You say "The first $5250 should've been deducted already in 2019 and 2020". The $5250 tax free assistance is for every year.
You said "No, 8,597.50 was not on my W2, I just saw that on my last biweekly earning statement in 2021. W2 Box 1 doesn't really differentiate earning from working at school vs taxable tuition income". We're only asking you to verify that the $8598 is included (part of) the amount in box 1. It is almost never identified separately.
