On Thursday, the Niagara Falls Board of Education discussed a new travel policy that does away with itemized receipts for district-funded trips.

The new policy would be per diem-based and not require district employees to pay back any leftover funds. The board is expected to vote on the revised policy at a future meeting.

The potential policy change comes on the heels of a recent district-sponsored trip in which six members of the school board and four school officials attended a conference that cost the district about $18,500.

Documents provided to the Gazette show the district allotted participants at the three-day New York State School Boards Association Conference $1,000 for lodging and $375 for food per person. The conference took place from Oct. 15-18 in Manhattan.

According to the U.S. General Services Administration, which provides policy and guidance to improve the effectiveness of the government spending, the 2008 per-day hotel rate in Manhattan at the same time of year was $311. The food and incidentals rate was $64 per day.

Russell Petrozzi, school board president, said he understands the public may have concerns over the cost of attending the conference. He said he spent three nights in the mid-town Manhattan Sheraton, putting the projected lodging cost at $333 per night.

“In terms of dollars and cents I am sensitive to that, not only as a board member, but as a business man as well,” he said.

The Gazette was provided the conference costs after a Freedom of Information request on Oct. 23. It sought “any and all invoices” from the trip. The district in turn provided a general list of “approved expenses,” not specific invoices.

District Human Resource Director Phil Mohr said all of the costs are projected as all the receipts had yet to be obtained, but each participant “most likely spent close to the allotted amount.”

Mohr said there is no timeframe for which attendees have to submit the receipts. The Niagara Gazette re-filed an information request on Nov. 10 to obtain “any available receipts.” The district so far has not provided any receipts.

The current process forces employees to submit receipts to the business office, and then be reimbursed for the costs.

In an audit released last year, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli harshly criticized the district for lax record-keeping involving travel expenses.

Petrozzi stands by the district’s decision to attend the conference. He said there are a vast number of workshops that board members can split up and focus on.

“I pay particular attention to learning more on open meeting laws and since I am the board president, I seek feedback in order to run a better meeting.”

He said that this year the district took more people than in the past since it had the opportunity to hold a presentation on its success with smart boards for other school districts in attendance. Petrozzi said it is an honor to have been able to do so, and brings a positive focus on the Falls district.

Board Member Art Jocoy did not attend the conference due to family obligations, however, he said that conferences in general are a great learning tool for board members.

“If you want to be good at what you do, you need education, training and experience,” Jocoy said. “Every board member that went, I am pretty sure got something different out of it, especially knowing that there is a multitude of workshops that each of them went to.”

For example, Petrozzi said at last year’s conference the district worked out a three-year deal with an insurance vendor that will save the school district $374,000 a year for three years. He added it was something that they never could have done without being at the conference.

“When you can save more a quarter of a million dollars, it helps pay for a heck of a lot of conferences,” he said.

The 10 attendees were each handed an additional $200 dollars for airfare and $380 for registration to the conference.

The NYSSBA is a statewide organization that is “the voice” of more than 700 boards of education in the state. The conference is a way to bring the more than 5,000 board members in New York together in one venue to compare and contrast different ideas.

Petrozzi said the trip was in the school district’s budget. He added that there is a state and national school boards conference and he makes it a priority to attended at least one of them.

“I am able to bring back a wealth of knowledge and ways for our district to save money that cant’ happen at 66th Street (the district administration building), it can only happen there.”

Board members Christopher Brown, Kevin Dobbs were also not in attendance. District Administrator for Curriculum and Instruction Carol Gold did not accept the $1,000 for hotel expenses due to having family living in the area.

Lewiston-Porter School District President Keith Fox said that the Lew-Port board chose not to attend this conference, but said he believes the event is a great learning tool for the board.