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Board Policies

Updated

Adoption Date: 06/22/2021

History: 02/22/22 (updated), 12/13/22 (reviewed), 12/12/23 (updated)

All Board of Education and District employees who travel for business on behalf of the district should follow all travel guidelines as outlined in these guidelines.

Travel Within the District

Employees required to travel in their personal vehicle between school district buildings to carry out the duties of their position can be reimbursed at the rate (calculated in cents per mile) allowed by the district. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to approve travel within the school district by employees.

Travel Outside the District

Employees required to travel out of district should follow these guidelines. Travel guidelines have been developed to include documented preapproval of all out of district travel by the funding source administrator, utilization of district credit card as a method of payment for approved expenditures, and avoidance of unnecessary out of pocket expenditures by district employees. Reimbursement for expenses will be allowed for travel outside the school district if the employee receives pre- approval for the travel and corresponding expenses.  If out of district travel guidelines are not followed, out of pocket reimbursement requests will not be honored and there may be a loss of future out of district travel privileges for the employee.

Overnight Travel

  • All out of district travel with overnight stay must be pre-approved by your supervisor.

Air Travel

  • All flights are paid by the District.
  • Please see your department/ building secretary to use the department/ building district P-card/ credit card to secure flights.
  • Employees should strive to find the lowest airfare fees available.

Vehicle Travel

  • Employees required to travel in their personal vehicle can be reimbursed at the rate (calculated in cents per mile) allowed by the district.
  • Employees should strive to find the lowest car rental fees available.
  • Please DECLINE all optional insurance offered by the rental car company. The district liability insurance covers employees traveling on behalf of the district.
  • If a district vehicle or a rental car is used during travel, gas may be purchased with a district P- card/ credit card.
  • Proof of rental car usage during dates of travel is required with itemized gas receipts (e.g. rental car agreement).
  • Gas CANNOT be purchased for a personal vehicle on a district P-card/ credit card.
  • If the travel involves an area with toll roads, charge to a district P-card/ credit card unless this option is not available. When a toll is paid, an itemized receipt will be required to support the district P-card/ credit card or out-of-pocket transaction.

Hotel Stays

  • Hotel reservations should be made using the district P-card/ credit card.
  • This secures the hotel reservation but DOES NOT allow the charges for the room to be put on the district P-card/ credit card.
  • A personal credit card should be presented at arrival for all charges.
  • A detailed receipt must accompany a reimbursement form that identifies any district covered expenses and personal expenses.
  • One credit card may be used for more than one hotel room on behalf of employees or students traveling.
  • Room charges and applicable hotel taxes and fees ONLY should be charged to a district P-card/ credit card and must be reflected as such on an itemized hotel receipt.
  • Employees must provide the hotel a personal credit card or a cash deposit for personal incidental expenses they may incur during their stay at the hotel.

Meal Expenses

  • Meal expenditures are allowed ONLY when incurred for school-related business for overnight stays.
  • Reimbursement for meals requires receipts.
  • Employee shall be eligible for reimbursement at the federal GSA per diem rates for meals. Reimbursement is subject to the GSA per diem rates for the current fiscal year for the area(s) in which travel occurs, found here: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates
  • No reimbursement will be made for alcoholic beverages.

Expenditures and Receipts

  • The district does not issue cash advances for employee or student travel.
  • Itemized receipts must be provided for all lodging, airfare, and rental vehicle transactions.
  • Meals and incidental costs will be reimbursed at the federal per diem rates based upon the destination(s) and duration of travel. 
  • All allowable travel expenditures must be paid with a district P-card/ credit card, or a personal credit card, unless a vendor does not accept credit card as a method of payment
  • All travelers are required to complete and submit a Travel Expense Reimbursement Form upon return to the district, with supporting itemized receipts from all trip expenditures to your Supervisor for approval and payment as required by this policy.
  • Charge card slips alone ARE NOT acceptable as itemized receipts.
  • Student trips are exempt from this process unless expenditure reimbursement is requested.

