Board reviews revised community‑use policy, narrows rental groups and adds fees starting Aug. 1

The Muscatine Community School District Board of Education reviewed proposed revisions to its community‑use policy and administrative regulations at its April 14 meeting, a rewrite district staff described as intended to simplify scheduling, recover costs tied to custodial and utilities needs, and better match facilities to program needs.

"The old policy was a very convoluted mess," a staff member said during the presentation and described the rewrite as streamlining rental charges and user groups. The administration told the board it reduced many legacy categories to three user groups: district staff (no charge), feeder programs (reduced fees), and all other outside users. Staff said feeder programs that previously qualified will be asked to reapply under clarified criteria administered by Mike Hansen in the athletics department.

Under the new approach staff outlined, practice time for feeder programs would be charged at a nominal hourly rate (presentation cited $5 per hour as an example for practice), while events with spectators would incur higher per‑hour and facility fees to cover custodial staffing, utilities and wear‑and‑tear (presentation gave $10 per hour as an example for event hourly charges plus a facility fee). The district plans to require custodial presence at spectator events and use the facility fee to cover associated costs.

Administrators also said the district will adopt a modern scheduling tool (referred to in the meeting as Bound) to make rentals easier for external users and to manage availability. Staff told the board the timing aligns with upcoming facility openings, including a new gym at Susan Clark, and that the changes are expected to take effect August 1 when the district’s rental portal launches.

Board members asked whether the policy would limit outside groups that have in the past monopolized gym time and whether groups from neighboring towns would still participate. Staff said they will match programs to appropriate spaces across the district and noted exceptions may be handled case‑by‑case; the feeder program definition includes a primary focus on Muscatine students and alignment with district program expectations.

The board received the policy materials and discussed them; staff said a formal adoption or final administrative rule would be returned to the board after implementation details and the Bound portal were finalized.