Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) Meals for in-State travel shall not be
eligible for reimbursement except as expressly authorized within this
subchapter.
(b) A meal allowance
may be provided to employees or district board of education members in relation
to one-day, out-of-State trips required for school business purposes that do
not require an overnight stay. The reimbursement for breakfast, lunch, and/or
dinner shall not exceed the amounts authorized in State travel regulations as
published by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Office of Management
and Budget, and presented in the OMB Travel Circulars.
(c) Lunch for off-site training sessions may
be authorized for an amount up to $ 7.00 per person only when it is necessary
that employees or district board of education members remain at a site other
than their school district and there are no viable options for lunch at the
off-site location.
1. Per
N.J.S.A.
18A:11-12.a(1)(d), employee and district
board of education member retreats shall be held onsite unless there is no
school district site available.
2.
If lunch is included in a lump-sum registration fee for an off-site training
session, the full amount is eligible for reimbursement, if reasonable.
Providing lunch for on-site staff meetings and in-service days or for employees
who come from other parts of the school district shall not be permitted. (See
(d) below.)
3. Refreshments for
breaks may also be provided at training sessions held at a site other than the
school district.
(d)
Subsistence expenses for an employee or district board of education member
shall not be allowed within the school district or within a radius of 10 miles
thereof, except for meals expressly authorized by and in accordance with this
section. Non-allowed expenses include, but are not limited to, meals and
refreshments for on-site staff meetings and in-service days.
(e) Reimbursement may be approved for the
cost of an official luncheon or dinner, up to $ 10.00 and $ 15.00,
respectively, that an employee or district board of education member is
authorized to attend, if the meal is scheduled as an integral part of an
official proceeding or program related to school district business and the
employee's or board of education member's responsibilities.
1. School district business above refers to
the management operations of the school district and does not refer to
activities that benefit students and are part of the instructional program.
Pursuant to
N.J.A.C.
6A:23A-5.8(b)4, all
reasonable expenditures related to school district employees that are essential
to the conduct of a student activity are permitted.
(f) Regular meetings, special meetings, and
work sessions of the district board of education shall be limited to light
meals and refreshments for all district board of education members.
1. The meals may be served to employees who
are required to attend the event and if it is impractical for the employee to
commute to and from his or her residence between the end of the work day and
the beginning of the event, or if the employee is required to remain at the
school district to prepare for the event.
2. The school district shall acquire the
light meals and refreshments by the solicitation of quotes, if required
pursuant to
N.J.S.A.
18A:18A-1 et seq.
3. If the school district's food service
program can prepare comparable meals at a lower cost, the food service program
shall be used.
4. The average cost
per meal shall not exceed $ 10.00.
5. The school district shall purchase or
prepare food that is sufficient to provide each district board of education
member, dignitary, non-employee speaker, or allowable staff member one meal.
Meals should be carefully ordered to avoid excess. Unintended left over food
should be donated to a charitable shelter or similar facility, if at all
possible.
(g)
Reimbursement may be approved for allowable telephone and incidental travel
expenses that are essential to transacting official business.
1. Charges for telephone calls on official
business may be allowed. The voucher shall show the dates on which such calls
were made, the points between which each call was made, and the cost per
call.
2. Employees and district
board of education members using their personally owned telephone for business
may request reimbursement, less Federal Communications Tax. Calls for business
are tax exempt and the telephone company will make allowances for the tax if
the employee or district board of education member certifies to the telephone
company when paying bills for personally owned phones that said calls were
business calls.
3. Incidental
expenses, defined as "non-meal tips" by the State travel regulations, when
necessarily incurred by the traveler in connection with the transaction of
official business, may be submitted for reimbursement only when the necessity
and nature of the expense are clearly and fully explained on the travel voucher
and the voucher is approved. Travel vouchers shall be supported by receipts
showing the quantity and unit price.