Instructional Materials Expenses

  • Any books or instructional supplies purchased while traveling are considered “supplies” and therefore become property of the district.
  • A receipt will be required to support the credit card or out of pocket transaction.

Unauthorized Expenses

  • The district does not approve unallowable or unauthorized expenditures to be charged to a credit card.
  • In the event this happens, employees will be required to reimburse the district for unallowable or unauthorized expenditures charged to a district P-card/ credit card.
  • In the event you are required to reimburse the district for unallowable or unauthorized expenditures charged to a credit card, please make check payable to the district and submit to the Business Office.
  • A copy of this receipt should be kept with the credit card reconciliation and noted that reimbursement has been made to the district.
  • See list of Unauthorized Expenses at end of document.

Out of Country Travel

  • If traveling outside the United States, please contact the Business Office if you will be using a district P-card/ credit card at least FIVE business days prior to travel to have the credit card opened up for international purchase

Trip Cancellation

  • Employees are responsible for any trips cancelled without a supervisor’s approval and will be required to refund the district all charges that are incurred including cancellation fees.
  • This also applies if an employee forgets to cancel a trip.
  • If the trip is cancelled by the district, the cost of cancellation will be the responsibility of the district.
  • If a flight is cancelled, and the airline holds a credit in the employee’s name for a future trip, the employee must use the credit against a future business trip for the district only.

District Audit

  • All district transactions are subject to audit.

Allowable Travel Expenditures (paid with district P-card/ credit card)

  • Registration Fees
  • Baggage claim fees
  • Rental car
  • Gas for rental car
  • Parking
  • Tolls
  • Authorized ground transportation (e.g. taxi, shuttle, etc.)
  • Hotel
  • Hotel internet charges
  • Meals and Incidentals
  • Tips (limited to 20%)

Unallowable Travel Expenditures

  • Upgrades or Add-On’s (after original purchase) - Airfare, Hotel, Rental Car
  • Rental care insurance
  • Gas for personal vehicle
  • Valet or Bell Hop services
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal entertainment
  • Personal expenditures

Steps in the travel approval process

  • The employee must obtain approval from their supervisor for any Out of the District Travel.
  • The supervisor must ensure there are sufficient funds in the budget before approving the travel request.
  • At least one employee traveling in a group needs to be a district credit card holder or request a building credit card, if necessary from the school, district, or department office manager/bookkeeper.
  • Make travel/ hotel/ rental car arrangements directly with vendor.
  • Travel takes place.
  • Request and keep all itemized receipts for lodging, airfare, and rental car transactions. Failure to have a detailed receipt will make the expense a personal expense.
  • All travelers are required to complete and submit Travel Expense Reimbursement form with supporting original itemized receipts if they want to be reimbursed for any travel costs. This form can be found on the District website (sign in), Staff, District Forms, Business Office Forms, Employee Travel.
  • OR all travelers are required to complete and submit Procurement Card Expense Report form with supporting original itemized receipts for all transactions billed to the credit card. This form can be obtained from the department/ building secretary.
  • The school, district, or department office manager/bookkeeper should review all Travel Expense Reimbursement forms or Procurement Card Expense Reports from the same trip using the following guidelines:
    • Name and address section is complete.
    • Dates of meeting correspond to transaction dates.
    • Itemized receipts are included for all transactions reported on the form(s).
    • Review GSA per diem information submitted by employee.
    • Hotel room charges and applicable hotel taxes and fees ONLY should be charged to a district credit card and must be reflected as such on an itemized hotel receipt.
    • Employee signature, account number, and supervisor’s signature need to be completed at the bottom of the Travel Expense Reimbursement Form.
    • Account number and supervisor’s signature is required on the Procurement Card Expense Record form.
    • In exceptional circumstances, the superintendent may allow a claim without proper receipt.
    • Written documentation explaining the exceptional circumstances is maintained as part of the school district's record of the claim.

 

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