Administrative Regulation

AR 3350

Business and Noninstructional Operations

Travel Expenses

1. District employees may be reimbursed for all or a portion of the actual and necessary expenses incurred in traveling to and from, and attendance at, meetings which have previously been determined as beneficial to the school district.

2. Employees may be authorized to use their personal automobile in performance of regularly-assigned duties and shall be reimbursed for such use at a rate per mile established by the Board of Education.

3. Conference and Meeting Attendance

a. Procedure for Approval

(1) Employees may request attendance at a meeting or conference by making application on district Form F-28, Conference Attendance Request. The employee shall submit form F-28 to their administrator/supervisor who shall submit the forms he/she approves to the Superintendent or the Assistant Superintendent for that division. The request shall be made at least 30 days prior to conference date.

(2) When requests for travel within California are approved by the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent, or when requests for travel outside of California are approved by the Board, the employee making the request will receive from the office of Director of Fiscal Services Form F-28, which will indicate that approval of the request has been granted and indicate the amount which the employee may be reimbursed. The employee will also be advised if the request is rejected.

b. Criteria for Approval of Attendance at Meeting or Conference and Reimbursement of Expenses

(1) That the conference or meeting will help the employee develop skills and knowledge which will enable the employee to perform more effectively his/her assigned responsibilities.

(2) That the conference or meeting be considered to be of such importance or value that the principal or the district department head requests or requires the employee to attend.

(3) That the conference or meeting be one in which a member of the staff could make a significant contribution by serving as a speaker or participant.

(4) That the conference or meeting involves some matter in which the employee has been given special responsibility.

c. Expenses Which may be Authorized for Reimbursement

(1) Transportation within the limitations specified in these regulations.

(2) Lodging and meals within the limitations specified in these regulations. Reimbursement for meals shall be based on actual and necessary meal costs, but will not exceed the certified IRS reimbursement rates, adjusted July 1.

(3) Miscellaneous expenses directly related to attendance at the approved meeting or conference such as registration fee, taxi fares, telephone or parking fees.

d. Conference or Meeting Attendance when a Substitute is Required

(1) If attendance at a conference or meeting necessitates the use of a substitute, the administrator who initiates the Form F-28, Conference Attendance Request, must submit Form F-2218, Substitute Request Form, to the appropriate administrator.

(2) Availability of funds in proper budget categories to cover the cost of substitute pay is a condition of approval for conference attendance.

e. Type of Expenses for Which Reimbursement may be Claimed and Limitations

(1) Reimbursement may be limited to a specified amount for registration, luncheon, dinner or any combination of these.

(2) Los Angeles Area Meeting or Conference - Reimbursement is limited to registration fee, mileage for use of personal automobile when required and not more than two meals per day. Lodging may be reimbursed with prior approval.

(3) State Conference or Meeting Outside of Los Angeles Area - Reimbursement is limited to necessary transportation expense, lodging, meals, registration fees, taxi fares, telephone and other directly related expenses. Transportation may be by private automobile if reimbursement, in accordance with district policy, is limited to actual miles traveled by most direct route to the conference or meeting and total mileage to be reimbursed does not exceed 500 miles.

If air travel is authorized, it shall be at economy rates via regularly scheduled airlines.

(4) National Conferences or Meetings Outside of Los Angeles Area and Outside the State - Reimbursement is limited to necessary transportation expense, lodging, meals, registration fees, taxi fares, telephone and other directly related expenses. Transportation by private automobile may be reimbursed, on the basis of district policy, but may not exceed the reimbursement for 500 miles and may not be in excess of the economy fare of a regularly scheduled airline.

Air travel shall be at economy rates via regularly scheduled airlines.

All requests for travel outside of California must be approved by the Board.

(5) Trip Cancellations - Notice of cancellation shall be given to the office of the Director, Fiscal Services as soon as possible if the district has advanced registration fees, made travel arrangements or otherwise made deposits of district funds.

(6) Report After Travel - As early as possible after employee returns from conference or meeting, Form F-30, Conference Expense Refund Request, shall be completed, providing all information requested and including receipts where possible. Approval of principal or department head shall be obtained. This form shall be forwarded to the Director, Fiscal Services.

4. Use of Personal Automobile on School District Business

a. Employees may be authorized to use their personal automobile in performance of regularly assigned duties and shall be reimbursed for such use at the established rate per mile.

b. Insurance Coverage

(1) An employee must carry liability insurance on his/her own personal automobile where it is used for school district business.

(2) Evidence of such insurance in effect must be presented to the employee's supervisor at the time of requesting authorization for such use.

(3) The employee's liability insurance will at all times be the prime coverage and will pay first in the case of a loss. The district's coverage takes effect only after the employee's carrier has paid to the maximum limit of the employee's policy. (This is in accordance with California law.)

(4) There is no district coverage for physical damage to the employee's automobile.

c. Authorization

(1) Prior to beginning of a new fiscal year, or as soon after the beginning of the new fiscal year as possible, department heads and school principals shall submit the names of those employees who are to be authorized to use their personal automobile on school district business.

(2) Request for authorization shall be submitted to the Director, Fiscal Services, and shall include the payroll name of the employee, the date of birth of the employee and the number of the employee's California driver's license.

d. Requests for Reimbursement

(1) Employees authorized to use their personal automobile on school district business shall complete Form F-1, Mileage Refund Request, monthly, indicating the date of the mileage on school district business and the number of miles driven on school district business each day.

(2) Under circumstances where the employee uses his/her personal automobile on school district business only occasionally and the amount to be reimbursed is small, the employee may include more than one calendar month on Form F-1, Mileage Refund Request; however, a Mileage Refund Request may include only a period of time that falls within a single fiscal year.

(3) Form F-1, Mileage Refund Request, must be signed by the employee and must be approved by the school principal in the case of a school employee, or by the department head, and forwarded to the Director, Fiscal Services.

Nondistrict-Sponsored/Education-Related Activities

1. Employees shall not participate in travel and/or other nonschool, education-related activities that would require their absence or otherwise conflict with the conduct of district business on days school is in session.

2. Conference attendance and/or participation in other endeavors approved by the Superintendent and/or the Board shall be considered an exception to the above.

3. Employee participation in travel or education-related activities shall not be considered school business for leave purposes unless such has specifically been approved by the Board. In those cases where travel and/or participation in another activity has been approved by his/her supervisor, the employee may use unpaid personal leave or vacation leave.

4. Teaching employees who have been granted permission by their supervisors to participate in travel and/or other nonschool, education-related activities shall request a substitute through the normal substitute request channels and shall be granted unpaid personal leave. In no case, however, shall the teacher be permitted to compensate the substitute on an individual or personal basis.

5. Employees invited or selected to take part in a nonschool, education-related activity for which they are paid may be excused from their teaching assignment and granted personal necessity leave, provided that the activity necessitating the teacher's absence has been approved by the Superintendent and provided that the stipend received by the employee is used to pay for necessary substitute coverage.

Regulation PALOS VERDES PENINSULA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

approved: July 7, 1993 Palos Verdes Estates, California

revised: March 22, 2001