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Policy committee lets schools require deposits to secure facility rentals
Summary
Rutherford County Schools' policy committee approved language (policy 3.206) allowing individual schools discretion to require nominal deposits to secure community use of facilities, with principals and staff advising flexibility and possible review of Facilitron software to manage bookings.
The Rutherford County Schools Policy Committee approved a change to Policy 3.206 giving each school discretion to require a deposit to secure community facility rentals.
Monica Ridley, general counsel, presented the change, saying the amendment would "allow deposits to secure the use of the school facilities" after recent cancellations left schools paying custodial and staff costs. Principals and board members discussed operational impacts, including the potential to lose money when an organization cancels after staff have been scheduled.
Tammy Sharp, a school board member, recommended reviewing the district's Facilitron booking software to see whether it could manage deposits and reduce staff workload. Several principals urged flexibility; one said a modest minimum — for example, $100 — could "take a little bit of the pressure off some of the principals" without being overly rigid.
The policy language leaves the decision to require a deposit to individual schools rather than imposing a uniform district minimum, and staff said the word "may" in the proposed language preserves that discretion. The committee moved and approved the change by voice vote; the motion passed without a recorded roll-call tally. Staff said the committee could revisit deposit amounts the following year if necessary.
The committee asked staff to evaluate administrative tools and fee schedules to balance customer service and cost recovery.
