Officials Propose Policy For Usage of School Facilities

So you’re thinking about getting a group of people together and you need space. A classroom. Or computer room. Gym. Cafeteria. Or even an auditorium.

How much would any of those spaces in city schools cost to use?

The School Committee last night referred the first written proposed policy that sets out rules and regulations and relative rates to use city school facilities to two of its subcommittees. The subcommittee will take up the issue in January, after new members are appointed.

The proposed policy was developed, according to Joseph Elia, school assistant superintendent for finance and operations, because people were claiming their organizations were tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organizations but lacked documentation.

“People were circumventing us,” he said. “It’s annoying.”

The proposed policy spells out and prioritizes four groups of organizations who could use the space, and their relative hourly fees.

Three of those groups are either municipal agencies or non-profit organizations.

The fourth would cover for-profit groups.

The school department had a form for prospective users of school facilities to fill out, Elia elaborated after the meeting, but the school department needs more information from them, he said.

The group with the “A” priority—after students attending the city’s public schools—would be “municipal agencies or programs operated by non-profit organizations for the benefit of Woburn public schools or its students.” They would be charged the lowest rate.

Other non-profit, tax-exempt organizations located in Woburn, “whose membership is composed primarily of Woburn residents,” using school facilities for non-commercial purposes, would fall in category “B.” They would pay a higher rate than “A” groups.

Non-profit, tax-exempt organizations using school facilities for non-commercial purposes would fall into category “C.” They would pay more than “B” groups.

All other users of school facilities, including for-profit organizations, would comprise Category “D.”

They would pay the highest rate, compared to the other three, under the proposed policy.

School facility rentals are down, according to Elia, because facilities are being used so much by the city’s Recreation Department, adult education program and student sports teams. High school freshman teams practice at city elementary schools, Elia said, because the new high school has only one gym. The old high school had three gyms, he said.

By allowing the use of its facilities, “The Woburn Public Schools is not endorsing, supervising or participating in the organizations using school property,” the proposed policy emphasizes in underlined, bold-face type.