SAIS Travel and Reimbursement Policy for Accreditation Visits 

The following guidelines apply to the travel arrangements for all SAIS accreditation visiting team members and chairs.  By following these guidelines, we aim to ensure that travel costs are reasonable for schools while supporting the flexibility and convenience of our volunteer team members and chairs. Please contact Pat Cuneo at pat@sais.org if you have any questions. 

General:

  • Chairs and visiting team members are responsible for making their own travel arrangements (flying or driving). 
  • Travel arrangements should be made as soon as possible after the school and/or visiting team chair share the visit schedule. 
  • When flying and driving are both reasonable options, the school is only required to reimburse up to the less expensive option. For example, if a team member chooses to drive 800 miles round trip ($560 at the 2025 IRS rate) rather than purchasing a $300 round trip plane ticket, the school must only reimburse up to $300. 
  • The school is responsible for reserving and paying for hotel accommodations and meals for the visiting team during the visit.

Driving: 

  • Visiting team members will be reimbursed for mileage at the standard IRS rate for any personal vehicle used while traveling to the accreditation visit. 
  • Mileage reimbursement is calculated based on the shortest practical route from the team member’s home or office to the destination school.
  • If a team member needs to rent a car, the school is responsible for reimbursing rental charges, but not mileage or fuel.  

Flying:

  • If a flight is necessary, schools are only required to reimburse for standard/coach airfare. Premium fares, upgrades, or any additional costs (such as baggage fees or preferred seating) are the responsibility of the visiting team member. 

Reimbursement Process:

  • After the accreditation visit, team members should  submit all receipts for airfare or mileage, and any other eligible expenses to the school for reimbursement using this form provided by SAIS.
  • Reimbursement requests should include the necessary documentation (e.g., flight itinerary, gas receipts, or mileage logs) and must be submitted to the school either at the conclusion of the visit or no later than five days after the visit. 

Last updated: 4/14/25