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SCHOOL USE Medford School Board postpones facility fees for outside groups Fees would've cost one group $12,000 By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:45 pm By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:45 pm » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Youth-serving organizations such as the YMCA, Boy Scouts, youth symphony and sports clubs won’t be charged a fee this year for using Medford School District facilities, the Medford School Board decided Monday. The board suspended its June 22 action to implement a facility-use fee for all outside agencies that started Sept. 1 and instead directed staff to come up with a comprehensive fee schedule by the Nov. 23 board meeting. The new fee schedule would go into effect July 1, 2016. Chief Operations Officer Brad Earl said organizations voiced concerns that the Sept. 1 implementation date did not give them enough time to make alternative arrangements or modify their budgets. In lieu of the fees this year, the district will charge each organization a $100 deposit per booking or more, depending on whether the event is large, the organization requires technical or other support, or the organization has a history of leaving the facility damaged or in disarray. Earl said the deposit covers the cost of a custodian for two hours and a maintenance worker for two hours. In theory, if neither is required to clean up after the group, then it will get its deposit back. “(The deposit) gives us a measure of control,” Earl said after the meeting. “If we’re going in there day after day to clean up, then this will allow us to have a conversation with that group.” “The issue of the deposit seems to be, from what I can understand, considerably less troubling,” said Sharon Wilson, executive director of the Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon, in response to the board's decision. The YSSO holds rehearsals for about five hours nearly every Sunday at North Medford High School, where it uses the band room, choir room and sometimes additional rooms. In the past, YSSO has paid a $20-per-hour custodial fee, costing it about $2,400 last year. The district notified YSSO staff in mid-August that it would charge $10 per hour per room, as well as $1 an hour per table and 20 cents an hour per chair. Under that fee schedule, YSSO would have owed about $12,000 a year in fees, including its ongoing custodial fee. “If the fee structure stands next year, our organization, being really small, will have look at what other options we have,” Wilson said, adding that the district’s facilities have worked well for YSSO and its staff has been very cooperative. Earl said that $10 per hour per room was a fee suggested by a former board member in a motion. Over the next two months, a team will look at what other districts are doing and work to come up with a fee schedule that will “appropriately cover the costs of using facilities, especially after hours and on weekends,” Earl said. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 29, 2015 @ 2:45 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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