Access to Data Can Lower the Cost of Facility Operations
School districts and elected school board members are often the targets of community complaints about facility access and fee schedules. One can understand why: taxpayers shoulder the burden of school construction and maintenance through state and property taxes as well as special school bond measures, leading to a certain expectation of access by the community. However, community use of school facilities brings with it a myriad of problems, not the least of which are budget shortfalls, liabilities, and concerns about equal access.
Community demand is here to stay. In fact, it's increasing. Since 2010, participation in privatized sports leagues is up 55% across the U.S. This shift away from more traditional city-run sports leagues has led private organizations to look to public facilities for spaces to conduct their activities. With rising land costs and tight budgets, the trend – which isn't limited to sports but also includes performing arts and learning organizations – is putting increased pressure on school districts to make up for the shortage.
Schools have a long history of stepping up as community partners, but the confluence of new demand in an on-demand book-now society and a school district's ever-tightening fiscal responsibilities has exposed the struggle schools face embracing their role as community partners while providing the facility use required for school programs.
How do schools better leverage their most valuable assets? Data.
Tracking total utilization as well as recovery costs from community users through a real-time data system can very accurately reveal the costs per hour to operate school facilities. It also gives districts the ability to itemize the recovery revenue collected for utilities, custodial or other additional equipment and services for allocating to the correct budgets/expense accounts.
Without data, school districts will continue to struggle to meet the increasing needs of both school and community.