College Programs

Permanent classified employees in active status are eligible to participate in LAUSD’s tuition reimbursement program.

Tuition reimbursement shall not apply to any employee eligible for reimbursement by any other governmental agency, organization, or association.

Employees who are represented by Bargaining Units A, B, C, D, E, H, J, S, and Confidential/District-Represented:

• Must apply and be pre-approved for tuition reimbursement by their Division Head/Administrator (or designee) BEFORE starting any course/training.
• It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that his/her Division Head/Administrator (or designee) has approved the course/training prior to the start of the course/training; otherwise, the reimbursement request may be denied.

For All Employees:

• The tuition reimbursement benefit may not be used during an employee’s assigned duty hours, unless an approved vacation request is provided.
• Tuition pre-approval requests for college programs (e.g., PACE/ACT) must be approved on a term-by-term basis (i.e., submit a new request for each semester/quarter).

The tuition reimbursement process is comprised of two parts:

1. The Pre-Approval Process
2. The Post-Course Submission Process

Pre-Approval Process

1. If you are interested in receiving tuition reimbursement for participation in a course/training, you should first discuss your professional development plan with your Division Head/Administrator (or designee).
2. Log on to the Online Tuition Reimbursement System to “Create New Tuition Reimbursement Request.” For step-by-step instructions on how to submit a Pre-Approval Request, CLICK HERE.
3. Once you have completed a New Tuition Reimbursement Request, the Division Head/Administrator (or designee) whom you listed in your online request will receive an email notifying him/her to log on to the Tuition Reimbursement Online System to review and approve your request.
4. Once the Division Head/Administrator (or designee) approves your Pre-Approval Request, the Personnel Commission staff will review and approve your tuition reimbursement request.

Note: You will receive email notifications throughout the application process and you can check the status at any time on the Tuition Reimbursement Online System.

Post-Course Submission Process

1. After successful completion of your pre-approved course/training, log on to the Online Tuition Reimbursement System and upload the following documents:
   •   Evidence of successful completion of course/training. (Successful completion shall be defined as a grade of “C” or “passing.”)
   •   Official itemized receipts showing proof of payment for expenses.
   For step-by-step instructions on how to submit Post-Course Documents, CLICK HERE.
2. The final step in the post-course submission process is for the Personnel Commission staff to review your documents to determine that all post-course submission requirements have been met.
3. Once approved, your reimbursement will post to your paycheck within 1-2 months.

Note: You will receive an email notification informing you that your reimbursement has been approved, denied, or returned to you requesting additional information. You can also check the status at any time on the Tuition Reimbursement Online System.

Important Notes:

• In order to ensure accurate processing, all post-course submission documents (i.e., grades and receipts) must be received by June 12th in order to be paid from the current fiscal year allotment. Receipts and grades that are received after June 12th will be paid out of the next fiscal year allotment.
• Approval shall be at the sole discretion of the District. If a request for reimbursement is not approved, the employee shall be entitled upon request to know the reasons for the disapproval.

Eligible employees may receive between $600 – $1,100 per fiscal year in tuition reimbursement, depending on the amount outlined in the employee’s Bargaining Unit Agreement. For eligible employees who are District-Represented or Confidential, please refer to Personnel Commission Rule 831 for details regarding the reimbursement amounts.

To view how much you have allotted for the current fiscal year, log on to the Tuition Reimbursement Online System.

Programs eligible for reimbursement shall include, but not be limited to, course of study at approved academic institutions, seminars, and training institutes conducted by recognized professional associations, conferences, meetings, and such other training programs designed to upgrade the classified service or encourage retraining of employees who may otherwise be subject to layoff as the result of technological change.

The purpose of the tuition reimbursement program is to support classified employees in increasing their knowledge, understanding, and skills as they relate to their employment and service to our District.

Click here for a listing by bargaining unit of eligible and ineligible expenses for reimbursement.

Important Note:
Unit D, E, J, S, and Confidential/District-Represented employees only – Costs that may be reimbursed include tuition fees, other mandatory fees, books and other necessary training materials and laboratory fees. Please refer to specific Bargaining Unit language for details. These items are to be included in the yearly allotted amount for each specific Bargaining Unit and are not in addition to the yearly allotment. Because these items are technically the property of the District, at the District’s discretion, all books or unused materials for which the District provides reimbursement, can and may be requested to be returned by the employee to the District.

Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to review employees’ tuition reimbursement requests.

For details regarding the specific terms of a tuition reimbursement agreement, please refer to the relevant Bargaining Unit Agreement or Personnel Commission Rule 831 (for District-Represented & Confidential employees).

• Tuition reimbursement eligibility is based on the applicant’s bargaining unit designation at the time the pre-approval is submitted and approved by the division head/administrator. Example: An employee who was pre-approved for reimbursement as a supervisor (Unit S), and then promotes to a manager (Unit J), will still be reimbursed under the provisions of Unit S, which was the employee’s bargaining unit at the time of pre-approval.
• An employee in a provisional (i.e., temporary) assignment is eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement as long as he/she has an underlying permanent classified assignment at the time the pre-approval is submitted. Example: An employee who applies for tuition reimbursement while serving in a leave-to-higher position as a manager (Unit J), but has an underlying permanent position as a supervisor (Unit S), will be pre-approved for tuition reimbursement under the employee’s permanent assignment at the time of pre-approval. NOTE: The employee’s administrator in the leave-to-higher assignment (Unit J assignment in this example) is responsible for reviewing and approving the tuition reimbursement pre-approval application.
• An employee who is pre-approved for tuition reimbursement while in a permanent classified assignment and then changes to a certificated position is able to receive reimbursement for the pre-approved courses/trainings.
• An employee must be in “active paid” status in order to receive his/her reimbursement monies for courses/trainings that have been pre-approved. It is possible that a Leave of Absence might impact reimbursement.
• In the event that an employee separates from the District before receiving reimbursement monies, he/she will forfeit the ability to receive reimbursement for these courses/trainings.