West Bend policy committee proposes simpler three-tier facility rental structure, updated fee schedule

The West Bend School District policy committee reviewed proposed revisions to Policy 830, Use of Facilities, on May 6, 2025, endorsing a move from eight user categories to three and preliminary fee and staffing-charge changes while directing administration to solicit feedback from regular facility users before a first reading to the full board.

The proposal presented by administrative staff would group users as: Group 1—West Bend School District-sponsored activities (no facility fees); Group 2—community organizations located inside the district boundaries (a modest hourly fee); and Group 3—organizations based outside the district (higher hourly fees). The administration said the change would reduce confusion about which users qualify for discounted or no-fee access and allow a clearer priority-booking schedule for internal district events.

Why it matters: the revisions aim to ensure the district recovers direct costs (lighting, HVAC, wear and tear) and staff time for outside users without discouraging community partnerships. The committee and administration said clearer tiers and an annual calendar would help plan staffing, maintenance and capital work, and reduce last‑minute schedule conflicts.

Key details discussed - Priority booking window: administration proposed opening internal bookings (Group 1) in early December, Group 2 after winter break in early January, and Group 3 afterward. Committee members favored giving district activities “first dibs” on dates to avoid displacement later. - Simplified tiers: the administration said the three tiers are intended to be easier to explain and administer than the current eight categories, which sometimes let users “slide into different groupings depending upon the case they made.” - Fees and staff charges: sample amounts mentioned in the discussion included small gyms at $10 per hour for Group 2 and $20 per hour for Group 3, and a staff-hour minimum that can vary by day (for example, a referenced staff rate of $25 per hour for typical weekday coverage). The Silver Linings Arts Center auditorium was corrected during the meeting to $100 for Group 2 and $150 for Group 3. The administration said the auditorium fee includes required onsite technical staff; other facilities may trigger staff fees only when staff presence is necessary. - Equipment and flat fees: administration recommended limiting itemized charges (scoreboard use, single chairs, etc.) and instead using flat fees for commonly requested amenities when appropriate. For large outside productions that require extra custodial or multiple custodial shifts, the administration said additional custodial charges would apply. - Staffing flexibility: the administration noted opportunities to use student apprentices or in-house staff rather than higher‑paid external technicians for routine support, and to tailor staffing to the event (for example, tech week would require full technical staff; simple space rentals might not).

Committee direction and next steps Committee members generally supported the simplification and asked administration to (1) circulate the draft to regular user groups for comment, (2) confirm the corrected fee schedule and markup view for transparency, and (3) bring the policy and corresponding administrative rule (AR fee schedule) to the full board for a first reading after user feedback. The administration also said the schedule will be automatically reviewed as part of the policy series next year and that effective dates for new fees will be proposed so users have notice before changes take effect.

Outlook: administration will solicit feedback from consistent users, finalize the markup and fee schedule, and present the item for first reading to the full school board. The committee emphasized monitoring fee collection to ensure administrative billing costs do not exceed revenue on very low‑fee items.