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Board approves plan to modernize LAUSD facility use: single portal, tiered pricing and online booking
Summary
Trustees adopted a resolution to modernize facility leasing and civic‑use processes — creating a single public portal, online payment, a tiered pricing scheme prioritizing nonprofits and early‑education/childcare partners, and clearer school calendar coordination. The change aims to increase access and generate revenue for the district.
The Los Angeles Unified School District board on Nov. 18 approved a board resolution to modernize facility leasing, civic‑use permitting and community access to district sites.
Key changes: The resolution directs staff to create a single, public‑facing online portal with searchable facility availability, online payments and the capacity to upload insurance and required documents. The resolution also calls for a tiered pricing model that reduces or waives fees for community nonprofits, parent organizations, early childhood and childcare providers and other designated public partners while retaining market rates for private commercial users.
Rationale: Board members, community groups and youth organizations told trustees that the existing process is confusing, slow and inconsistent across sites, creating barriers for PTA events, community meetings, youth sports and nonprofit programming. Proponents said modernization could increase equitable access, reduce administrative friction and capture additional revenue to support district services.
Operational concerns and commitments: Trustees raised concerns about implementation costs, staffing needs, equity vs. revenue tensions and operational impacts on school sites (custodial overtime, security). Staff noted estimated startup and one‑time implementation costs and committed to providing procurement documents, expected cost estimates and options to minimize ongoing costs. The resolution instructs staff to build contingency plans to ensure students retain athletic and play access when projects affect fields.
Community support: Youth sports groups and community organizations (Play Equity Fund, Beat the Streets, Project Blue, and others) testified in favor, emphasizing the barriers their programs face under the current manual, paper‑oriented system.
Board action: The board adopted the measure and asked staff to present a procurement plan and budget estimate; trustees agreed to prioritize clear communication, school‑site collaboration and safeguards so that upgrades do not displace access for community groups.
