Board reviews community use policy after complaints about inconsistent facility fees; district clarifies fee structure

Maury County School Board members pressed district facilities staff for clarity after public confusion about whether the district charges nonprofits to use school buildings.

Board member Monica Brown said she had heard claims at a prior meeting that nonprofit groups don’t pay to use school facilities and asked who decides when fees are waived. “It was stated that we don't charge nonprofit organizations to use our facilities,” Brown said. “That is not the case because we definitely charge nonprofit.”

Facilities director Perriman (spoke at length) said the district evaluates requests by organization type and by the nature of the event. He outlined the district’s standard fees introduced in July after repeated problems with renters who promised to clean but did not: a site-supervisor charge (about $25 per hour), a utility fee (generally $20 per hour when additional utilities are required), and a custodial fee commonly calculated at $150 per day for events requiring extended cleaning or staffing.

Perriman said the district typically does not charge small nonprofit meetings that do not require extra cleaning or utilities (for example, a short Kiwanis meeting), and that certain youth organizations — specifically Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts — were written into the policy as groups that do not pay facility fees. He said principals do not have authority to waive fees because they do not control district utility or custodial budgets; fee waiver decisions must come through the district office. “Principals can say I would prefer that group not be in my building…But they don't have budgetary control over it. They can't waive that fee,” Perriman said.

Perriman described other operational changes: the district now requires site supervisors at events to reduce damage and response calls; the site-supervisor fee is waived only when a district employee affiliated with the renter volunteers and performs required duties reliably. He also said the district receives about 1,000 facility-use requests a year and that his executive assistant spends about six hours a day managing those requests.

Board members asked about long-term leases and existing MOUs. Perriman said only two multi-year leases remain in effect under older agreements: one for the Bridge at Central and one for a church renting Spring Hill Elementary. He said new leases are typically single events or short-term uses and that long-term MOUs are renegotiated when they come due.

Board members requested the policy and the operational procedures be uploaded and put on the next work-session agenda for further review; Perriman said he would post associated procedures and a redlined policy for board review. No policy change was adopted at the meeting.