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Board forms ad hoc committee after public outcry over field-rental and custodial fees
Summary
After hours of public comment from youth-sports groups and coaches, trustees directed the president to appoint an ad hoc committee to work with staff on changes to the facility-use fee schedule, custodial policies, MOU templates and operational fixes to the permit platform.
Dozens of community speakers told the Santa Rosa City School Board on May 27 that recent changes to facility use and custodial-fee rules are pricing nonprofit youth sports out of district fields and prompting greater unpermitted use.
Parents, coaches and club leaders described new weekend custodial rates and higher rental fees that, they said, have pushed some groups to pay thousands per season or consider shifting practices to other jurisdictions. "Pricing these organizations out or removing access entirely will hurt the very youth who need these opportunities the most," said Toby Stafford, who represents local recreational soccer interests.
District staff explained the changes were intended to align fees with direct costs under the Civic Center Use Act, to stop multi-year undercharging and to capture custodial overtime, trash and wear-and-tear costs. Jessica Santana Peralta, district accounting staff, said invoicing problems and an imperfect new online permitting platform (Events IQ) have created additional administrative headaches and tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding invoices.
In discussion, principals and site administrators explained why custodial coverage and liability concerns require on-site staff for weekend events and why some long-standing informal agreements (for example, when an on-site coach opened gates and handled trash) no longer scale under current staffing and contract rules.
Board members heard multiple ideas for fixes: adopt MOUs for long-term community partners, require upfront payment for permits when feasible, create a site-level waiver/assistance process for youth leagues, stagger custodial coverage across sites to reduce redundant overtime, and replace or reconfigure the permitting platform. President Casten said the board would appoint an ad hoc board committee to work with staff and community representatives on policy and operational changes and asked for volunteers to serve on that committee; trustees signaled majority support and the president said she would make appointments by the June 10 meeting.
What happens next: staff will test alternative permitting platforms and bring back recommended changes and potential MOU templates; the ad hoc committee is expected to report in the fall.
