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POST proposes higher maximum presenter reimbursements to reflect market changes; Commission approves sending proposal to Finance and OAL
Summary
POST will seek higher maximum reimbursements for instructors, coordinators and clerical support after staff recommended increases to reflect 25 years of market change; the Commission approved sending the proposal to the Department of Finance and OAL.
Training Program Services staff on Nov. 1 proposed raising POST’s maximum reimbursement rates for presenters to reflect 25 years of inflation and market change.
Training Program Services Bureau Chief Brad Neumeier summarized the rationale: the current maximum instructor rate ($90 per instructional hour) and other line items were set in 1998 and have not been updated to reflect regional market wage differences. POST considered a combination of sources — a presenter survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation index, California Employment Development Department salary ranges and CalHR classifications — in setting new recommended ceilings.
The working group recommended raising the maximum instructor reimbursement to $155 per instructional hour (salary plus benefits where applicable), raising on-site coordination to a maximum of $85 per hour, clerical support up to $45 per hour, and adjusting presentation coordination from a $440 per presentation cap (formerly $55 per eight hours) to a $105 per eight-hour base and a related per-presentation cap indexed to inflation. Neumeier explained the coordination and clerical increases reflect current supervisory and office-technical market rates.
POST estimated the additional reimbursement would increase POST’s annual presenter reimbursements by about $2.78 million and could add up to $20.9 million per year in total costs to participating agencies and non‑reimbursed, tuition-based presentations. Executive Director Manny Alvarez and commissioners noted that available training and local assistance funds have, in recent years, been under-used and that the change could help release funding to presenters and agencies. Alvarez said the department will need to justify the increases to the Department of Finance.
Action taken: commissioners approved the recommended maximums and directed staff to submit the proposal to the Department of Finance and proceed through the Office of Administrative Law rulemaking process.
Why this matters: Increasing the reimbursement ceilings can help presenters cover current labor and administrative costs and reduce the financial burden on smaller agencies that rely on outside presenters; it will also increase POST’s outlays and the total cost of training statewide.
What’s next: Staff will forward the proposal to the Department of Finance, and if approved, proceed to OAL for formal rulemaking. POST will monitor actual reimbursement trends and adjust future rates as necessary.
