Staff Travel

Travel Policy

OVERVIEW

Employees of the district shall be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred while performing duties related to their jobs when such travel is at the request of the employee’s immediate supervisor and is approved by the superintendent.  A Travel Request form with any necessary hotel and registration purchase orders attached must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the trip.  Prior approval from the superintendent for all travel must be obtained before any travel expenses are incurred.  Failure to obtain prior approval may cause the travel request not to be reimbursed.

Receipts must support all requests for reimbursement.  Failure to provide documentation of expenses will mean non-reimbursement for such expenses.

TRAVEL

The district has school vehicles to be used for employee travel.  Every effort to use the white fleet vehicles should be made by completing a request for transportation online. (See the link under Quick Links on the front page of the District’s website.)

Student travel should be by the most efficient and safe method possible. These methods include a bus or white fleet vehicle.  A request for transportation form should be completed to arrange for a district-owned vehicle.  Employees should not use their personal car to transport students; the employee assumes all liability when using a personal vehicle.

If a white fleet vehicle is available and an employee chooses to use a personal vehicle, no reimbursement for travel will be allowed.

The school district will closely examine travel requests in determining the cost advantages of driving versus flying. No airline tickets should be purchased prior to receiving district approval. If flying, a separate purchase order should be completed and attached to the travel request.  Upon return, the airline ticket should be submitted.

MEALS

Meal expenses for overnight travel will be reimbursed upon returning to the district and submitting itemized meal receipts. Credit card receipts are not acceptable documentation for meal expenses. No reimbursement will be made for gratuity or the purchase of alcoholic beverages. When traveling, each employee will be provided an envelope for receipts. The information on the envelope will indicate which meals are eligible for reimbursement. No reimbursement will be made for a meal that is available to the employee through the hotel or the conference. For example, if the employee is staying at a hotel that provides a free breakfast or attending a conference that provides breakfast, no reimbursement will be given for purchasing breakfast.

Reimbursements for meals shall be limited to the amounts allowed by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

            Breakfast        $11.00  (must leave before 6:00 a.m.)

            Lunch              $12.00  (must leave before 11:00 a.m. or return after 1:00 p.m.)

            Dinner             $23.00  (must return after 7:00 p.m. or leave before 5:00 p.m.)

The unused portion of any meal allowance may be applied to other meals occurring during the same calendar day.

Banquet meals, which are part of the formal program of a convention, must be included in the conference registration; attendance is subject to approval by the superintendent. If registration is submitted for a banquet meal, no other meal reimbursement will be provided for that mealtime.  The employee assumes responsibility for all other costs in excess of the established meal allowances.

The maximum meal allowance for students shall be limited to $8.00 per student.

No reimbursement shall be given for employee meals when overnight lodging is not required unless traveling with student groups.

HOTEL

The hotel bill will be paid at the actual cost (less state tax).  Purchase order to the hotel listing room rates, length of stay, and staff members must be submitted with the travel request.  Rooms are to be shared by two staff members whenever possible.  US General Services Administration rates will be used to determine allowable hotel costs; rates can be found at gsa.gov. The cost of special room accommodations, which would exceed the standard room rates, must be approved by the superintendent

The district will not incur hotel expenses for accommodations in Waco or surrounding communities unless students are participating in events scheduled during unusually early or late hours of the day.  The justification for overnight accommodations in Waco or surrounding communities must be made in writing and is subject to approval by the superintendent.

Two days before departure, the Business Office will issue a state tax exemption certificate and a check payable to the hotel.  If a purchase order does not accompany the travel request, the employee will assume the state hotel tax.  A final statement must be submitted to the business office.

GISD CREDIT CARDS

GISD credit card procedures will be enforced when using GISD’s issued credit cards.

PARKING

Employees should maximize the use of self-parking options when possible. Valet parking should only be used when self-parking is not an option for overnight hotel stays. Tax Exempt Forms should be used when paying for parking.

REGISTRATION FEES

Registrations for workshops or conferences are to be paid by completing a purchase order and submitting it with the travel request form.  Any forms that are to be sent in with the registration payment must be completed and attached to the purchase order. Registration fees will not be reimbursed except in special circumstances approved by the superintendent.

TRAVEL REQUEST FORM

A Travel Request form must be submitted at least two weeks before all staff travel. Forms must be submitted to the Business Office. A Request for Extracurricular Transportation should also be completed and included with the Travel Request. Separate purchase orders for transportation, hotel, parking, and meal reimbursement must be submitted at the same time as the Travel Request form. All portions of the form must be completed, and appropriate signatures must be obtained prior to approval.

After completing the form, it should be forwarded to the Principal or Director to evaluate and designate the budget code for each travel request.  If the principal or director approves the travel request and funds allocated to the budget are sufficient, the principal or director signs the Travel Request form and sends it to the Business Office.

The Business Office will check the Travel Request form for completeness and sufficient budget funds and forward it to the superintendent for approval.  If approved by the Superintendent, copies of the Travel Request will be returned to the claimant.

Within three days of returning from the trip, submit the completed Travel Report and Reimbursement Request form to the principal or supervisor for approval. Ensure that all required receipts are included. No reimbursement will be made without the necessary receipts. The principal or supervisor will check the Travel Reimbursement Request form, verify the required receipts are attached, and sign the form. The principal or supervisor will then return the completed Travel Report and Reimbursement Request form along with the attached receipts to the Business Office.

The Travel Report and Reimbursement Request form will be double-checked for completeness by the Business Office.  Once the Superintendent approves, the Business Office will either forward to the claimant any amount to be reimbursed or include it in the normal payroll cycle.