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School committee adopts new facility fees after discussion of nonprofit impact and maintenance costs
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about field maintenance, custodial staffing and equitable application to nonprofits, the committee approved an updated fee schedule for use of Easton Public Schools facilities.
The Easton School Committee approved an updated facility‑use fee schedule on Feb. 27 after hearing a multi‑department review led by Facilities and Operations Director Tony Copas.
Why it changed: Copas told the committee that field and facilities maintenance has become more expensive and that long standing informal practices are no longer sustainable. He said the district had not updated fees since 2016, usage by outside groups is high and the district now must more consistently recover direct costs — custodial overtime, utilities, preventative maintenance and equipment wear — when outside organizations use school spaces.
Revenue context: Copas and the business office reported that gross fees collected last fiscal year were roughly $186,000 (district accounting language in the meeting). After facility‑related expenses are subtracted, the net revenue associated with rentals was about $53,000 — an amount the district said is not sufficient to cover deferred capital and routine facility costs.
Tiered approach and nonprofit concerns The draft policy creates tiers for fee classification (school activities; town, government and community groups; nonprofit/community organizations; for‑profit users) and establishes day and hourly rates for major spaces (auditorium, gyms, fields, cafeteria) as well as a la carte charges for add‑ons such as scoreboard/press box, tech/AV and athletic scoreboard use. Copas said most longtime users would qualify as tier‑1 nonprofits but that all groups must document nonprofit status when applicable. Committee members asked for a small number of adjustments: an option to adopt an hourly/short‑event rate for evening rehearsals and clarity about how high‑use groups will be charged.
Board action and next steps The committee voted to adopt the updated fee schedule. Members emphasized the administration should re‑publish the new rates to all current users immediately and return after one year with data on renewals, departures and net revenue so the committee can reassess the policy.
Quote: "In a normal year, obviously, we're a community, organization, and the community funds very generously the buildings and the grounds that we use. And so, we've gone a long time without needing that. But with our current crisis ... it's very difficult for us to manage any subsidy of an outside organization," Copas said.
Ending: Administrators said they will send formal notice to outside users and will provide a one‑year assessment to the committee on how the new structure affected access and district revenue.
