Chapter 21 Travel. incurred as a result of official travel beyond the borders of Palm Beach County

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1 Chapter 21 Travel School based travel falls into two categories: Adult Travel travel to attend workshops, conferences, etc. where students are not present. Student Travel travel to attend workshops, conferences, competitions, etc. where students are accompanied by members of the school staff. While student generated funds may be used for student travel, travel for adults cannot be paid from student funds unless the students are also traveling. School sponsored events that require students to travel for educational enrichment under the supervision of staff are classified as field trips under Board Policy, and field trip paperwork is required for those trips. See Chapter 20 for a complete discussion of Field Trips and the associated paperwork. POLICIES AND FORMS GOVERNING TRAVEL District policies and forms governing travel include: Policy 6.01, Authorized Travel Expense Reimbursement PBSD 0032 Leaves/Temporary Duty Elsewhere(TDE) Application used to request permission to travel on official district business PBSD 0095 In County Travel Reimbursement Claim used to summarize expenses incurred as a result of official travel within the borders of Palm Beach County PBSD 0096 Out of County Travel Reimbursement Claim used to summarize expenses incurred as a result of official travel beyond the borders of Palm Beach County Enterprise Voucher Request ADULT TRAVEL Adult travel for official business may be reimbursed or paid from internal accounts if funds are not available in the operating budget to cover the expenditure. Since adult travel cannot be funded from student related accounts, some payment possibilities include: Administrative Courtesy (Account ) Facility Rental (Account ) Donation accounts specifically earmarked for teacher training, coaching clinics, etc. Special Trust accounts where funds are specifically earmarked for teacher training, coaching clinics, etc. Booster Club accounts if the training is related to the sport, art, or academic area associated with the booster organization. Internal Accounts Manual (7/16) 1 Chapter 21

2 STUDENT TRAVEL Most student travel is for the purpose of curriculum enhancement or student recognition, and is covered in greater detail in the Field Trip chapter of this manual, Chapter 20. Student field trips must be approved in advance by submitting a Field Trip Activity/Planning Report (PBSD 1894) for prior approval to the appropriate District officials as follows: In County Principal Out of County, In State Principal & Area Superintendent Out of State Principal & Area Superintendent & Chief Academic Officer Foreign or Overseas Principal & Area Superintendent & Chief Academic Officer & Superintendent/Board Adults traveling as chaperones on student field trips must also submit a Leaves/TDE Application (PBSD 0032) as outlined below prior to the trip to document their approval to participate in the student trip. Student travel is payable from student generated funds associated with a campus based organization. Payments for student meals may not exceed the subsistence meal rates established by the State, and may be made using one of the two following methods, depending on the age and maturity of the students involved: The chaperone may request a check at the subsistence rates to cover the student meals, and use those funds to pay for the students meals. The sponsor must retain meal receipts under this method. At the end of the trip, the student meal receipts must be submitted to the bookkeeper, and any unused funds must be deposited back into the sponsoring activity account. The chaperone may request a check at the subsistence rates to cover the student meals, and distribute them to the students who are participating in the trip. If this method is used, the sponsor must prepare a roster listing the amount distributed to each student, and the students must sign for their meal allowance. Meal receipts are not required under this method. GENERAL TRAVEL GUIDELINES All travel paid from internal accounts must comply with the provisions of Policy 6.01, Authorized Travel Reimbursement, for both In County and Out of County destinations. Unnecessary travel is to be avoided and necessary travel is to be arranged by the most economical means possible. Reimbursement of travel expenses is limited to those expenses that are necessary to perform a public purpose; expenses incurred for the convenience of the employee are not reimbursable, and Internal Accounts Manual (7/16) 2 Chapter 21

