The LISD travel manual has been released and can be found here.
This is covers all travel guidelines so please make sure you check it out.
Student Travel Approval Request forms (STAR) A STAR form must be completed for any extracurricular activity in which students travel to a non-district location, and an expense will be processed for payment by the Financial Services Department, either by check or pro card. For example: lodging, registration/entry fees, and/or meal money. (This does not include grade-wide field trips. Grade-wide field trips require a purchase order for admission/gate fee payments.) STAR can be found here.
What you will need to include with your STAR Form PRIOR to travel:
o Sponsor Request for Travel Form this will only be needed for Beyond District travel OR if you didn't fill out the Google doc. The Google Doc request will count as your request for travel and your transportation request. (click for document)
o Activity/Field Trip Permission Form (click for document)
o Dates of travel
o Registration/Entry Fee/Invoice for event
o Estimated Trip Costs:
o Lodging
o Transportation: if LISD transportation is available, you must use it. Please submit a bus request using the form under Bus Request on this site. If LISD transportation is not available, you may rent a vehicle. Provide a confirmation of the rental vehicle if appropriate. Please remember that it is against federal law to rent 12 or 15 passenger vehicles. We are also exempt from tax on vehicle rentals. Please remember to submit the motor vehicle rental tax exemption certificate when reserving your vehicle.
o Gas, tolls, parking fees
o Other expenses
o A list of students attending event
§ Hotel Room assignments if necessary
o Meal Money – for Beyond District competition only, provide the dates and estimated times of departure and return, the list of students who will receive meal money pre-trip, and the name of the coach/teacher to which the check will need to be issued. This is required of all groups, no exceptions.
What you will need to submit AFTER travel:
o Additional fees for registration
o Hotel receipt
o Rental car receipt
o Gas, toll, parking receipts
o Any other expenses during trip
BEYOND DISTRICT TRAVEL
ALL BEYOND DISTRICT TRAVEL AND EXPENSES MUST BE PREAPPROVED BY THE CFO - CTE MUST BE PREAPPROVED BY CTE DIRECTOR AND THE CFO - BEFORE ANY TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE.
A list of beyond district approved activities can be found here.
All student travel guidelines must be followed in addition to having submitting a sponsor request for travel form signed by sponsor, principal, program director, and superintendent and attached to the STAR.
CTE competition guidelines can be found here with a breakdown of what is covered by district and what is the student responsibility including beyond district.
Click on the images below for instructions on what to do before and after your trip.
TEACHER TRAVEL - BEFORE YOUR TRIP
All teacher travel must be preapproved - teachers are responsible for all expenses (using their own credit card) and will be reimbursed after the trip. The only thing District will pay in advance is registration and you can use the ProCard for that. If you are can't afford the hotel you must fill out the Advance Payment agreement so you can hand-carry a check to pay the hotel.
BEFORE THE TRIP:
Pick up a TAR form from your bookkeeper or print one out here. (you can fill it out using a computer)
If multiple staff members are attending the same event and only one is being reimbursed, one TAR form can be submitted for all.
Otherwise, If each person is being reimbursed individually then one TAR form per staff member.
Please complete ALL fields in the top section.
Name, date of event, estimated times departing, and vendor #. The vendor # is NOT your employee number. It is created by Accounts Payable for an employee receiving a reimbursement. If you do not know your vendor #, please ask your bookkeeper.
ESTIMATED TRIP COSTS: List the estimated trip costs in this section. Please write amounts. They are only estimates and do not have to be exact. Make sure to include mileage, parking expenses, etc. We need 2 copies of each estimate.
Lodging per diem in Texas is $106/night/person. The District will not reimburse state tax, so the traveler must present the Hotel Tax Exempt form to the hotel at the time of check‐in. It is allowable for the District to reimburse the following taxes: county, city, venue, etc.
Lodging not allowable within a 100-mile radius of central office (there are a few exceptions so discuss with your bookkeeper. The following cities are exempt from this rule: Bastrop, Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, and San Marcos).
No short term rentals
GSA rates if out of State can be found here.
Sharing of rooms is recommended whenever possible. When at least 2 employees of the same sex are traveling to the same event and choose to share a room, they will be allowed up to 2 times the GSA rate listed for that city/county.
