Fee plan for nonprofits’ use of schools delayed

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

The Clark County School Board delayed plans Thursday to start charging nonprofit groups to use school facilities after hearing from dismayed Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troop leaders who said the policy change would force them to limit their activities.

Several parents told board members they were frustrated that the proposal was even being considered.

"I'm amazed, astonished and basically completely horrified," Helen Napolitano, a leader of Girl Scouts Troop 166, said. "There are so many programs that have had to be cut. This is one of the last still available to children regardless of race, color or creed."

The Clark County School District spends more than $1.3 million annually in utilities, maintenance and related costs opening its doors to nonprofits, Superintendent Carlos Garcia said. Other public agencies, including the county, already charge nonprofits to use meeting rooms, playing fields and other facilities, Garcia said.

The district's public use policy has been inconsistent, varying from school to school throughout the district, Garcia said. The goal isn't to penalize organizations such as scouting troops, Pop Warner or church groups, but to make the rules more fair, Garcia said.

"These are all outstanding organizations. The question is, where do we draw the line in terms of who is exempt?" Garcia said.

Kelle Boteilho, marketing director for the Girl Scouts of Frontier Council, told the School Board the current proposal lacked specifics as to how fees would be calculated for each group. Boteilho said she had been told by district staff that the cost per hour for a meeting room could range from $30 to $50.

The Frontier Council currently has 131 groups meeting at 78 schools. At $50 an hour the Girl Scouts would be paying the district $326,000 a year -- nearly a third of the deficit, Boteilho said.

"We appreciate the district's funding issues, we just want to make sure the fees are reasonable and it's equitable for all groups," Boteilho said.

But Jim Howard, who drafted the proposal for the district's budget office, said the cost per hour would drop significantly for groups that used facilities during regular school hours and brought their own supplies. The cost to a typical scouting troop to hold a weekly meeting at a school would be closer to $7 a hour, Howard said.

More than 30,000 students in Clark County participate in scouting, Philip Bevins, scout executive of the Boulder Dam Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, told board members. There are also 7,500 adults spending an average of 20 hours per month organizing community service projects and other events for the scouts, Bevins said.

"The minuscule economic gain to the district does not outweigh the value of having your students participate in these programs," Bevins said.

Patricia Miller, executive director of the Girl Scouts of Frontier Council, said while Garcia is correct that many public agencies regularly charge nonprofits fees, her organization has often been allowed to use facilities at no cost.

Even though the School Board has yet to approve the regulation change, some scouting troops have already paid fees to meet at schools, Miller and Bevins said.

Scouting groups have always willingly paid to use school sites after hours or on weekends, Bevins said.

"Schools are bought and paid for using tax dollars for the benefit of students," Bevins said. "We think it's totally inappropriate to charge children to use their own schools when there have been no associated costs."

Board member Susan Brager-Wellman suggested the fee structure be broken down into three groups, with children's groups that meet regularly at schools getting a price break.

There should also be an effort to coordinate meetings to fall within the regular school hours so that there is no extra work for janitors or staff, board member Denise Brodsky said.

The School Board voted unanimously to instruct staff to re-draft the proposal, incorporating a fee schedule for various types of organizations, and return for further discussion.