Stafford MSD debates new facility rental rates for legacy youth groups; superintendent recommends covering custodial costs for 2025–26

At a special meeting on Jan. 21, 2026, the Stafford Municipal School District Board of Trustees discussed a proposed overhaul of facility rental fees that would change hourly charges for stadiums, gyms and fields and introduce a graduated transition for longstanding youth organizations.

Mr. Jerkins, presenting the committee’s draft fee schedule, said the committee compared Stafford MSD with five other districts and identified 12 items for revision. The proposal would raise the high school stadium fee to $350 an hour, add the Spartan Gym at $200 an hour, set the auxiliary gym at $60 an hour and the red gym at $50 an hour, and set the Scanlon practice field at $20 an hour. The committee recommended small increases for some gym rates (for example, from $120 to $125 an hour for the middle‑school gym) and reductions for others (ECC gym from $150 to $100). The committee also proposed adjusting custodial fees to align with peer districts and recommended a graduated schedule for legacy groups: first year pay custodial costs only, then add 25% of facility costs the next year, 50% the year after and 75% thereafter, with a perpetual cap of a 75% discount unless a future board changes that policy.

The committee’s modeling showed that, using the full proposed rates, annual rental exposure for legacy organizations would be large: roughly $45,000 for the Stafford Youth Basketball Association (SYBA), about $37,000 for the Cobras and about $12,375 for CL Stars. Mr. Jerkins emphasized the intent to ease groups into the new schedule rather than imposing the full increase at once.

Former city council member and SYBA representative AJ Honore urged the board to “grandfather” legacy groups and to table the decision so that community stakeholders could be involved. “We have tried to be cost neutral to the district,” Honore said, noting SYBA’s decades‑long relationship with the schools and past efforts to support facility upkeep and equipment. Multiple trustees and community speakers warned that sharp increases risk pricing families out of longstanding programs and urged broader stakeholder engagement and a town‑hall process.

District counsel Sarah reminded the board that Policy GKD limits the board’s authority: any fee set below the posted schedule must be approved annually, and reduced rates are available only to organizations with at least 70% Stafford resident participation. The board asked staff to verify participation rates for each legacy group; athletic staff said the Cobras meet the 70% threshold, CL Stars do not, and SYBA participation figures were not available from SYBA.

Superintendent Dr. Bostic recommended a limited, near-term approach: for the current year the district should cover custodial fees only (a demonstrable, hard cost) while staff and trustees continue the broader conversation with legacy groups and stakeholders. Trustees agreed to collect more detailed participation and cost data, to quantify custodial and maintenance expenditures tied to events, and to revisit the fee schedule as part of the budget calendar with targeted discussion in June.

The meeting record shows no board vote on adopting a long‑term fee schedule during this session; instead, trustees directed additional analysis and stakeholder engagement while accepting the superintendent’s recommendation to cover custodial fees for 2025–26.

Next steps: staff will compile participation data and a more detailed cost/maintenance breakdown, the board plans a stakeholder forum and the fee schedule will return for formal consideration before the 2026–27 budget adoption cycle (the board indicated June as an appropriate follow‑up).