3 must be borne by the employee. While travelers are advised to refer to the travel policy for complete information, the following items are intended to provide a general overview of the District s travel requirements: The mileage allowance for the use of an employee s personal vehicle on District business is at the rate set by the State of Florida, currently 44.5 cents per mile. Employees may not be reimbursed for their commuting miles to and from work. Out of County travel must be pre approved through proper channels by completing a TDE/Leave form, PBSD 0032 in advance of the trip. o In County travel requires the approval of the employee s Principal/Director. o Out of County travel requires the additional approval of the Area Superintendent/Division Head. o Out of State travel requires the additional approval of the Chief Officer. o All Principal travel requires the approval of the Area Superintendent. Employees will not be reimbursed for meals when traveling in Palm Beach County. Reimbursements for employee meals on overnight travel may be made at the following subsistence rates established by the State of Florida: o Breakfast $6 per day, when travel begins prior to 6AM and extends beyond 8AM o Lunch $11 per day, when travel begins before 12 noon and extends beyond 2PM o Dinner $19 per day, when travel begins before 6PM and extends beyond 8PM Overnight travel may be reimbursed at the rate set by the State of Florida, which is currently: o A flat rate per diem, currently set at $80 per day, which covers meals and lodging OR o The subsistence meal rate specified above plus single occupancy lodging costs at a hotel or other commercial lodging facility with a rating of 3 stars or less. Stays at higher rated hotels are acceptable only if the conference offers a discounted rate that is equivalent to a 3 star hotel as shown on a recognized travel site, such as Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia. Employees may not book overnight travel to counties that share contiguous borders with Palm Beach County, including Martin County, Broward County, Hendry County, or Glades County. Transportation by common carrier shall be the most economical class of transport based on the nature of the business, the number of persons in the travel party, the traveler s time, impact on productivity, and cost. Incidental expenses, such as taxi fare, ferry fares, toll fees, parking fees, valet fees, etc. must be documented in accordance with Policy 6.01, Section 5. Upon completion of the travel, the traveler may file for reimbursement by completing the In County Travel Reimbursement Claim (PBSD 0095) or the Out of County Travel Internal Accounts Manual (7/16) 3 Chapter 21

4 Reimbursement Claim (PBSD 0096) depending on the destination. Copies of the traveler s approved Leaves/TDE form, the conference agenda, hotel bill, airline ticket, travel itinerary, and receipts for any incidental expenses that require documentation must be attached to the travel claim form, and the claim must be approved by the parties specified in the form s instructions. Employees must submit travel claim forms promptly in order to be processed for reimbursement. Claims must be submitted by the end of the month following the travel dates except for June travel dates, which must be submitted five business days after the close of the fiscal year. Employees wishing to combine personal and business travel will only be reimbursed for the business portion of the travel expenses, and must submit an approved Leave form for the personal portion of the travel if the personal travel time occurs on the employee s duty day. The District will not incur any additional expenses as a result of this arrangement, which must be approved in advance by the Supervisor by noting the arrangement on the approved TDE form when the travel request is made. RENTAL CARS Passenger cars and minivans with a maximum seating capacity of seven (7) are available from Enterprise/National Car Rental agencies at the State of Florida contracted rate. Passenger vans with a seating capacity greater than seven (7), Cargo Vans, and Luxury Vehicles are not covered and may not be used for official District transportation. Any extra charges for vehicle upgrades, navigation devices, Sun Pass transponders, etc. are not covered and may not be requested by the traveler or paid for with District funds, including P Cards and Internal Funds. As part of the direct billing program, each driver renting a vehicle must submit an approved TDE form to Maria.Telfair@palmbeachschools.org. Upon receipt, the requestor will receive instructions on procedures to follow to reserve a vehicle. The car rental charges will be charged to the funding strip specified on the TDE form. If a driver is someone other than a District employee, that driver must complete and submit a Volunteer Driver Information form (PBSD 2362) to Maria.Telfair@palmbeachschools.org. Vehicles should be returned to Enterprise/National with a full tank of gas (the P Card may be used when purchasing gas). The driver must obtain a rental receipt upon return of the vehicle to file with the travel claim form or the fieldtrip paperwork, depending on whether the travel was for adult or student travel. Internal Accounts Manual (7/16) 4 Chapter 21

5 All travel must comply with the provisions of Board Policy Unnecessary travel is to be avoided and necessary travel is to be arranged by the most economical means possible. USE OF P CARDS FOR DISTRICT TRAVEL Administrators and other staff members who have a Travel profile on their P card can use it to pay for approved travel expenses in excess of $1,000, assuming the daily and monthly spending limits are sufficient to accommodate those charges. If the travel expenditure exceeds the cardholder s approved single transaction or monthly spending limits, it will be necessary for the cardholder s supervisor (Principal, Director, or Area Superintendent if a Principal is the cardholder) to approve a temporary increase in the cardholder s spending limits. Send the request via e mail to Purchasing Card System at purchasingcards@palmbeachschools.org. Include the cardholder s name but do not include the cardholder s credit card number when making the request. Acceptable travel expenditures for district P cards include: Hotel accommodations at 3 star or less hotels Hotel accommodations at luxury hotels offering discounts to conference attendees if the nightly rate is equivalent to other 3 star hotels in the area Registration fees for conferences and workshops Gasoline for rental cars Taxi, toll, or parking charges incurred as a result of approved District travel Unacceptable travel expenditures for district P cards include: Car rental fees use the Enterprise voucher program Gasoline for personal vehicles personal vehicle use is reimbursed at 44.5 cents per mile Meals meals are reimbursed at subsistence or per diem rates as prescribed by the State of Florida Room service, movie fees, spa services, laundry fees or any other hotel services of a personal nature Cash advances Internal Accounts Manual (7/16) 5 Chapter 21