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School Committee approves increases to facility rental fees, removes some legacy charges
Summary
The School Committee approved a recommended increase to facility rental fees for non-Grafton groups, eliminated a rarely used flooring fee and removed an event-coordinator hourly rate; the committee agreed to proportionate increases for in-town Grafton groups as well.
School district staff presented an analysis of facility rental rates and the School Committee voted to increase several rental fees and to remove legacy charges at the high school and middle school.
Why it matters: Facility rental fees affect revenue the district receives from outside groups and the cost to local nonprofit and youth organizations that use school facilities.
District staff (presentation led by Jeri, with input from Shauna Carlson and Frank Rothwell) recommended modest increases for "all other" (non-Grafton) groups, elimination of a flooring (Marley) fee that in practice was no longer applied, and removal of an event-coordinator hourly rate tied to a position that no longer exists. The presenter said the middle school now has comparable auditorium and HVAC features to the high school and recommended aligning middle- and high-school rates.
Specific examples discussed in the presentation and committee discussion included proposed adjustments that, for some categories, would raise $10-per-hour rates to $14, increase some auditorium rates from $20 to about $25, and raise several mid-tier facility fees to roughly $30 per hour; field and evening-light usage rates were discussed in the $25 range in the presenter’s examples. The presenter said historical peak rental revenue in recent years occurred in fiscal year 2022, when the district had an events coordinator on staff.
Committee members expressed concern about increasing fees for local nonprofit and youth groups that include Grafton teams and scouts. After discussion, several committee members argued for applying the same percentage increase across the board (including to Grafton group rates) so in-town groups would not remain at an 80% discount relative to other towns. The committee asked staff to provide a breakdown of in-town versus out-of-town revenue and booked rentals; the presenter said in-town bookings are relatively consistent and out-of-town bookings vary widely.
A motion to "increase the fees as presented" was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee asked staff to circulate the detailed, line-by-line new rates (the presenter agreed to send those numbers to committee members) and to return with a revenue breakdown and any potential impacts on frequent in-town users. The committee also discussed custodial detail costs and the district’s practice of contracting specialized technicians (for lights and sound) for large productions.