Lodging expenses, whether in-state or out-of-state, may be paid up to the GSA rate limits. Expenses may exceed the maximum GSA rate if accommodations are at the official conference/event hotel - Conference brochure must specifically state that the hotel you're staying at is the conference hotel. Hotel accommodations other than the official conference hotels may only be reimbursed up to the maximum of the highest conference hotel rate.
Hotel must be booked using your personal credit card - NEVER use the ProCard for reservations. ALL HOTEL RECEIPTS MUST BE IN THE NAME OF THE PERSON GETTIN REIMBURSED - IF YOU'RE SPLITTING A ROOM PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NAME APPEARS ON THE HOTEL FOLIO.
If you are can't afford the hotel you must fill out the Employee Travel Prepayment Agreement so you can hand-carry a check to pay the hotel. Once the employee returns from the trip, the original itemized hotel receipt must be forwarded to the bookkeeper within 10 business days of the scheduled return date
Internet fees for official business use
Mileage rate is $.56per mile. If you are being reimbursed for mileage, please attach 2 copies of a google map showing the shortest distance from RHS to your destination - along with the mileage form filled out.
No tolls reimbursed within the district
Meal per diem in Texas is $55/day or your GSA rate for out of state. If breakfast is included at your hotel or meals are included at your conference, you will not be reimbursed for meals. If overnight stay is not required, you will not be reimbursed.
This is the breakdown for meals:
Breakfast ‐ $12.00 if traveler departs before 6am or returns after 7am
Lunch ‐ $16.00 if traveler departs before 11am or returns after 12pm
Dinner ‐ $27.00 if traveler departs before 5pm or returns after 7pm
Airfare
Coach only
Must purchase at least 14 days prior to travel
Baggage fees - reimburse for one bag only
When airfare is cheaper than mileage, reimbursement limited to least expensive
Please discuss with your bookkeeper the budget that will be used for the trip. They will complete the code.
ADVANCED REGISTRATION: Please complete this section if the District is paying the cost of registration. (Please note: Employees paying their own registration cost is greatly discouraged.) You will need to indicate whether the registration check will need to be mailed by Accounts Payable or returned to you for “Hand Carry” to the event. Attach 2 copies of the completed registration form. If a ProCard was used to pay registration, please check‐mark the “Procard” box. Attach 2 copies of the registration invoice/receipt.
The traveler must sign. Your bookkeeper with obtain the Budget Manager's signature.
Submit the TAR and supporting documents for expenses to your bookkeeper.
DO NOT COMPLETE THE BOTTOM SECTION UNTIL YOU RETURN FROM YOUR TRIP.
TEACHER TRAVEL - AFTER YOUR TRIP
AFTER THE TRIP:
Complete the REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST portion of the TAR you filled out prior to your trip (get your TAR form from your bookkeeper).
All reimbursements for lodging and meals will be made following per diem guidelines.
Submit the original itemized receipts for all expenses plus one copy – except for meal receipts.
Lodging per diem in Texas is $96/night/person or GSA rates if out of state. The District will not reimburse state tax, so the traveler must present the Hotel Tax Exempt form to the hotel at the time of check‐in. It is allowable for the District to reimburse the following taxes: county, city, venue, etc. ALL HOTEL RECEIPTS MUST BE IN THE NAME OF THE PERSON GETTIN REIMBURSED - IF YOU'RE SPLITTING A ROOM PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NAME APPEARS ON THE HOTEL FOLIO.
Mileage rate is $.56per mile. If you are being reimbursed for mileage, please attach 2 copies of a google map showing the shortest distance from RHS to your destination - along with the mileage form filled out.
No tolls reimbursed within the district
Meal per diem in Texas is $55/day or GSA rates if out of state. This is the breakdown for meals:
Breakfast ‐ $12.00 if traveler departs before 6 am or returns after 7 am
Lunch ‐ $16.00 if traveler departs before 11 am or returns after 12 pm
Dinner ‐ $27.00 if traveler departs before 5 pm or returns after 7 pm
Add amounts paid for parking, bus, or other approved costs on the appropriate line. Be sure to include 2 copies of receipts.
List your date and time of departure and your date and time of return.
Sign and date the “Requesting Party” line.
Your bookkeeper will obtain the Budget Manager signature.