Trustees approve 10% increase to district facility rental rates to cover rising costs

Trustees approved a proposed adjustment to Newark Unified’s facility‑use fee schedule, authorizing a 10% increase intended to better align rental charges with the district’s actual custodial, utilities and restoration costs.

Mister Freitas, who led the presentation, grounded the proposal in the Civic Center Act obligations and said the district uses Silitron as an online rental-management tool to coordinate reservations, insurance and billing. Freitas told trustees the increase is intended to maintain transparency, cover direct costs and protect the general fund as rental demand grows.

Board members questioned the uniform 10% approach, pointing to differences in facility types (for example, artificial-turf city fields versus district natural-turf fields) and asked about resident discounts and user-group categorization. Freitas said the rental guide includes four user groups (including nonprofit and district‑affiliated discounts) and that a 70% Newark-resident threshold qualifies some groups for lower rates; he also noted additional caveats — for example, limits on participant fees for youth organizations.

Member Thomas asked whether field rates should be aligned with the City of Newark's turf-field rates; staff responded that direct infrastructure differences (turf vs. non‑turf) mean one-to-one comparisons are not always appropriate, but the district can refine pricing over time. The motion to adopt the fee schedule passed with five ayes; Member Thomas recorded an abstention to allow time for site visits before fully supporting field pricing parity.

The updated fee schedule and rental guide will go into effect in January; staff said they will continue to monitor demand and maintenance costs and revisit rates as needed.