New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 6A - EDUCATION › Chapter 23A - FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, EFFICIENCY AND BUDGETING PROCEDURES › Subchapter 7 - SCHOOL DISTRICT TRAVEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES › Section 6A:23A-7.9 - Travel methods

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) For the purposes of this section,
				"transportation" means necessary official travel on railroads, airlines,
				shuttles, buses, taxicabs, school district-owned or leased vehicles, and
				personal vehicles.
(b) The purchase
				or payment of related transportation expenses shall be made by purchase order
				or personally by a school district employee or district board of education
				member and reimbursed at the conclusion of the travel event. An actual invoice
				or receipt for each purchase or expense shall be submitted with a claim for
				reimbursement.
(c) Pursuant to OMB
				Travel Circulars, the following travel methods requirements shall apply:
1. Air and rail tickets shall be purchased
				via the Internet, if possible, using airline or online travel services such as
				Travelocity, Expedia, or Hotwire.
2. Air travel shall be authorized only when
				determined that it is necessary and advantageous to conduct school district
				business.
i. The most economical air travel
				should be used, including the use of discounted and special rates.
ii. The following options should be
				considered when booking tickets:
(1)
				Connecting versus nonstop flights;
(2) Departing earlier or later compared to
				the preferred departure time;
(3)
				Utilizing alternative airports within a city, for example, Chicago,
				Illinois--Midway Airport versus O'Hare Airport;
(4) Utilizing alternative cities, for
				example, Newark versus Philadelphia;
(5) Utilizing "low cost" airlines;
				and
(6) Exploring alternate arrival
				and/or departure days.
iii. No employee or district board of
				education member can earn benefits as a result of school district funded
				travel. Employees and district board of education members shall be prohibited
				from receiving "frequent flyer" or other benefits accruing from school district
				funded travel.
iv. Airfare other
				than economy (that is, business or first class) shall not be fully reimbursed
				by the school district except when travel in such classes:
(1) Is less expensive than economy;
(2) Avoids circuitous routings or excessive
				flight duration; or
(3) Would
				result in overall transportation cost savings.
v. All airfare other than economy and not
				covered by the above exceptions purchased by an employee or district board of
				education member shall be reimbursed only at the economy rate for the approved
				destination.
vi. Cost estimates on
				travel requests and associated authorizations shall be consistent with current
				airline tariffs, with consideration of available special fares or discounts,
				for the requested destination.
vii.
				Airline tickets shall not be booked until all necessary approvals have been
				obtained.
viii. Additional expenses
				over and above the authorized travel request shall be considered only for
				factors outside the purchaser's control. The burden of proof shall be placed
				upon the purchaser and any additional expenses incurred without sufficient
				justification and documentation, as determined by the school business
				administrator, shall not be reimbursed.
ix. Justification shall accompany requests
				for airline ticket reimbursement when purchased by employees or district board
				of education members contrary to (e)2i through viii above. Sufficient
				justification shall be considered only for factors outside the purchaser's
				control. Noncompliant purchases without sufficient justification shall not be
				reimbursed.
3. Rail
				travel shall be authorized only when determined that it is necessary and
				advantageous to conduct school district business.
i. The most economical scheduling of rail
				travel shall be utilized, including excursion and government discounts,
				whenever applicable.
ii. The use of
				high-speed rail services, such as Acela, shall not be authorized.
iii. All rail travel shall be processed in
				the same manner as prescribed for air travel in (c)2 above.
4. Use of a school district-owned
				or -leased vehicle shall be the first means of ground transportation. Use of a
				personally owned vehicle on a mileage basis shall not be permitted for official
				business where a school district-owned or -leased vehicle is available.
i. Mileage allowance in lieu of actual
				expenses of transportation shall be allowed at the rate authorized by the
				annual State Appropriations Act, or a lesser rate at the district board of
				education's discretion for an employee or district board of education member
				traveling by his or her personally owned vehicle on official business.
(1) If any condition in an existing
				negotiated contract is in conflict with the OMB Travel Circulars, such as the
				mileage reimbursement rates, the provisions of the existing contract shall
				prevail.
ii. Parking
				and toll charges shall be allowed in addition to mileage allowance.
iii. Reimbursement for travel to points
				outside the State by automobile shall be permitted when such arrangements prove
				to be more efficient and economical than other means of public
				transportation.
iv. In determining
				the relative costs of private and public transportation, all associated costs
				(that is, tolls, taxicabs, airport or station transfers, etc.) shall be
				considered.
v. All employees and
				district board of education members using privately owned cars in the
				performance of their duties for the school district shall present a New Jersey
				Insurance Identification Card indicating that insurance coverage is in full
				force and effect with companies approved by the State Department of Banking and
				Insurance. The card shall be made available to the superintendent or designee
				before authorization to use privately owned cars.
vi. Employees and district board of education
				members who are out-of-State residents shall provide appropriate insurance
				identification in lieu of the New Jersey Insurance Identification
				Card.
5. School
				district-owned or -leased vehicles shall be utilized in accordance with
				N.J.A.C.
				6A:23A-6.12.
6. Necessary taxicab charges shall be
				permitted. However, travel to and from airports, downtown areas, and between
				hotel and event site shall be confined to regularly scheduled shuttle service,
				whenever such service is complimentary or is less costly. If shuttle service is
				not available, taxicabs may be used.
7. Cruises shall not be permitted for travel
				events or transportation.