A PPEL “Thank You”
Thank you to all of the Woodward-Granger CSD patrons that came out to vote in favor of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) extension. The funding generated will be put to good use over the next several years as the district will pay down debt, purchase necessary equipment and maintain/build new facilities. We look forward to serving you and we Thank you for the opportunity to maintain the district’s current funding levels.
Why the Change in Facility Use at W-G?
Over the past few weeks the District has been receiving many drop-ins and phone calls regarding the changes in the Facilities Use Policies. For those of you that are not as familiar with the terminology and/or policy, the premise of this policy is to essentially focus on the processes and procedures for any one person or group of people that wish to utilize school facilities and grounds.
This newsletter article will not attempt to persuade you to agree with the changes but moreover provide you with a few substantive reasons why the need was there to review and change the policy accordingly.
First, Board policies are designed to provide a set of governing principles or a way to conduct business for the local school. In the case of facility rental/facility usage there are certain liabilities that are associated with allowing the general public to use the facilities. With these liabilities comes attorney recommended language in policy that asks participants to provide proof of insurance and specific responsibilities of burden that maybe placed on the facility user prior to renting any school facility. These are required and an essential component to this policy.
Second, many groups both inside of and outside the community have inquired about using the facilities. A review of our previous policy put most every group(whether a local taxpayer or not) on the same playing field in terms of access to these facilities. With this notion we were concerned that based on the current policy we would have no way of keeping external groups from potentially monopolizing facility times and thus pushing our own students and communities out. Because of this, the new policy was developed to help classify groups into a more manageable structure and fee system.
Finally, I have had heard several times that taxpayers should be afforded the opportunity to use these facilities at little to no cost as they are already paying for it. Although I somewhat agree that these are community buildings and should be accessible, I would wholeheartedly disagree with the fact that they are open to anyone and everyone at the district’s expense. The priority of school funds is and always has been for the educational/ extracurricular components of the students throughout the school day and year. With that being said, the district has budgets in place to maintain and provide access to these facilities during designated school programming. It is the extension of the school day and the repeated use of the facilities/activities beyond normal hours that has caused additional budgetary shortfalls (i.e. custodial, security, wear and tear/maintenance). Due to the strain on the budget and the competing nature it has with staff salaries and benefits a change from our old policy was made to include a minimal fee structure based on the classification of user group. This fee structure is in no way a means for the district to make money but to cover the actual cost and investment put back into the facilities.
In the end, our intent is not to continue to dig at our taxpayers wallets but to provide more equitable access to all parties in a manner that does not compete with the original dollars set aside for education. The new policy is quite a change from our old system and we ask you please continue to provide feedback. We truly want to serve our communities in the best possible ways, with the best possible facilities. If you have further questions please contact the Central Office at 515-999-8022 or at bradanderson@wghawks.school.
Brad Anderson
Superintendent
