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Dearborn Heights study session wrestles with who qualifies for tuition reimbursement after arbitration precedent
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Summary
City councillors and administrators debated whether a police officer’s psychology degree falls under a collective-bargaining clause requiring courses to “relate directly to police work,” cited a 2015 arbitration that favored reimbursement, and asked administration for clearer pre-approval and budgeting procedures.
At a Dearborn Heights City Council study session, councillors and city administrators discussed how the municipal collective-bargaining agreement covers employee tuition reimbursement and whether a police officer’s bachelor’s degree in psychology qualifies for payment under Article 57 of the DHPOA contract.
Speaker 2, who read the contract language for the meeting, said Article 57 requires that "the courses taken must relate directly to police work or be part of a recognized police administration degree curriculum," and noted the officer in question provided a Wayne State University screenshot showing a psychology major. Speaker 2 also cited a 2015 arbitration decision involving Officer Ed Pila and said the arbitrator "found that obtaining a 4 year degree regardless of the field of discipline should be of benefit to any police department and the community served."
Councillors pressed for specifics. Council member (Speaker 1) asked how a psychology degree translates into police duties or rank advancement; Speaker 3, describing recent runs involving people in mental-health crisis, replied: "Our officers deal with psychological issues daily… Psychology courses absolutely would benefit it." That practical framing underpinned much of the union argument for coverage.
Administrators outlined how reimbursement currently works in practice. Mariana Hernandez, chief of staff (Speaker 8), described a three-step review in which a course is first evaluated by the employee’s department director, then reviewed by the controller when claims are submitted, and finally signed by the mayor before council is notified. Dwan Fisher, HR director (Speaker 6), told councillors the contract language is vague and proposed a formal application to capture who intends to enroll and what semesters and costs would be, so the city can budget in advance. "We can come up with a category based upon the job field and their job title," Fisher said, "and say... these courses or these degrees would apply that you can utilize in your field."
Budget concerns were a recurring theme. Officials gave illustrative figures: semester costs were described in the meeting as typically "around $7,000 to $15,000" for some enrollments, and administrators said departmental annual reimbursements have generally stayed below $50,000 in recent examples. Councillors asked administration to provide a three-year breakdown of tuition-reimbursement spending by department and to identify whether current reimbursements have caused unbudgeted overages.
Several councillors recommended adding a pre-approval or multi-step signoff so the city is not surprised by late reimbursement claims. Administrators cautioned that changes that alter bargaining-unit approval rights would require negotiation with unions: "But it wouldn't be a written agreement... it would have to be negotiated," Hernandez said. HR offered a non-contractual application form that would give the city advance visibility without changing the contract terms.
No formal motion or vote was taken during the study session. The council asked administration to return with department-level spending figures, a proposed application or intake form for employees who plan to enroll, and options for how pre-approval and budgeting could be handled consistent with union contracts and grievance procedures. The session then opened to the public and closed with no immediate changes to the CBA.
