Reimbursement of Expenses
Trustees shall be reimbursed for appropriate expenses incurred in carrying out their role as Trustee. When using public funds, all Trustees must consider whether the intended expenditure would withstand public scrutiny. It is incumbent on each Trustee to appropriately document and account for the expenditure of district funds on his or her behalf.
In accordance with the Principles of Board Operation and Trustee Protocols, the Board is responsible for its own discipline and governance methods. In order to assist the Board in this capacity, an annual report summarizing Trustee travel and subsistence expenses is received to public board as information and is submitted to Alberta Education with the District's financial statements.
Trustee Professional Development and Travel Expenses
- Trustees are expected to become informed about educational issues. In the performance of their duties, Trustees may attend local, national, and international conferences and conventions, workshops and seminars, visit other school districts or acquire research materials and attend community events and social functions.
- Reimbursement of expenditures incurred while traveling on Board business outside Edmonton will be made for transportation costs, accommodation costs, registration fees, meals, and tickets to required social functions as outlined below and in accordance with district accounting standards (see DJA.AR - Expenditure of Public Funds). An additional conference banquet ticket and any hotel room surcharge for double occupancy when spouses/partners are traveling with the Trustee may also be claimed. Other additional expenses for meals and incidentals when spouses/partners are traveling with the trustee are the responsibility of the Trustee. (Reimbursement for meal expenditures, without a detailed receipt, is to a maximum of $47 per day or the current district rate. Mileage may be claimed at a rate of $.46 per kilometer or the current district rate.)
- Rental vehicles may be claimed where it is more cost effective than the use of taxis, limousine or shuttle service.
- Cancellation insurance is recommended for all air travel.
- A travel expense claim form must be submitted after each travel excursion and should be attached to the Trustee's monthly expense claim form. Travel expense claim forms can be obtained from the Trustees' Secretary. A copy of the travel expense claim form is retained in the Trustee professional development and travel expense file.
Individual Trustee Expense Budgets
The Board provides each Trustee with an annual expenditure budget to reimburse appropriate expenses incurred carrying out his or her role as Trustee. The current amount is $6,500.
Appropriate expenditures include:
- individual professional development, training and travel
- business lunches, hosting and tickets to events
- ward communications (No reimbursement may be made for expenditures incurred in a civic election year between July 1 and the day after the election.)
- district promotional items
- cellular phone service, upgrades to standard computer equipment and home phone
- a cell phone and/or personal digital assistants
- office supplies, postage, photocopying
- periodical and association memberships and subscriptions
Individual Trustees shall not expense alcohol with district funds with the exception of the Board Chair when hosting on behalf of the Board. The Board Chair shall report to the Board on such instances in accordance with procedures for the Board Chair Discretionary Expense Allowance. (Approved November 30, 2010)
A Trustee may carry over any unspent portion of the individual Trustee expense budget from the first and second year of the term of the Board; however, no Trustee may overspend this budget at any time during the term of the Board.
- Each Trustee is provided with a corporate purchasing/credit card to use for Board-related expenses. Trustees must follow district procedures for use of the corporate credit card.
- Each Trustee is assigned a district budget sub-program for the monitoring of payments made on his or her behalf by the District and will be provided a monthly expenditure report.
- Each Trustee is required to sign and submit a monthly expenditure claim form along with:
- any required receipts for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, and
- authorization for payment of charges incurred on the Board's purchasing (VISA) card for Board business and a refund cheque for any personal expenses in accordance with district accounting processes as outlined in DJA.AR - Expenditure of Public Funds.
Board Representation Travel and Related Expenses
In accordance with the Principles of Board Operation and Trustee Protocols, the Board Chair is the official representative of the Corporate Board. The Office of the Board Chair is the first point of contact for external organizations wanting Board representation at their functions and the Board Chair is responsible for either attending these functions on behalf of the Board or delegating representation as appropriate and necessary. The Board Chair will report requests for Board representation to the Conference Committee and request the approval of the Conference Committee in those instances where it is appropriate for all Trustees to attend at Board expense. A report on Board representation expenses will be brought to Conference Committee on an annual basis. The Board will reimburse travel expenses related to Board representation as a Board general expense.
Board Chair Discretionary Expenses Allowance
In addition to the Board-paid expenses for Board representation, the Board Chair is granted an annual discretionary expense allowance of $2,000 for expenses incurred related to the role of Board Chair. The Board Chair's discretionary expense claims shall be signed-off by the Vice-Chair prior to reimbursement and the Board Chair shall provide a written annual report to Conference Committee outlining the nature and purpose of the expenses.
Board-Paid Conferences and Functions
In addition to the above amounts, the Board will pay up to $2,500 Cdn/US to reimburse standard travel, accommodation, registration and meal expenses for and authorizes all trustees to attend each of the following:
- the Canadian School Boards Association Annual General Meeting once in a three-year term
- the annual meeting of the National School Boards Association once in a three-year term
- the spring and fall general meetings of the Public School Boards Association/ Alberta School Boards Association (maximum of $2,500 per spring and $2,500 per fall Association meetings)
- and other functions, as identified by the Board from time to time
- Reference: DJA.AR - Expenditure of Public Funds
Approved: September 14, 2010
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