P3310 Employees Cellular Telephone Allowances

The ability of certain employees to communicate through cellular telephones is essential to the timely and efficient performance of the District’s educational functions.  As authorized by the various department managers, employees deemed to require the use of a cellular telephone to properly effectuate their duties may be reimbursed for part of the costs of use of their personal cellular telephones as determined below.  Reimbursement is limited to those costs which are reasonable in consideration of the employee’s position and need to effectively communicate in performance of the employee’s duties.  

Administrative Implemental Procedures

1. The District recognizes a need for the use of cellular telephones by District employees in the performance of their duties. The District has authorized department directors/supervisors to determine which employees require the use of a cellular telephone to properly conduct District business. 
2. Those employees, who require the use of a cellular telephone on a regular basis as designated by a department director/supervisor, will receive a monthly allowance in their paycheck to assist in offsetting a portion of the expense of a personal cellular telephone. Accordingly, employees will be responsible for payment of the costs of maintaining their cellular telephones as billed to their home address.   
3. The monthly allowance amount for each individual will be recommended by the department director/supervisor and approved by a District Leadership Team (DLT) member as a tier 1, 2, or 3 usage, depending upon the amount of District usage that would normally be expected each month. 
4. Telephones and accessories for cellular service will be purchased by the employee and will remain the property of the employee.  Related expenses will not be reimbursed by the District. 
5. The following three categories will be applicable to a District employee who is deemed to require the use of a cellular telephone to properly conduct District business.  
   1. Tier 1 – Limited Usage: Employees in this tier are considered to have limited need of a cellular telephone, in that, the cellular phone is used primarily to contact the employee when out of the office, in an on-call situation, in an emergency, or attending to District business at locations other than their primary place of work. 
   2. Tier 2 – Medium Usage: Employees in this tier regularly work out of the office and in the “field”, and do not have easy access to a telephone in order to remain in contact with those with whom communication is necessary to the performance of their job duties. Employees in this tier may also be required to be available beyond their regularly scheduled workday. 
   3. Tier 3 – Extensive Usage: Employees in this tier, by the nature of their position, are required to extensively use cellular communications in the course of their duties because they do not have ready access to a telephone to remain in contact with those with whom communication is necessary to the performance of their job duties. Employees in this tier require workspace mobility and frequently need to be reached outside their regularly scheduled workday. 
6. A Cellular Telephone Allowance Authorization Form (available upon request from the Human Resources office) will be initiated by the supervisor. A completed form, signed by a DLT member, is then forwarded to Human Resources for processing. 
7. Allowances for employees are subject to review by Human Resources and may be reduced or eliminated if business usage does not warrant the allowances, job responsibilities change, or if the employee is not accessible by cellular telephone on a regular basis. 
8. In general, allowances are limited to exempt employees in roles which require availability beyond normal business hours. A list of positions and recommended allowances is maintained by Human Resources. Exceptions may be granted for other exempt positions or critical non-exempt positions, but all exceptions must be submitted with business justification and approved by both the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. 

Administrative Responsibility: Human Resources and Financial Services 

Latest Revision Date: October 2019 

Previous Revision Date: October 2009 P3310

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