In order to be eligible for the award of a pay increase under this Policy, an employee must request and receive approval in writing from his/her department head and the Personnel Director or the County Administrator before embarking on a course of study or training.

County employees earning a Master's Degree or Doctorate Degree or the following professional licenses in a state-regulated profession, Certified Public Accountant, Professional Engineer, or Physician's Assistant, shall be eligible for a five-percent base salary increase; provided, however, the degree or license must be in the employee's current field of employment.

County employees earning a Bachelor's Degree in their current field of employment shall be eligible for a four-percent base salary increase.

County employees earning an Associate's Degree in their field of employment or a Master's or Bachelor's Degree in a related field of employment, or a professional certification as a Certified Building Official (CBO), Associate of Risk Management (ARM), ICMA-Certified Professional, IPMA-HR Certified Professional, Certified Government Benefits Administrator (CGBA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Certified Arborist, Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT), American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), or specific professional certification as determined and approved in advance by the Personnel Director and County Administrator based upon overall benefit to/needs of the County and the employee, in consultation with the Department Head, shall be eligible for a two-percent base salary increase. The Associate's Degree or certification must be in the employee's current field of employment.

County employees earning 15 training credits within a three-year period (may be combination of in-house and outside programs, but available to hourly classified employees only) shall be eligible for a one-percent base salary increase as determined and approved in advance by the Personnel Director and County Administrator, in consultation with the Department Head. Any pay increase under this section shall be limited to one per twenty-four-month period (rolling-year basis) from the date of award. Excess training credits earned during the twenty-four-month period do not carry over.

Documentation sufficient to prove achievement of a degree, certification, training credits or designation shall be submitted to the Personnel Director for consideration.

For the purposes of this Policy, "current field of employment" shall directly relate to the employee's current position (i.e., paramedic and nursing degree, personnel technician and human resources degree, etc.); "related field of employment" shall closely relate to the employee's current position (i.e., paramedic and degree in public administration, etc.); educational "degree(s)" must be awarded by an accredited college or university verified through the Delaware Department of Education; "training credits" shall mean the assigned Continuing Education Units (CEU's) or one hour of actual contact training time equals one-tenth CEU, unless given a different value by the Personnel Director.

Any nonretroactive pay increase permitted under the rating system shall be effective upon approval of the Personnel Director, based on the submission date, but shall not include the following: any degrees or certifications earned before January 1, 2017, or hire date; certification required in the position description or specific training for the employee's current position, including new procedures; or any National, State, County, professional, or similar accreditation required license, certification, or training; or credits earned as part of a continuing education requirement for any previously earned or awarded certification/designation. Such pay increases may exceed the pay plan maximum for salaries, but no employee shall be compensated for earning more than one educational degree per level (i.e., Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's) or a lower degree awarded without significant additional coursework.

Any employee receiving a pay increase for achieving a certification/designation with continuing education requirements shall annually confirm that said certification/designation remains valid. Any employee failing to report such status or failing to retain/maintain any certification for which a pay increase was previously awarded shall have his or her current salary reduced by the same percentage pay increase previously awarded retroactive to the date of loss of certification or standing.

The Personnel Director shall develop appropriate forms and guidelines and shall be responsible for the administration of this program. The Personnel Director shall make an annual report to Levy Court regarding participants, degrees/certifications earned, and program costs. Any disagreement between the Personnel Director and department head on an employee's eligibility or percentage raise to be awarded shall be resolved with finality by the County Administrator.

County staff members are encouraged to participate in staff development/training opportunities or courses, such as seminars, workshops, conferences, and related activities, in order to enhance their knowledge and improve performance to better serve the citizens of Kent County.

Whenever a staff member determines that a particular staff development/training opportunity will be beneficial to the employee and County, a request shall be submitted to the department head for review and consideration for approval, department head, legal staff, and appointed advisory board, committee or commission member requests must be reviewed for approval by the County Administrator, and, in his or her absence, the Personnel Director, for participation in any training conference/opportunity.

Department heads or the County Administrator may approve participation in staff development programs if the training course(s) will improve the employee's knowledge or ability to perform his or her duties and if adequate funds have been budgeted for the proposed course(s).

Department heads or the County Administrator may require any or all employees to participate in specified staff development/training programs whenever the employee's performance will be enhanced, to achieve certification or mandated training, for continuing education purposes, or to meet risk management obligations.

Upon return from an approved training course(s), the staff member shall submit a report to the approving authority outlining the name of the course(s), date(s) attended, and personal/professional knowledge gained from attendance.

Full-time, nonprobationary County employees are eligible for reimbursement of up to 75% of tuition costs, including individual course, lab, and registration fees, within a specified maximum upon application and satisfactory completion (passing grade of 2.0/C or better) of course work leading to an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from an accredited college or university as determined by the Delaware Department of Education. All other costs, including books, insurances, etc., shall be the financial responsibility of the employee.

The Levy Court shall establish a maximum reimbursement rate(s) per fiscal year, but the full 75% of eligible costs shall be reimbursed over time as long as the employee continues to be employed by Kent County and maintains satisfactory work performance and attendance standards.

Eligibility for reimbursement is limited to those employees without other financial assistance, such as scholarships or military-service-connected educational benefits. In addition, the academic course work must lead to a degree in a field applicable to Kent County government work.

The Personnel Director shall develop appropriate application forms and guidelines and shall be responsible for the administration of the program within annual budget constraints. The Personnel Director shall make an annual report to Levy Court regarding participation, retention, and completion rates.

Eligible employees participating in the program and terminating employment within one year of completing any approved course(s) shall reimburse the County the full amount paid by the County for the course(s), lab fees, and/or registration fees. This amount shall be deducted from the terminating employee's final paycheck. If the amount of the final paycheck is not sufficient to cover the costs, the employee will be required to reimburse the County for the amount due at the time of termination.

Full-time, nonprobationary County employees are eligible for payment or reimbursement of professional license(s) or certification(s) renewal fees up to a maximum of $500 per employee per fiscal year, provided the employee's position description requires such license or certification.

Employees embarking on a course of study to achieve a job-related professional license or certification shall be eligible for payment or reimbursement of the examination expense, initial license or certification application fee, subsequent renewal fees, related preparation costs, and required continuing education or training courses. Said payment or reimbursement must be within annual budget constraints, and the course of study shall have been approved in advance by the department head and Personnel Director. Examination expenses for a specific license or certification may be paid or reimbursed for the first and second attempts and the final passing exam only. Any costs for additional examination attempts shall be borne by the employee.

Eligibility for payment or reimbursement is limited to those existing employees without other financial assistance, such as scholarships or military-service-connected educational benefits. If an employee receives payment or reimbursement under this Policy, he/she may not use the license or certification to perform related work or services for personal gain or profit.

The Personnel Director shall develop appropriate forms and procedures and shall be responsible for the administration of these provisions. The Personnel Director shall make an annual report to Levy Court regarding professional licenses and certifications held by employees, renewal requirements, and any costs paid by the County.

Eligible employees participating in the program and terminating employment within one year of payment(s) or reimbursement(s) shall reimburse the County the full amount paid by the County for the examination(s), license, certification, renewal fee, or associated training/continuing education costs. This amount shall be deducted from the terminating employee's final paycheck. If the amount of the final paycheck is not sufficient to cover the costs, the employee will be required to reimburse the County for the amount due at the time of termination.