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Dearborn Heights reviews tuition-reimbursement policy after arbitration precedent
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Summary
Council members reviewed contract language and a prior arbitration ruling while debating budget exposure and administrative safeguards for tuition reimbursement; staff proposed an application form and earlier budget notices to avoid surprise costs.
At a study session on employee tuition reimbursement, Dearborn Heights City Council members reviewed contract language, a 2015 arbitration ruling and recent invoices as they explored ways to limit future budget surprises while preserving training incentives for staff.
Council members asked administrators to clarify who approves course eligibility, how much the city might be liable to reimburse and whether the approval process can be tightened without breaching union contracts. A presenter reviewed Article 57 of the collective bargaining agreement with the Dearborn Heights Police Officers Association and read the provision that courses must "relate directly to police work or be part of a recognized police administration degree curriculum." The presenter also cited a 2015 arbitration ruling that found past reimbursements warranted and concluded "Obtaining a 4 year degree regardless of the field of discipline should be of benefit to any police department," a point the union representative used to argue psychology coursework is relevant to policing.
HR Director Dwan Fisher recommended administrative safeguards that do not require reopening collective bargaining: require course approval before enrollment practice when feasible, collect planned-course data in a formal application so finance can estimate costs, and ensure proposed coursework aligns with an employee’s job field and director’s approval. Fisher said the city can "come up with a category based upon the job field, the job field, and their job title and say, hey, these courses, or these degrees would apply that you can utilize in your field."
Mariana Hernandez, chief of staff, described the multi-step review used in practice: directors review whether courses benefit a department; claims then go to the controller for verification and final signature to the mayor and council. Hernandez said per-semester costs for individual students commonly fall between about $7,000 and $15,000, and that the police department’s highest recent tuition spend was $39,321 in fiscal '24 against a $25,000 budget line.
Several council members pushed for a simple operational change: have department directors notify administration before the budget hearings of employees who intend to enroll so the council can budget anticipated reimbursements, rather than being surprised by large post-enrollment claims. Administration agreed this reporting would be feasible while noting any written policy that materially changes approval rights would need to respect contracted union language and could require later negotiation.
No formal motions or votes were taken at the study session. Councilmembers directed staff to prepare a formal application form and to provide department-level historical tuition-reimbursement totals so the council can consider budget amendments or contract negotiations if necessary.
