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Orange County School board keeps facility rental fee schedule amid community concerns
Summary
Board voted to keep a previously adopted facility rental fee schedule (rates set last year, including $70 line items), prompting questions from community members about access for small nonprofits and tennis clubs; staff said concessions or separate agreements can be negotiated but routine waivers won't be part of the fee schedule.
The Orange County Board of Education on June 12 voted to continue the facility rental fee schedule that the board approved last year, after several board members raised concerns about affordability for small community groups.
Board members discussed line items that moved from a $0 baseline to a fixed $70 fee during the prior-year change. Staff said that the current recommendation is to keep the previously approved rates unchanged for 2026–27 to maintain consistent operations and to cover facility operating costs, which staff estimated brought in more than $100,000 after last year’s adjustments.
Board member Miss Hower, speaking from the dais during the facility-rental discussion, asked whether the new rates would make it impossible for long-standing community users—like Orange County Community Players—to continue performing at district facilities. Staff responded that concessions can be addressed through separate, formal agreements (for example memoranda of understanding) but that general fee waivers would not be granted by blanket exception; district staff said they are willing to meet with groups and explore options under the approved schedule. The board clerk, Franklin Mune, was identified as the staff contact for written materials and public-comment logistics.
Several board members also asked about reopening tennis courts to community use; staff said the district would meet with groups that express concerns and would follow the established fee schedule for rentals while considering formal agreements if the district entered a longer-term partnership with a municipality or community group.
Outcome: The board approved the fee schedule as printed, with one board member voicing opposition when the item passed.
What’s next: Staff said they will continue individual conversations with community organizations that request special consideration and will bring any formal partnerships or memoranda of understanding back to the board for approval.
