The Middleton School District has decided to start charging for the use of its facilities, including the new artificial soccer fields at Middleton High School. The decision comes after a year of free use, which was allowed to encourage people to use the facilities.

Background

The district’s superintendent, Marc Gee, said that the decision to charge for facility use was made necessary by the district’s financial situation. The district is facing budget cuts and is looking for ways to generate revenue. Gee said that the district will start charging a base fee for the use of its facilities, including the soccer fields.

A local patron had questioned the lack of fees and lease agreements with a for-profit soccer club that has been using the fields. The club, Global Sports Academy, has been advertising the fields as its ‘home’ and has been using them free of charge. The district’s policy allows the superintendent to waive some fees, but Gee acknowledged that he should have kept records of those transactions.

Facility Use Policy

The district’s facility use policy requires that all groups, including businesses and non-profit organizations, pay a fee to use the district’s facilities. The fee is intended to cover the costs of administration, power, maintenance, and custodial services. Gee said that the district will work with groups to determine a fair and reasonable fee for facility use.

The new policy will apply to all groups, including the for-profit soccer club that has been using the fields. The club’s executive director, Michael Mollay, said that the club is willing to pay a fee for facility use, but did not specify how much the club is willing to pay.

Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.