(a) Any employee of the Department holding a position classified at paygrade 15 or below may avail themselves of the provisions of this section to prepay the tuition costs for higher education related to their position.
(b) The classes will be 100% prepaid by the Department upon application to the Human Resources Director of the Department prior to commencement of classes at a college or university within the State for classes related to corrections, public safety, criminal justice, psychology, or sociology or related fields. Related fields include any courses necessary to complete a degree program in criminal justice, corrections, public safety, psychology, or sociology. Department employees who work in the food service, mechanical, or building trades and maintenance area are eligible for prepayment for classes that relate to their field or trade. The employee must maintain a C average or better in the classes taken to remain eligible for this program.
(c) (1) The Department shall take the funds appropriated for this section in each fiscal year and allocate them as follows:
a. 40% for the fall semester.
b. 40% for the spring semester.
c. 20% for the summer semester.
(2) The Department shall establish a deadline date for applying for said funds. If there are more applications than funds for any semester, then the funds shall be prorated between the applications. If there are fewer funding applications than funds available, the Department shall roll excess funds over to the next semester.
(d) An employee who has received funding under this section but who is terminated from the Department for cause prior to completion of current vouchered courses or who otherwise fails to comply with any requirement of this section immediately becomes ineligible to receive education benefits under this section and shall repay the Department for all tuition and fee funding previously extended to the employee, including interest, on a pro rata basis from the time of termination or noncompliance. The Commissioner shall adopt appropriate procedures to determine the amount of repayment and the method of collection due by the employee under this subsection. If an employee voluntarily leaves the Department prior to completion of funded courses, the employee will not be required to repay previously funded tuition but will have to repay the current quarter or semester's tuition.