuition assistance per semester
• A repayment requirement if the employee separates within two years of having
received assistance, with an exception for employees who are laid off or die
Undergraduate Programs
• 80% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn an "A"
• 60% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a "B"
• 40% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a "C"
FCWPC RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH TUITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
January 14,2015
Page 4
Graduate Programs
• 80% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn an "A"
• 60% reimbursement for courses in which employees earn a "B"
Applicability of these changes to employees covered by a collective bargaining unit will
be a subject of negotiations with representatives from the American Federation of State
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Communications Workers of America
(CWA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Government Supervisors Association of Florida
(GSAF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) when current collective
bargaining agreements expire.
The Administration recommends adoption of the FCWPC's recommendation and further
recommends that beginning with the 2016/17 fiscal year budget, program costs be re-
evaluated during the budget allocation process.
Attachment
JLM/KGB/SC-T
T:\AGENDA\2015\January\Human Resources\Tuition Reimbursement Rates at CMB Memo.docx
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH EMPLOYEE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The City of Miami Beach Employee Tuition Assistance Program ("Program") is
established to provide financial assistance to eligible employees voluntarily
participating in training or educational programs from accredited institutions of
higher learning designed to improve their effectiveness which directly
benefits City operations, activities and objectives; provide professional
development; and help prepare employees for other opportunities within
the City's service.
Tuition is the fee for instruction and lab fees only, and does not include
textbooks, exams, audit fees, or any other expenses.
Tuition assistance is available to full-time City of Miami Beach classified
employees who have completed their respective probationary periods and to
unclassified employees who have no less than six months of continuous
service. Time served in provisional/temporary status is not included when
determining eligibility.
An accredited institution of higher learning, as defined in the Higher Education
Act, is an educational institution that awards a bachelor's degree or provides
not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit towards a
degree; is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of
education beyond secondary education; and is accredited by a nationally
recognized accrediting agency or association, or if not so accredited, is an
institution that has been granted preaccreditation status by such an agency or
association that has been recognized by the Secretary of Education.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The tuition assistance shall be based upon and not exceed the established
credit hour tuition rate in the State university system at the time of enrollment
and shall be limited to six credit hours per semester. Upon successful
completion of approved coursework, the assistance schedule is based on the
following levels of achievement:
1. Grade A = 80% reimbursement
2. Grade B = 60% reimbursement
3. Grade C = 40% reimbursement; except for graduate level courses which
are not eligible for reimbursement at this level of performance
4. A passing grade on a pass/fail basis = 80% reimbursement
Employees receiving financial assistance including scholarships, fellowships,
grants, special discounts and/or Veteran's benefits, will be eligible for tuition
assistance after the financial assistance has been applied to the tuition costs.
Exhibit A
The City reserves the right to determine and amend the number of courses, the
number of credit hours, and the level of tuition assistance prior to the beginning
of a school semester.
EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY:
Tuition assistance is available to full-time City of Miami Beach classified
employees who have completed their respective probationary periods and to
unclassified employees who have no less than six months of continuous
service. Time served in provisional/temporary status is not included when
determining eligibility.
(a) For classified employees, an overall evaluation of "meets
expectations" or higher on the latest employee performance
evaluation preceding the beginning of classes.
Exception: A classified employee whose latest overall evaluation is
less than "meets expectations" may be eligible for tuition
assistance for coursework related to specific areas of performance
that have a requirement to take courses as a part of their job
performance, upon approval of the Human Resources Department.
(b) Unclassified employees must receive the approval of his or her
supervisor to participate in the Program.
COURSEWORK ELIGIBILITY:
Guidelines for establishing eligible coursework are as follows:
(a) Degree and certification programs at accredited institutions which
relate directly to career opportunities within the City of Miami Beach
are eligible for approval.
(b) For those employees who have been approved for a degree
program, all general education courses specifically required by the
school will be approved.
(c) All other coursework will be considered on a course by course
basis.
(d) All courses must be taken outside of working hours unless the
employee's department director approves the use of annual leave. If
administrative I eave is granted to take a course during working
hours, which requires City Manager approval, no tuition assistance will
be granted.
Page 2 of 4
(e) Online Internet courses and programs provided by accredited Florida-
based educational institutions are eligible for tuition reimbursement.
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR:
The department directors shall be responsible for verifying that all approved
coursework is in compliance with this administrative procedure, as well as
all other aspects of the program. Department directors shall approve or
disapprove all reimbursements for degrees, programs, and coursework for
employees within their departments.
EMPLOYEE OBLIGATIONS:
In order to be eligible for tuition assistance, employees receiving tuition
assistance under this Program must remain in the City's employ for a minimum
of two years following the last tuition assistance payment. Employees
separating from City service prior to the expiration of this period will reimburse
the City for the assistance received during the final year of employment through
deductions from their final payroll check. If the final paycheck is insufficient, the
employee will still be responsible for making arrangements to reimburse the
City or their separation papers shall be coded as not having left the City in good
standing and the employee shall remain responsible for any remaining
reimbursement.
In the event the employee fails to reimburse the City, the services of an
attorney required to collect such debt shall be sought and such attorney's fees
and court costs shall be added to the amount owed the City.
No reimbursement will be required of those employees who have been laid off.
If the employee dies while in the City's service, no reimbursement will be
sought from the employee's estate.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Employees wishing to participate in the Program shall submit to their
department directors an application for coursework/degree approval no later
than thirty days prior to the start of classes.
COURSEWORK, DEGREE REVIEW AND APPROVAL:
The department director shall approve or disapprove the employee's request
after verifying the employee's eligibility for participation in the Program.
(a) Approval
After the department director approves the request, a copy of the original
application is returned to the employee advising them of the approval.
Page 3 of 4
(b) Disapproval
If the department director disapproves the application, he or she shall advise
the employee of the reason for the rejection no later than 30 days from the
date of the receipt of the application.
REIMBURSEMENT:
All approved applicants will submit a request for reimbursement, along with
tuition receipts, official grade notifications, and all supporting
documentation, to their department directors no later than thirty days from
receipt of their grades. The departments shall submit all applications to the
Human Resources Department, whether approved or disapproved, with the
supporting documents for final review and reimbursement approval.
PENALTIES:
Should an employee submit documentation which the employee knows is false
or intentionally misleading in order to receive benefits to which the employee is
not entitled, the employee shall be deemed ineligible to continue to participate
in the Program and shall repay City of Miami Beach for any tuition assistance
received while in the City's employ. The employee may be subject to
disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, dismissal from the City service.
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