Negotiators debate mileage reimbursement and district-vehicle use; agreement to craft protocol

Geary County Schools negotiators discussed proposed language on mileage reimbursement and the use of district vehicles, and both sides agreed a written protocol is needed to handle practical scenarios such as home visits and vehicle availability.

District negotiators summarized the proposed rule: “If you're coming from home to a duty station, you're not paid mileage. If you're going from duty station to duty station, then you are paid mileage,” a district representative said during the discussion. The negotiators discussed practical examples—such as when district vehicles are kept at a central location, when staff must pick up a vehicle, and how reimbursement would treat travel from a teacher’s assigned workstation to the vehicle pickup location.

Union negotiators raised concerns about home visits, paid time for additional travel, and whether building budgets or the district should fund travel for staff whose assignments require significant travel (for example, itinerant or departmental specialists who serve multiple schools). A union representative asked whether employees would be paid for the time it takes to pick up a district vehicle and travel to home visits; district presenters said mileage to pick up a district vehicle from the employee’s current work location would be reimbursable in some scenarios, and that administrators should approve travel arrangements in advance.

Negotiators agreed to draft a written protocol clarifying the approval process, mileage reimbursement rules, what counts as duty-station-to-duty-station travel, and how home visits will be handled. The district said it has redistributed some vehicles across worksites (for example, vehicles now located at Junction City Middle School and Fort Riley Middle School), which negotiators said could reduce the need for employees to drive to the district office to pick up cars.

Speakers emphasized that pre-approval and building- or district-level budgeting will govern reimbursement for routine in-district travel; they also said exceptional circumstances would be handled with common sense and administrative flexibility rather than through ad hoc denials.

No formal contract language was adopted during the meeting; negotiators said a protocol would be drafted and circulated for review.