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Board directs staff to improve rental transparency and scheduling after community complaints
Summary
Following testimony from community partners about late cancellations and availability confusion, the board asked staff to propose policy and software changes for facility rentals, clarify priority-of-use rules, and protect longtime nonprofit partners while keeping facilities available for students.
The board devoted substantial time Jan. 8 to community use of district facilities, hearing from staff and community partners about permitting, calendar visibility and rates.
Staff said the district currently uses Civic Permits for permitting, invoicing and insurance collection, and is demoing other platforms that could offer real-time availability and improved calendar features. Chris Stafford of Community Services described the system and said staff has begun outreach to longstanding permit holders.
Roger Lyn, speaking for the Peninsula Verdes Youth Basketball League, said the nonprofit paid more than $75,000 in rental fees in the previous year and reported a recent last-minute cancellation caused by a site not listing its needs early enough. "We serve more than 1,500 families," Lyn said, asking the district to ensure long-standing, nonprofit partners are not displaced by commercial or for-profit rentals.
Board members raised the need for a shared calendar that reduces conflicts, firm deadlines for school-site notice of availability, clearer priorities that protect student programs, and a review of Category 3 (commercial) rates. Several members urged staff to return with a proposed timetable and a recommended set of policy and administrative regulation changes to AR/Board Policy 1330 that would protect legacy partners and set reasonable notice windows for cancellations.
Staff said they will continue demos of alternative permitting software, prepare a utilization and gap analysis, and draft suggested revisions to policy and AR 1330 for board consideration. The board indicated support for balancing revenue goals with affordability for youth programs and requested a follow-up report to the Operations Advisory Committee and then to the full board.
