School board debates Sunday use of school gyms
At last week’s School District 6 board meeting, the board discussed Superintendent Steve Bradshaw’s proposed policy for allowing extracurricular groups to use school facilities. The topic was introduced earlier this summer when several church groups made requests to use the high school and junior high as Sunday meeting places.
Bradshaw had worded the policy draft in a way that discouraged use during typical non-working times, to prevent employees from having to get extra overtime and to reduce security risks. Bradshaw’s position was that an occasional Sunday would be fine, but the district couldn’t force employees to regularly work on Sundays.
Trustee Barb Riley suggested that every day of the week should be treated as equal. Bradshaw countered that some employees work Saturdays, but the district would be harder-pressed to find people willing to work Sundays, especially when some work until midnight on Saturday for sporting events.
Vice chair Dean Chisholm noted that the district’s job is to teach kids, not to manage facilities for public use. Board chair Jill Rocksund agreed that whenever there are few or no employees present, it’s harder to gate off other areas and equipment or confidential documents.
“We need to do what we can to protect the facility for educational use first,” Rocksund said.
Board member Larry Wilson said he favored community use of school buildings but argued that churches are commercial entities.
Bradshaw raised another discussion point by reminding the board that principals, who already work 70 to 80 hours per week, might be forced to work Sundays if no one else is available.
“I don’t even like coaches having open gym on Sundays,” Bradshaw said. “Sunday should be a family time.”
Junior high principal Dave Wick noted that part of the board’s job is to authorize community groups to use facilities, and part is to protect the facilities as a district investment. He agreed with Bradshaw that even if other employees were working, he would feel obligated to check in.
“I don’t depend on the custodian to be security,” he explained. “If you did this, there would be a big pull for me and Scott (Gaiser, high school principal) to go in and make sure everything’s good.”
Chisholm compared Sunday use to use between midnight and 4 a.m., saying it would be inconvenient for administrators to have to schedule continuous Sunday employees far in advance.
“It’s not our job,” he said. “There’s places that can be leased.”
Ultimately, Chisholm said he supported the superintendent’s procedure as written. Riley wanted the clause discouraging Sundays taken out. Bradshaw agreed to remove the specification that Sundays would be discouraged and modify the procedure to state that any non-working days or times would be discouraged.
Community groups, whether nonprofit or commercial, will still have to go through an application process and pay rental fees for all school spaces used publicly.
In other board news:
- The board approved the ending fund balances for the elementary and high schools.
- The board adopted the elementary and high school budgets as presented by district clerk Dustin Zuffelato.
- The board accepted the resignations of Doug Cordier, junior high football coach, and Gretchen Dunn, technology.
- The board voted to hire the following educators for the extended school year: Aericka Butler, elementary teacher; Jenee Sweeney, elementary paraeducator; Lindsey Fishel, elementary paraeducator; Helen Lyman, elementary paraeducator; Heather Rhine-Nace, elementary paraeducator; Susan Rushe, junior high teacher; Julia Whitman, high school teacher; and John Williamson, high school paraeducator.