Policy committee agrees to use GSA meal rates and drop itemized receipts for non‑federal travel

The Wallingford School District policy committee on May 13 agreed to remove a requirement that staff submit itemized meal receipts for non‑federal travel and to limit meal reimbursements to the federal General Services Administration (GSA) per diem rate for non‑federal funds.

Committee member Mrs. Lator introduced the proposed change, saying staff "will not be reimbursed for any meal cost that exceeds the GSA rate" and that the requirement for itemized receipts was added in response to concerns raised at a prior meeting. The change is intended to simplify administrative processing of expense reports and reduce errors from missing or summary receipts.

Dominic, the district business manager, told the committee that processing itemized receipts is time consuming and that federal and state audit rules require different handling when federal grant funds are involved. "For any federal grants that we get, we—re still required to have them submit receipts," he said, noting the district cannot use federal funds to reimburse alcohol purchases. Committee members discussed budgetary impact — one member cited an example GSA meal rate of $94 per day — and generally concluded the policy shift was unlikely to create large new costs if applied carefully.

After discussion, Mrs. Lator said she would remove the clause requiring itemized meal receipts for non‑federal funds and retain safeguards that keep federal grant reimbursements subject to audit rules. The committee moved on after members signaled support for the change; no formal roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript.

The change affects how the district will handle non‑federal travel reimbursements going forward; federal or state‑funded travel will continue to follow audit and grant requirements. The committee then proceeded to other business and adjourned at 3:48 p.m.