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Southern Columbia committee weighs new facility-use fees and scheduling rules; board to refine language before vote
Summary
Board members debated three facility-use fee options and MS Schedules cleanup in a lengthy discussion about accountability, youth sports impacts and recurring-event pricing; staff will circulate revised wording and data before the item returns to the agenda.
The Southern Columbia Area SD facilities and finance committee spent the bulk of its Nov. 10 meeting debating a proposed facility-use fee schedule and how the district will implement MS Schedules to prevent misuse of school facilities.
Staff presented three options: Option 1 — an enhanced version of current practice with per-use fees and additional hourly service charges for custodial/security/technology; Option 2 — tiered registration (nonprofit $20/profit $100) and per-season assessments; Option 3 — free facility use with the requirement that users reserve space via the system and accept liability for damages. Committee members raised concerns about recurring bookings, club teams that use district facilities but are not formally "school-affiliated," and the potential financial burden on youth sports and families.
Several board members advocated for Option 1 with additional safeguards: PIAA (inter-scholastic) events and district-priority events should be entered first, a "bulk/season" discount for recurring bookings, and an approval gate requiring human review for large or unusual requests. Others pushed for clearer definitions of "school-affiliated" or "district-affiliated" activities and for a maximum-per-season fee to prevent open-ended charges.
Members asked staff to run MS Schedules data to quantify recurring use and to draft precise scheduler rules and fee caps. They also recommended including language on the agenda notice and providing coaches and community groups an opportunity to review impacts before a final vote. No formal vote was taken; staff will circulate amended wording and return the fee schedule to the board with supporting data.
The committee emphasized accountability and recommended training and onboarding material for MS Schedules users so that school employees and external organizations correctly register under the appropriate category.
