Politics & Government

Substantial School Space Discounts Questioned

More than $130,000 in fees—the majority of which has benefited a youth basketball association—have been waived this fiscal year, and policy changes may be coming.

Some School Committee members are calling for policy changes after the Milford Amateur Basketball Association paid $3,000 in return for close to $100,000 in school space usage this fiscal year.

MABA pays an annual $3,000 fee to the school district and so far during fiscal 2011, which started July 1, used space that was worth $98,480, according to a spreadsheet prepared by Superintendent Bob Tremblay and Assistant Superintendent of Business and Human Resources Kathleen Perry.

School Committee member William Kingkade Jr. said the disparity underscores the need to reexamine the policy covering school facilities' use by outside groups.

Standard rates for using school facilities vary based on how much time they are reserved and other factors, including the type of space being reserved. For example, one permit issued to MABA for using Stacy Middle School's gym for several weeks had a price tag of $10,500, while a one-time use of high school classrooms by a local cub scout pack would have cost around $550 had the fee not been waived. 

“I am not looking for Milford families to be charged more from any groups because the schools are increasing the fees,” Kingkade told Milford Patch. “But the groups using the space are going to have to start showing their financials, presenting proof of their not-for-profit status, or provide in-kind contributions to the system to receive discounted or waived fees. It's only fair to keep our students and the taxpayers in mind.”

Kingkade, who is not running for re-election and will leave the board in a matter of weeks, said the policy subcommittee was surprised to find how much work needed to be done to establish how space use is currently handled.

“Bob and Kathy have done a great job of tightening the process, which in the past relied on a nod and a handshake,” he said. “But there is still a lot of work to do to understand how things have worked and how to move forward.”

Attempts to reach MABA for comment were unsuccessful.

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The league stirred controversy late last year when one of its middle school-age coaches was . Because the alleged incident took place in a school gym, Dave Cutler, the district’s head of security and safety, conducted an investigation which found that while no bullying occurred, some players were treated . 

According to the space-use spreadsheet, some groups had rental fees waived entirely because they were able to demonstrate nonprofit status or because they provided in-kind contributions to the district.

For instance, the did not pay to use space at Stacy Middle School and the high school and received the use of $1,125 worth of space at Stacy for free in exchange for programs conducted in the schools.

Other organizations, including for-profit businesses, paid full price for school space. paid $750 to use the high school and Greater Milford Ballet Company paid $1,725 for high school space, for example.

One of the issues the policy subcommittee hopes to address is inconsistencies in how space payments are handled. For instance, Milford Youth Football & Cheerleading paid full price—$150—for using space at Stacy, but in another instance, had a $900 fee for using the high school waived due to nonprofit status. Also, some Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops had fees waived while others paid the full amount or a reduced rate.

Overall, the district collected around $9,500—nearly a third of it from MABA—for space use during the current  fiscal year, and discounted space use by more than $130,000, with the bulk of that rollback going to the basketball association.

With heating and utility costs rising, “it may be time to adjust the fees,” Kingkade said.

School Committee member Patrick J. Kennelly said the issue of how to allot space usage and what to charge needs to be addressed before are ready for use later this year. “We need to get stronger controls in place before that turns into a free-for-all,” he said. 

Find out what's happening in Milfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He also noted that some local organizations run summer camps on school grounds that need to be vetted  for proper procedures, including having a nurse available at all times. 


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