Groups unhappy with plans to charge for use of schools

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 | 11:14 a.m.

Facing a hostile audience of track coaches, scouting troops and parents, Clark County School District officials won few converts Monday with their explanation of why they plan to begin charging nonprofit groups to use campus facilities.

"We want people to use the schools. It's an important way to build a strong sense of community," Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations, told the crowd of more than 200 people at Cimarron-Memorial High School. "But we have to find ways to minimize the impact and costs to the district. You're all taxpayers, I'm sure you all have an appreciation for saving costs wherever we can."

Under the district's proposal, frequent users -- such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts -- would pay a flat fee of $10 per meeting. Other groups such as athletic organizations or language classes, would pay on a sliding scale depending on the time of day and facilities used.

The goal is to recoup some of the cost incurred as a result of nonprofit groups' use of schools. Those costs -- for utilities, overtime for custodians and repairs of associated wear and tear on schools -- total more than $1 million annually, Jim Howard of the district's budget office said.

Most of Clark County's public agencies already charge a fee to use meeting rooms or playing fields, as do school districts across the country, Howard said.

If community groups have to start paying fees to use school sites, an already dwindling list of activities for Clark County's youth will become even shorter, said Sam Germany, a teacher and coach at Mojave High School.

Over the weekend the Las Vegas Valley had at least two murders believed to be gang-related, said Germany, who has taught for 31 years in Clark County schools.

"Gangs are on the rise all over ... You cut out elementary school sports, you cut middle school sports, all programs that help develop children into upstanding contributors to our community," Germany said. "This district has sent these kids out into the streets. They have nowhere to go."

Dianna Saffold, a parent who volunteers on several district committees, noted that school officials plan in the next few years to ask for voters to approve a new school bond to pay for additional construction.

"If you want our support you better start supporting us," said Saffold.

Jeannelle Coleman, whose daughter's track team meets at school sites three times a week for practice and holds meets about once a month, said the proposed fees are too high for the team to manage.

"The real problem is this isn't a family town, it's a casino town," Coleman said. "Our coaches are all volunteers ... they're trying to do right by these kids and give something back. The casinos should be putting up some money to help us."

The district did have some supporters in the audience, including Carolyn Edwards, treasurer of the newly formed Nevadans for Quality Education.

"One of the reasons we get shot down when we go to the Legislature and ask for more money is they say we're wasting what we're already given," said Edwards, whose group was established following last summer's education funding deadlock. 'This is an example of the district being fiscally responsible. It costs money to keep schools open after-hours and it's not unreasonable to expect others to chip in."

Representatives for both the Girl Scouts of Frontier Council and the Boy Scouts of the Boulder Dam Area Council have said they are willing to pay a fee provided it is reasonable. Each organization has about 450 troops made up predominantly of district students, and many meet regularly at schools.

"It's unfortunate in Clark County, where taxpayers already spend to provide educational facilities and operations, that the district feels it necessary to charge students for the extracurricular use of their own schools," said Phil Bevins, scout executive for the Boy Scouts of the Boulder Dam Area Council. "However, the economic issues facing our schools are no different than those facing the Boy Scouts, and if it's necessary to charge a fee we're going to be cooperative and understanding."

One compromise on the table would be for scouting troops to provide in-kind services in exchange for free meeting space, said Rulffes.

District officials plan to review comments from the meeting at Cimarron-Memorial as well as one earlier Monday at Green Valley High School. The Clark County School Board will vote on the proposed fee schedule later this spring.

At the same time that the community meeting was taking place, Girl Scouts Brownie Troop 242 had gathered at E.J. May Elementary School for a lesson on Morocco.

"Schools and scouting go hand-in-hand," said troop leader Claudia Jones, who showed her 17 Brownies how to make date-filled rice pudding.

"All of my girls attend May and this is a neighborhood activity," Jones said. "To tell them they have to pay money just to walk in here leaves a bad taste in my mouth."