Board members and staff spent an extended portion of the July 14 meeting discussing proposed changes to Piper USD 323's facility rental policy and fee schedule. Staff presented a draft that aligns district policy with Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) guidance, clarifies permitted uses for commons and meeting rooms, introduces supervision expectations, and proposes revised fees to cover custodial and wear-and-tear costs.

Staff said the proposed changes were prompted by inconsistent past practices (some groups were charged and some were not), new district assets and buildings added since the policy's last update, and safety concerns about unlocked doors and unsupervised access. The draft also proposes removing an automatic rostering requirement and substituting clearer guidance; staff proposed retaining a rostering threshold (75 percent Piper residents) but board members debated whether that threshold should be higher.

Trustees and public commenters raised multiple concerns: indoor spectator restrictions at practices, fee increases for groups that previously paid little or nothing, whether rostering can be enforced administratively, and how weekend fundraisers (for example, a high-school-run tournament) would be treated. Several board members said outdoor practices should allow spectators but that indoor spaces may need supervision for safety and asset protection. One trustee suggested an affidavit or notarized roster attestation to reduce administrative workload and to allow swift enforcement when falsified rosters are discovered.

Staff proposed supervision be provided by district employees for indoor rentals; custodial time and a point-of-contact would be charged to lessees when needed. Staff reported they surveyed employees for supervision work and had 30'2 interested staff on a list to provide extra-duty supervision if the board approves it. The packet also proposed an option for two 60-minute practice blocks (rather than two 90-minute blocks) for certain spaces to reduce costs for youth programs.

No policy change was adopted at the meeting. Trustees asked staff to revise the draft to: exempt outdoor practices from the spectator restriction, add a roster affidavit option (administration to verify if needed), and clarify fee and custodial-exemption language for internal Piper groups that clean up after events. Staff will also contact predominant youth organizations for feedback and return to the board at a special Zoom meeting before the rental season opens in July. The board agreed to consider a special meeting and to publish the revised draft in advance so patrons can comment.