§ 350-149 — Fire Department: Educational Program

350-149. Fire Department: Educational Program.

1. POSITIONS ELIGIBLE. Employees in active service and in the following position classifications shall be eligible for annual educational program payments provided under this section in accordance with the terms and conditions established, as long as they are in active service and in such classifications: a. Battalion chief classifications. b. Deputy chief, fire. c. Assistant fire chief. d. Fire chief. 2. BENEFITS. a. An eligible employee who has attained an associate degree in fire science and technology shall receive an annual educational program payment of $225 according to the terms and conditions set forth in sub. 3. Furthermore, for calendar year 2006 payments, an employee who is a registered nurse and whose education is less than a bachelor’s degree shall receive $225; however, no payment shall be provided unless such employee possesses a current registered nurse license. b. An employee who has a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration or management, psychology, nursing, personnel administration or management, or an equivalent degree, such equivalency determined by the department of employee relations, and effective for payments for calendar year 2009, public health, chemical engineering, training and development, physical education, health education, or physician assistant, shall be eligible for an annual payment of $325, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in sub. 3. c. An eligible employee who has attained a master’s degree in public administration, business administration or management, psychology, nursing, personnel administration or management, or an equivalent degree, such equivalency determined by the department of employee relations, and effective for payments for calendar year 2009, public health, chemical engineering, training and development, physical education, health education, or physician assistant shall be eligible for an annual payment of $425, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in sub. 3. d. An employee who is eligible for more than one of the educational program payments provided in pars. a to c in a calendar year shall only be entitled to receive the largest of the payments for that calendar year. 3. ADMINISTRATION. a. Only degrees from colleges and universities accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and effective for payments for calendar year 2009, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges shall be eligible for the payments provided in sub. 2. b. Educational program payments shall be made as soon as is administratively practicable following the close of the calendar year in which eligibility therefor is established. No payments will be made to an employee for any calendar year in which the employee did not remain in the employment of the fire department for the full calendar year. An employee who attains the required degree during the calendar year shall be paid a prorated amount from the first pay period after the date the degree is awarded to December 31 of that calendar year. c. Educational pay shall not be used in the calculation of overtime pay or in the calculation of pension benefits. Any payment made under this section shall not have any sum deducted for pension benefits, nor shall such benefits be included in the determination of pension benefits or other fringe benefits. d. An employee who has earned a degree pursuant to this section shall request that the degree-granting institution send a report to the fire department with a statement as to the date on which the degree was conferred, the major field of study pursued, and that the institution was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, or effective for payments for calendar year 2009, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges at the time the degree was granted. e. An employee shall be responsible for making the necessary requests of the educational institution for the purpose of informing the fire department as to the attainment of a degree and shall be responsible for any costs associated therewith. f. Administration and control of this section shall be by the fire chief and the city.