Belt-tightening in the Morgan Hill School District has lead to
many cuts in services in the schools for next year, and now will
result in the general community feeling the pinch as well.
Belt-tightening in the Morgan Hill School District has lead to many cuts in services in the schools for next year, and now will result in the general community feeling the pinch as well.
The School Board voted during their May 19 meeting to approve a recommendation from district staff to discontinue the district’s practice of accepting in-kind services in lieu of fees from community groups for use of district facilities.
An example of this arrangement would be community group, such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, using a facility, an elementary school for example, to hold monthly meetings, and, in return, the group maintains the school’s flowerbed or picks up trash from the school grounds on a regular basis.
“Unfortunately, in this time of budget crisis, we have to look at these things,” Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Branco said during the May 5 meeting when the recommendation was first considered by the board.
The increase will go into effect July 1.
District staff also recommended raising district use fees by 20 percent and increasing the annual processing fee from $20 to $25.
Currently, the district charges based on a groups category. Category A is for district organizations, government organizations and organizations sponsored by or performing a service for the district. Category B is for all other non-profit groups benefiting youth and community members. Category C is for church or religious organizations and other groups.
The only charge for Category A is currently $20 per hour for swimming pools, $10 per hour for field lights, $5 per hour for time clock/score board or sound system and $25 per hour for computer lab.
Category B groups are currently charged $8 per hour for using multipurpose rooms, libraries, kitchens, theaters, meeting rooms and $4 per hour for regular classrooms, with the same rates as Category A for specialty uses. Category B groups are not charged for use of fields.
Currently, Category C groups are charged $15 for field use, and $30 per hour for multipurpose rooms, etc.
The increased fees to offset direct costs would cost Category B groups $1.60 per hour more for the most typical rental. Category C groups would pay $36, or $6 more per hour.
Another measure presented to the board for consideration is the notion of charging for field usage. Many community groups, such as Pop Warner football, Spirit and Pride softball and Pony baseball, use district fields for practice and for games.
“We are not making the recommendation that the district charge for field usage, except for the processing fee,” Branco said during the May 5 meeting. “Most other districts charge for field use … The community has the expectation that the fields are for community use.”
The board has not taken action on charging for field usage.
Branco speculated that the changes would not result in much difference in revenue because some groups would stop using schools. She added that the increases also reflect higher costs, such as utilities, that the district must pay.
District staff provided information on the fee schedule for the San Jose Unified School District, the Evergreen School District and Gilroy Unified School District.
In the Gilroy schedule, use of the fields are listed as “available only under special arrangement.” Evergreen’s schedule did not show field use, and San Jose’s lists a $20 youth league fee per field per day per season.
The city of Morgan Hill and the School District tried a pilot program during the 2002-2003 school year where the two organizations would collaborate on field usage and reservations for two district fields, Britton Middle and Paradise Valley Elementary.
“The MOU (memorandum of understanding) expires at the end of the school year,” Branco said. “We’ll need to have further discussion on this.”
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