By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
For the better part of two decades, the Burlington Area School District has allowed community groups to use school buildings – for everything from Boy Scout meetings to youth basketball tournaments – at little to no cost.
That could change in the future, however, as some School Board members have asked administrators and their colleagues to consider a policy update that will charge non-school groups rental fees that more accurately reflect the district’s cost of operating and maintaining those facilities.
During committee-level discussions earlier this spring, board President Jim Bousman and board member Kevin Bird asked administrators to review what the district charges non-school groups to use district facilities. At the time, Bird said the request was spurred by voter opinions expressed at the polls in April when each of three facility referendums failed and by opinions that surfaced in a pre-referendum survey.
The message, he said, is that taxpayers are overburdened.
Moving closer to a pay-to-play model, however, would represent a change from the district’s previous policy – at least philosophically.
Taxpayers get a break
According to Superintendent Peter Smet, the School Board in 1999 established a policy that allows non-profit community-based groups to use facilities at no charge unless a custodian or other paid staff is needed. If a custodian is needed, the group would have to cover that cost.
Smet said the board’s philosophy at the time was, “The citizens already paid for the building and they shouldn’t have to pay again to use it.”
In an effort to strike a balance between the extremes, the Policy Committee advanced a policy change that would have increased the amount charged for facility use and expanded the list of groups that would have to pay.
On Monday, at the first reading of the proposed policy, the full School Board voted to send it back to the committee for further study and discussion. The vote was 6-1 with Bird in opposition.
The proposed policy change calls for the district to begin charging a rental fee, based on square footage, to non-profit community groups in addition to any custodial fees. In the past, these groups have only been subject to a custodial fee, if applicable.
Additionally, Bird suggested the square footage fee include all ancillary areas, such as hallways and bathrooms, that are used in conjunction with the main facility being occupied, whether that is the gym, auditorium, commons or classroom space.
Smet said state law limits charges only to actual costs associated with maintaining each building. The district then calculated a cost per square foot per hour that would be charged.
Many shades of gray
Bousman, who made the suggestion to send the proposed policy back to committee, said Monday there are many shades of gray when it comes to community groups and their ability to pay.
For example, he said, there are scout groups that are actually chartered by the school district and operate with little or no budget. At the other extreme are youth sports organizations that charge considerable fees to train young athletes using school facilities.
“I have no problem with charging groups that have treasuries and charge fees to train athletes,” he said. “We just need to take a longer look at this.”
Officials will also have to figure out what to do with organizations such as the Junior Demons athletic teams that are affiliated with the Burlington High School teams, but are separate entities.
Smet said the proliferation of youth sports organizations using school facilities since 1999 is one of the major factors driving the discussion.
Under the current facility use policy the district does not charge fees for any school-sponsored activities such as athletic contests, music events and theater productions. The district also does not charge its Community Education Department for activities it offers in school facilities.
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