Ashe County board debates community-use fee structure, seeks balance between access and costs

The Ashe County Schools Board of Education on an unspecified May meeting reviewed proposed updates to the community use of facilities policy (5030), with board members urging the district to preserve community access while staff emphasized the need to recover custodial and supervisory costs.

Board members said the district depends on school space for many community events and asked that fee and nonprofit rules not block typical local users. Staff explained the updated policy would create an electronic application, route requests to facilities and nutrition staff, and allow the system to charge custodial, supervisory and utility fees when overtime or kitchen staff are required.

The discussion matters because Ashe County has limited alternative venues and many nonprofit community groups use school gymnasiums, kitchens and fields. “We need to make sure these folks have use that directly impact our students and our kids with alternate activities,” a board member said, noting groups that are active but may not hold formal 501(c)(3) status. Staff said fee updates and clearer internal notification are intended to prevent last-minute facility conflicts and to avoid district subsidizing overtime and extra staff.

Board members pushed for concrete, transparent guidance about which organizations qualify for reduced or waived fees and requested to see the proposed fee schedule and application form before a vote. Staff noted some costs are unavoidable: the transcript included an example that liability insurance and staff costs for a single event can be substantial, and that some community events require paying overtime rates for cafeteria or custodial employees. Staff also said kitchen use must be reviewed so Child Nutrition staff can confirm a requested event is permissible and staffed appropriately.

Administrators said the current draft is based on the School Boards Association model policy and will be brought back next month with the procedure forms and a recommended fee schedule. Board members asked that the draft allow the superintendent discretion to waive fees in certain community-benefit cases and that the application process recognize small volunteer-led groups that are not formal 501(c)(3) organizations.

The board did not take a final vote on the policy at this meeting; staff will return with the proposed fee schedule, an electronic application workflow and examples of how waivers would be handled.