A Montgomery County job training program that was shut down after revelations of widespread fraud will be reinstated in coming months — and solely for police officers, who were responsible for nearly all the abuse — officials said Thursday. A Montgomery County Council panel approved the return of Montgomery’s maligned tuition assistance program Thursday. The full council must approve the measure, but a majority of members said they would support the move.
The county’s police union successfully negotiated to have the program included in County Executive Ike Leggett’s budget. Beginning next fiscal year, they would be the sole workers allowed to take the courses on the taxpayers’ dime, as other public employee unions did not successfully lobby for such funding.
Before the program was shuttered, investigators found that county employees used the program for Spanish lessons in Costa Rica and hot yoga sessions at taxpayer expense. The county also paid for classes, such as “Bible Doctrines,” which auditors said were hardly related to an employee’s job.
Police officers, in particular, used the program to obtain more than $400,000 worth of taxpayer-subsidized guns at a steep discount and took the classes while on the clock, The Washington Examiner first reported.
But council members say that new rules instituted by Leggett ease their concerns about the lack of oversight of the training courses.
“People are supposed to get tuition assistance,” said Councilman Marc Elrich, D-at large. “The problem was the executive branch did not monitor the program. “[Police officers] should not be punished for that.”
However, Elrich added that police officers should not be the lone recipients of the money, adding, “I would hope that eventually we would bring it back for everybody.”
The $135,000 budget for the program next fiscal year would be capped, as public safety officials previously had unlimited access to the courses. The county is facing a $300 million shortfall next fiscal year.
Among the stricter regulations outlined by Leggett: Tuition assistance funds could not be used for courses taken outside the country or on recreational classes or religious training. The courses would have to be related to an employee’s job function, and taxpayer money could not be spent for courses that offer credit merely for taking a test, he stipulated.
An internal police probe obtained by The Examiner shows about 360 police officers between fiscal 2007 and 2009 took training courses under the tuition assistance program while on the clock — costing taxpayers $273,000. County employees were not allowed to take the classes during their official workday.
