DALLAS TWP. – Certain nonprofits, government organizations and other groups may have to pay more to use Dallas School District facilities, though plans are still in flux.

The Dallas School Board is considering plans to increase the fees it imposes for the use of classrooms, auditoriums, athletic fields, and other district property. A proposed fee increase was discussed at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting and the proposal has been posted on the district website for public inspection. The first meeting at which the school board would be able to enact the policy would be Nov. 9.

Superintendent Thomas Duffy said Thursday that the proposed fee increase introduced in September and currently posted on the district website was only a “starting point.” He described the proposal as preliminary and said there was “no way in the world” the school board would vote on an increase at the Nov. 9 meeting. He said the district was still working with stakeholders to develop a final proposal.

“We’re still very much taking public input,” Duffy said.

The proposal would organize groups requesting to use district facilities into four categories. Organizations directly affiliated with the district, such as school sports teams, student clubs, student government bodies, parent-teacher organizations, teacher groups and extracurricular boosters, would continue using all district facilities for free.

Nonprofit organizations, which must certify their nonprofit status with the district, would have to pay facilities fees if they charge admissions to the events they are hosting or otherwise use the events for fundraising purposes. They would have to pay $30 per day to use classrooms or an athletic field; $180 per day to use a district auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium, or stadium; and $30 per hour to use a district pool. Local, state and federal government bodies that use district facilities would face the same fee schedule as nonprofits.

All other organizations, such as for-profit groups, would face a separate pay schedule. They would pay $48 per day to use classrooms; $90 per hour to use a district auditorium, cafeteria or gymnasium, with a minimum usage fee of $270; $36 per hour to use an athletic field; $60 per hour to use a stadium, with a minimum usage fee of $180; and a $120 per hour to use a district pool, with a minimum usage fee of $300.

In addition to fees, these for-profit organizations would pay 10% of any revenue they generate from admission charges to the district, which would then be deposited in a student-activity account corresponding with the age of the children involved in the event – e.g. an event involving elementary-age children would have 10% of its gate revenue paid into an elementary activity account.

The current policy, which this proposal would replace if adopted, imposes the same fees on for-profit organizations and nonprofit groups that charge admissions, but has certain exceptions. According to a copy of the policy now in place found on the district website, the school board exempts from fees youth-sports leagues and other youth organizations, such as Scouting America and Girl Scouts, from paying fees, as well as government organizations. (There are specific fees on Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association events, such as playoff games, the current policy imposes that are not in the new policy.)

Most other facility-use regulations in the proposed policy remain unchanged from the old policy. There are new clauses that would authorize the district to deny facility access to organizations with outstanding, unpaid facility fees. Another new clause directs outside organizations to submit facility-use requests to the district director of building and grounds using an electronic application to be made available on the district website.

At the September school board meeting, the proposed policy change did cause some anxiety. Bernie Strobel, the president of Dallas Youth Basketball, said he was grateful to the district for use of its facilities, but was concerned that if fees were set too high, they could compel youth sports teams to dramatically increase the cost of registration substantially. He said this could make an asset to young people throughout the Back Mountain less accessible.

“So, I want the board and the school district to at least consider that,” Strobel said. “What I want to have you guys to all consider is the indirect benefits (and) direct benefits that all the youth organizations have for the school, for the community, for the children.”

Duffy told Strobel in September the policy proposal was only a “draft” that was in its “infancy.”  He said Thursday that the district was still eager to collect public input and urged community stakeholders to submit their comments on the proposed policy at the “Policy Input Forum” link on the district’s dallassd.com/about-the-district/school-board/ webpage.