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Dallas parks highlights contract instructor program, seeks more vendors and streamlined onboarding
Summary
Park department staff briefed the board on a contract instructor program that lets small businesses and independent instructors run classes in recreation centers; staff said the program has grown post-COVID and uses a 70/30 revenue share model.
Department staff on Thursday provided a briefing on the Park and Recreation Department’s contract fee instructor program, which allows independent instructors and small businesses to provide classes and activities at city recreation centers under annual service agreements.
Steve Baker, assistant director for Recreation Services, told the board the program helps expand recreational offerings without adding full-time staff and provides small-business opportunities. Instructors apply through the department website, complete background checks and required certifications such as CPR/AED, and enter one-year service agreements the city can terminate with 30 days’ notice. The department collects 100% of registration fees and remits 70% monthly to instructors, retaining 30% to cover administrative costs.
Baker said the program supports a broad set of activities — martial arts, gymnastics, soccer skills, dance, senior fitness and more — and reported roughly 64 instructors working across about 26 locations with 24 program types. He told the board that post-COVID historical revenue trends show growth: staff cited an increase in instructor and city revenue in recent years and discussed the city’s portion for the most recent reporting period.
Board members recommended streamlining onboarding, noting the first-year paperwork can be time-consuming. Staff said the process has been smoothed by electronic forms and closer coordination with risk management and procurement, and that renewals require less paperwork once an instructor is in the system. The department plans outreach and a spring recruitment fair to attract more instructors and expand coverage across rec centers.
Questions from board members focused on program sustainability, program locations, multi-year contracting for high-investment programs (staff said multiyear relationships for programs such as gymnastics are being pursued via separate procurement processes), and a request for more targeted outreach to recruit classes requested by constituents, such as senior chair yoga.
What to expect: Staff will continue recruitment efforts, launch a vendor fair in spring, and refine onboarding steps with the city’s risk management and procurement teams. Staff also said they will explore ways to increase multi-year opportunities for programs that require larger up-front investment.
