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Cheshire School District staff propose updated facility rental rules, higher custodial rates
Summary
District staff presented revisions to the regulation implementing Policy 1330 to raise hourly rental rates, add outdoor-field fees, and align custodial and food-service worker charges with practice; board discussion was largely supportive and no formal vote was recorded.
Cheshire School District staff presented a proposed update to the regulation that implements Policy 1330, Use of School Facilities, recommending higher hourly rental rates, a shorter minimum rental period and new charges for outdoor fields and food-service supervision.
The recommendation, presented by Emily (Staff member), notes the district last revised the regulation in 2013 and that building-use fees “have not raised prices for building use fees” in roughly 12 years. “We are looking to increase those to kind of break even,” Emily said, citing custodial costs and demand for larger spaces such as the high school gyms.
The memo and appendices in the board packet compare Cheshire’s current charges with 10 peer districts and show Cheshire’s average rental cost at $42.95 per hour versus a peer average of $181 per hour. Emily said the district currently charges separate custodial wages (described in the packet as $50 an hour Monday through Saturday and $65 an hour on Sundays/holidays under current practice) and proposed revising those amounts in the regulation.
In the recommended changes, the schedule would move from a five-hour minimum to a three-hour minimum (the three-hour floor was described as tied to the custodial union contract), list hourly rates instead of a five-hour block, and add explicit rates for outdoor fields and stadium turf, which the presenter said have not been charged historically. “We don't charge anything for outdoor spaces,” Emily said. She noted the district has collected a ticket surcharge toward turf replacement but that those funds “are not enough to replace the field.”
Other recommended changes include: removing rental fees for groups that provide direct services to students (group 1 and some group 2 users), indexing an hourly food-service worker rate equal to custodial supervision when kitchen space is used, and adding insurance and supervision requirements to match current practice. Emily said the changes are intended to align the written regulation with what the district already does in practice and to provide clearer instructions for renters.
Board members asked clarifying questions about whether peer comparisons were “apples to apples,” how frequently rentals occur, revenue amounts and whether the change would meaningfully alter community access. Emily and other speakers said rentals are dominated by local youth organizations, that last year building-use fees brought in about $6,300 while custodial reimbursements totalled about $26,000, and that fewer than 10 rentals drove most of that fee revenue in the 2023–24 school year.
Several board members emphasized preserving low-cost or no-cost access for programs that directly serve students; the presenter noted the recommended schedule retains discretion to exempt activities that directly benefit students. The packet also includes a redlined regulation and a clean version of the proposed updated regulation.
No formal motion or vote on the regulation appeared in the transcript for this agenda item; the presenter asked for questions and the board discussion moved on after members signaled agreement to continue the meeting. The packet materials and the presentation indicate staff will proceed with updated regulatory language and rate tables for further consideration by the board.
