Travel Allowances and Expenses
Every RISE Charter School employee and Board Member will be reimbursed for travel expenses while traveling outside of the school district in which RISE Charter School is located and engaged in official RISE Charter School business. All travel expenses must be reported on RISE Charter School-approved travel voucher forms and, for employees, approval must be granted prior to traveling by the employee's supervisor and the Executive Director or designee. RISE Charter School will adhere to the State Travel Policy, which can be found at https://goo.gl/eDiSGc.
RISE Charter School business office will be responsible for the development of procedures and forms to be used in connection with travel expense claims and reimbursements.
Types of Travel
In-District Expenses: RISE Charter School employees and Board Members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred within the school district in which RISE Charter School is located while attending to RISE Charter School business. Actual mileage driven for pre-approved in-district travel shall be reimbursed. It is the responsibility of the Board to review travel within the district by the Executive Director or by Board Members.
Meals incurred inside the school district shall not be reimbursed, except for banquets attended to represent RISE Charter School.
Out of District Travel: Travel outside of the school district in which RISE Charter School is located must be pre-approved. Board Members shall obtain Board approval prior to incurring out of school district expenses, and employees shall obtain prior approval from their supervisor and the Executive Director or designee.
Actual monies spent for food while on out of district trips requiring an overnight stay shall be reimbursed.
RISE Charter School employees and Board Members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenditures incurred outside the school district.
Documentation of Expenses
Expenses not in compliance with this policy shall not be reimbursed or paid by the Board.
Prior to reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses, RISE Charter School employee or Board Member must submit a detailed receipt indicating the date, purpose, and nature of the expense for each claim item and any appropriate travel expense or voucher form. Expenses requiring prior approval must also include a copy of the written prior approval. Employees shall submit their receipts, travel expense forms, and voucher forms to the Executive Director or designee. The Executive Director and Board Members shall submit such documentation to the Board. Failure to provide a detailed receipt will make the expense non-reimbursable.
In exceptional circumstances, the Board may allow a claim without a proper receipt. Written documentation explaining the exceptional circumstances will be maintained as part of RISE Charter School's record of the claim.
The Board directs the Executive Director or designee to promulgate procedures specifying which expenses shall be reimbursable for travel of different distances and durations.
Travel Costs Under Federal Award
General: Travel costs are the expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence, and related items incurred by employees who are in travel status on official business of a grant recipient. Such costs may be charged on an actual cost basis, or on a per diem or mileage basis in lieu of actual costs incurred, or on a combination of the two, provided the method used is applied to an entire trip and not selected days of the trip and results in charges consistent with those normally allowed in like circumstances in the recipient’s non-federally funded activities and in accordance with the recipient’s written travel reimbursement policies.
Lodging and subsistence: Costs incurred by employees and officers for travel, including costs of lodging, other subsistence, and incidental expenses, shall be considered reasonable and otherwise allowable only to the extent such costs do not exceed charges normally allowed by RISE Charter School in its regular operations as the result of its written travel policy. In addition, if these costs are charged directly to the federal award, RISE Charter School will maintain documentation justifying the following:
- Participation of the individual is necessary to the federal award; and
- The costs are reasonable and consistent with this policy and any related procedures.
Temporary dependent care costs above and beyond regular dependent care that directly results from travel to conferences are allowable provided that:
- The costs are a direct result of the individual’s travel for the federal award;
- The costs are consistent with this policy and any related procedures; and
- Are temporary, lasting only during the travel period.
Travel costs for dependents are unallowable, except for travel of duration of six months or more with prior approval of the federal awarding agency.
Commercial air travel: Airfare costs in excess of the basic, least expensive unrestricted accommodations class offered by commercial airlines are unallowable except when such accommodations would:
- Require circuitous routing;
- Require travel during unreasonable hours;
- Excessively prolong travel;
- Result in additional costs that would offset the transportation savings; or
- Offer accommodations not reasonably adequate for the traveler’s medical needs.
Legal Reference: 2 C.F.R. § 474 Travel Costs
Policy History
Adopted on: December 13, 2021
Revised on:
Reviewed on: