Township of North Brunswick, NJ Chapter 45 Volunteer Tuition Credit Program

[1][HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Township of North Brunswick 9-20-2010 by Ord. No. 10-26. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Volunteer Fire Department — See Ch. 32.

Length of service awards program — See Ch. 50.

Service awards — See Ch. 84.

[1] Editor's Note: Former Ch. 45, Human Services Committee, adopted 12-9-1999 by Ord. No. 99-33, was superseded 2-19-2002 by Ord. No. 02-13. See now Ch. 22, Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services Committees.

§ 45-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to set forth the rules and regulations governing the administration and application of the Volunteer Tuition Credit Program ("program").

§ 45-2 Eligibility.

Active members in good standing, their spouses and dependent children, of the Township of North Brunswick's Volunteer Fire Companies and First-Aid and Rescue Squads are eligible to obtain tuition credit under the program. A dependant child shall be defined as any student who does not meet any of the eligibility criteria listed in N.J.A.C. 9A:9-2.6(a) or (b) for independent student status. Volunteers must agree to serve as a member of a volunteer organization for a minimum of four years to be deemed eligible for the program.

§ 45-3 Applicability.

Tuition funds shall be provided for postsecondary courses on a tuition-credit basis in specific learning institutions such as county colleges, county vocational schools or county technical institutes.

§ 45-4 Maximum tuition receivable.

Each eligible volunteer, his or her spouse or dependent child shall be eligible to receive tuition credit in the amount of $600 per year, not to exceed a maximum amount of $2,400 over a four-year service period, provided that classroom space is available and that tuition-paying students constitute the minimum number required for the course.

§ 45-5 Administration.

The Business Administrator, or his or her designee, shall administer the program in the Township of North Brunswick and shall enter into any and all agreements necessary and maintain files of all documents as may be required pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:71-78.1 et seq.

§ 45-6 Program application; requirements; procedures.

Members of North Brunswick Fire Companies and First-Aid and Rescue Squads shall apply for program benefits from the office of the Township Business Administrator or his or her designee.

A. Eligible members of the North Brunswick Fire Companies or the First-Aid and Rescue Squads must sign a service pledge agreement form (See Schedule A[1]), pledging four (4) years of service, to be counter-signed by the head of the volunteer organization. The eligible member shall file same with the office of the Business Administrator or his or her designee.

[1] Editor's Note: Schedule A is included at the end of this chapter.

B. Following each year of active volunteer services, the volunteer organization must provide the Business Administrator or his or her designee with a verification of service performed (See Schedule B[2]) or a blanket verification of service performed (See Schedule C[3]), confirming that the volunteer has been a member in good standing for the past twelve-month period. The first request for the letter of verification may come at any time after a volunteer has earned one (1) year of service.

[2] Editor's Note: Schedule B is included at the end of this chapter.

[3] Editor's Note: Schedule C is included at the end of this chapter.

C. Upon verification, the Business Administrator, or his or her designee, shall issue a certificate of authorization (See Schedule D[4]) to be presented to the learning institution by the volunteer or eligible family member(s) during the enrollment period. Only the original form shall be accepted. The certificate of authorization is an "original only" document. In the event of its loss, it is not replaceable.

[4] Editor's Note: Schedule D is included at the end of this chapter.

D. If registration is authorized, the learning institution will debit the tuition amount of the course on the lower portion of the certificate and maintain a running balance for other courses taken during the year.

E. Enrollment is limited to those classes where space is available and tuition-paying students constitute the minimum number required for the course. The institution may wait until the last day of registration to determine space availability.

F. Upon completion of each semester or course cycle, the student must submit a transcript to the municipality, which becomes part of the permanent file kept by the Business Administrator or his or her designee.

G. A student must maintain a grade of "C," "2.0" or "pass" in the courses taken under the program to continue eligibility.

H. The Township of North Brunswick assumes no responsibility for the requisitioning of any supportive documents.