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benefit: special tuition vouchers By DENYCE DUNCAN LACY Want to take a college course this summer? Want to take two courses next fall or next spring? Now, you can more easily afford to go to college or graduate school — even this summer — thanks to some special tuition-support programs being established by PEF and the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations’ (GOER’s) Professional Development Committee. During the 2001-2002 fiscal year, you can receive tuition aid for up to five courses. PEF’s Director of Education and Mobilization Cliff Merchant says the special summer semester 2001 Voucher Alternative (VALT) program will allow undergraduate and graduate students to apply for reimbursement of the cost of tuition up to a maximum of $600 for college credit-bearing course work taken at any accredited college or university. Applications for the summer vouchers are expected to be available in May from state agencies or from PEF headquarters. The summer semester VALT program is in addition to the VALT program covering non-credit and other courses taken during the fiscal year. “And the PSTP Voucher Program has been enhanced for the fall ’01 and spring ’02 semesters,” Merchant says. “As in the past, the PSTP voucher program will offer members one tuition reimbursement voucher for one course up to a maximum of $600 per semester next fall and spring, but there will also be a special additional voucher for the fall ’01 and spring ’02 semesters. “These vouchers will also provide up to a maximum of $600 per semester.” Undergraduates can use the special additional voucher to take a second course in each semester, and graduate students can use the special additional voucher towards the cost of the graduate level course that the PSTP voucher did not cover. And, if there is a balance left over it can be applied to the tuition cost of a second course. Merchant says the special vouchers for the fall and spring semesters and the special summer VALT reimbursement are one-time- only benefits, worked out between PEF and GOER to make up for no retroactive tuition reimbursements for the Fall ’99 and spring ’00 semester. “PEF’s position was and continues to be that since both the state and the employee benefited from the employee’s continued education and since funding was provided in the agreement for that fiscal year, reimbursement should be retroactive to the beginning of the contract,” Merchant says. “However, GOER would not agree to provide funding for tuition costs incurred prior to August 11, 2000. Therefore, there will not be a retroactive tuition reimbursement program for the fall ’99 and spring ’00 semesters. We hope these special vouchers will help fill the void for our members who are continuing their educations.” For more information on the PSTP and VALT programs, call the PEF Education and Mobilization office at 1-800-342-4306, ext. 328. |