Bill Prevents Tuition Assistance and Salary Increases for School Employees that Earn Degrees at Unaccredited Institutions of Higher Education
The Senate approved legislation today, sponsored by Senator Jennifer Beck, that would prevent school employees from receiving tuition assistance or salary increases for degrees earned at “diploma mills.” The legislation, S-2127, was introduced in response to revelations that school administrators in Freehold Township had received both tuition assistance and pay raises after completing doctoral programs at Breyer State University, an unaccredited online school that provides advanced degrees in exchange for little more than the tuition that is paid.
“The public should not pay teachers or administrators for receiving degrees that aren’t worth the paper they are printed on,” said Beck. “We can protect property taxpayers by going on the offensive and cracking down on the use of fake degrees that do little more than pad resumes and serve as justification for higher salaries.”
The legislation sets strict requirements that must be met for a board of education to provide tuition assistance or additional compensation for completed coursework or degrees:
The school attended must be a “duly authorized institution of higher education.”
The employee must obtain approval from the superintendent of schools prior to enrollment in any course for which tuition assistance is sought. Prior approval must also be required for the payment of any additional compensation upon acquisition of additional academic credits or completion of the degree program. In the case of a superintendent of schools, the approvals must be obtained from the board of education.
The employee must attain a grade at or above a “B” in each course for which tuition assistance is sought.
The tuition assistance per credit must be set at an amount no greater than the current average cost per credit at Rutgers, the State University.
The tuition assistance may only be provided at the end of the course and upon receipt by the district of the course grade earned by the employee and confirmation of the payment of tuition. If the employee leaves the district within one year of receiving tuition assistance, the tuition assistance must be reimbursed to the district.
The course or degree must be related to the employee’s current or future job responsibilities in order for tuition assistance or additional compensation to be paid.
“We certainly want the educators that teach our children to continue improving their own skills, but we must be sure that they are not being rewarded for cheating the system,” added Beck. “As more states pass legislation like this, we can help put fraudulent diploma mills out of business.”
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