DISTRICT MANAGEMENT 04/15

Coupeville School District Procedure No. 6233-P Travel Expenses

Travel Request. Travel requests must be approved in advance by the employee's immediate supervisor. Outof-district travel must be approved by the superintendent. The travel request must show all expenses (meals, lodging, transportation, parking, registration and any other estimated expenses) to be charged to the district or for which reimbursement will be requested upon completion of travel, and the budget category for each item. Travel Expenses. The district expects employees to observe the following guidelines when making travel arrangements.

• Lodging. When available, employees are expected to use conference rates at sponsored hotels. The

district will pay the cost only of an employee. If a spouse accompanies an employee, the employee is responsible for all expenses related to the spouse’s stay. It is preferred that employees share hotel rooms when two or more employees of the same gender attend the same conference. Itemized receipt required, identifying all occupants.

• Meals. During the course of conducting school district business or attending conferences, staff will be awarded a per diem meal rate, corresponding to the Office of Financial Management rate for locations in the State of Washington and to the U.S. General Services Administration meal per diem rate for locations outside the State of Washington. Meals included as part of the conference must be deducted from the daily per diem total each day. The first and last day will be awarded at 75% of the applicable per diem rate. Reimbursement will only be authorized when an overnight stay is involved. o

A conference agenda must be submitted to the business office showing any meals provided as part of the conference when payment is requested. No receipts will need to be turned in when you return.

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Staff may apply for advance travel prior to leaving for a trip or may wait until returning from the trip to apply for travel reimbursement. If there are special circumstances, please contact the business office.

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Conference participants should always look for hotel shuttles or taxis as opposed to renting a car.

• Airline, Train, Shuttle, Bus Fare. Employees are expected to select economy/coach rates for airline tickets. Detailed ticket confirmation required.

• Taxi, Parking, Toll/Ferry Charges. These are authorized expenses related to travel and will be reimbursed

by the district upon completion of form 6223-F1, with appropriate receipts attached. Itemized receipt required.

• Mileage. The district prefers that two or more employees attending the same event use a district van or carpool. For employment-related travel within the district, the employee must have his/her supervisor’s advance approval to request mileage reimbursement. Mileage reimbursement for events outside the district will be approved only in conjunction with an approved travel request. Mileage will be paid at the IRS mileage rate. Nonreimbursable Expenses. The following expenses are not reimbursable: • Alcoholic beverages, snacks, or meals other than breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. • Personal telephone calls, postage, and memberships. • Mileage to and from home. • Mileage for school levy promotions and other nonofficial school functions. • Entertainment. • Expenses for travel extending beyond the time required for the meeting or business, unless it is in the district’s financial interest to extend the travel over a Saturday night or such other rate advantages. Coupeville School District Policy 6233

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• Expenses incurred by non-employees traveling with the staff member, including room surcharges. Reimbursement Request. All requests for reimbursement of travel expenses must be submitted to the district office by the 15th of the month for reimbursement to occur on the last day of the month.

Coupeville School District Policy 6233

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