Kingdom of the Sun band presses Marion County School Board to keep historic $16/hour facility rate; board agrees to freeze historic nonprofit rates pending work

Dozens of musicians and supporters of the Kingdom of the Sun community band told the Marion County School Board on Jan. 14 that sudden fee increases for school facility rentals threaten the nonprofit ensemble’s ability to rehearse and present free community concerts.

The band’s president, Marcia Muncaster, told the board the group has historically paid $16 an hour for use of district facilities and asked the board to “waive rather than raise all usage fees or alternately waive all rehearsal fees and keep MTI fees at $16 an hour.” She said the group’s membership ranges from school-age students to people in their 90s and that a large proposed increase would push annual costs beyond the band’s capacity.

The dispute surfaced after the district’s operations office, which now processes rental requests, applied a Board‑approved fee schedule. Operations staff member Miss Dobbins told the board that the district “applied the board‑approved fee schedule to Kingdom of the Sun” after the rental paperwork arrived in the operations office and that she could not find a board‑approved memorandum of understanding (MOU) authorizing the lower rate.

Why it matters: the band provides free concerts and student mentoring, and its supporters said the ensemble has supplied equipment and scholarships that reduce school costs and boost local music education. The board’s handling of longstanding informal fee practices affects other nonprofits that use school facilities, so members pressed for an orderly, documented approach and time for nonprofits to adapt if rates change.

What happened at the meeting

- Dozens of band members and supporters gave public comment, describing 35 years of community service, student mentorship and scholarships tied to the ensemble’s free concerts. Speakers included longtime members and current students. - Attorney Jeremy Powers, the board’s counsel, told the board staff had not found a formal MOU reducing the hourly rate to $16 and noted that prior informal agreements or past administrative practice sometimes lack written approvals. - Operations staff said they were enforcing the board‑approved fee schedule that had been in effect since 2010.

Board reaction and short-term actions

Board members expressed concern about the way the discounted rate was applied without clear written authorization, and several members urged the district to preserve existing nonprofit relationships while the board reviews policy.

- The board reached consensus to preserve historically charged rates for nonprofits when the district’s records document those rates (the staff will look for invoices and prior agreements as proof). - Where an organization already paid a higher amount since Jan. 1, 2025, the district will provide a credit for the difference on the organization’s account (rather than an immediate cash refund), the board directed. - If an organization has no prior documented history of a discounted rate, the district will apply the board‑approved fee schedule until an MOU or other board action is approved. - The board asked staff to compile a list of affected nonprofits and to return to a public work session to review and update the fee schedule; board members repeatedly asked that any new schedule be widely publicized with adequate lead time so nonprofits can plan.

Staff follow-up and broader review

Miss Dobbins said staff would continue researching past board records and rental invoices, and the district will look at what other Florida districts charge and at commercial vendors that manage facility rentals. Attorney Powers urged organizations that want an exception to pursue formal MOUs so future practice is documented.

Quotations

“We respectfully ask that you waive rather than raise all usage fees or alternately waive all rehearsal fees and keep MTI fees at $16 an hour,” Marcia Muncaster, president of the Kingdom of the Sun concert band, told the board during public comment.

“We have applied the board‑approved fee schedule to Kingdom of the Sun, in communication with Kingdom of the Sun,” said Miss Dobbins, operations office staff, explaining why the higher rates were applied when the application reached her office.

“I would like for all of our nonprofits to continue to pay what they've been paying since whenever that is,” said Dr. Allison Campbell (District 1), urging the board to preserve historic arrangements during a formal review.

Context and next steps

The discussion brought broader questions about how Marion County Public Schools documents long‑running community partnerships and whether older informal arrangements should be formalized. The board asked staff to present a proposed timetable for a work session to revise the fee schedule and requested a list of nonprofits with prior discounted use so the district can apply the freeze and credits consistently.

The board did not adopt a permanent fee change at the meeting; instead it froze documented historical rates, directed staff to credit recent differences since Jan. 1 and asked staff to prepare materials for a follow‑up public work session.