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YORKTOWN, N.Y. – The Yorktown Central School District’s budget will likely top $90 million again in 2013-14, but it’s one $48,935 line item that has many parents up in arms.
The district is looking to impose an hourly fee upon local non-profit organizations and athletic clubs every time its gymnasiums, cafeterias, classrooms or fields are used. Club leaders say the fees would drive up membership costs and force parents to pay more per child.
A roomful of concerned parents and volunteers filled the Mildred E. Strang Middle School cafeteria Monday night in protest of the fees.
“Virtually everyone we speak with feel they already are paying for use of the school facilities in their town and school taxes,” said Al French, speaking on behalf of the Yorktown Youth Soccer Club.
Tom Cole, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, said the fees are necessary for maintenance and general upkeep, especially when it comes to weekend use.
In 2011-12, he said the groups requested to the use the facilities a combined 4,825 hours.
“The proposal does not cover our costs,” said Cole, who estimated it costs $90,000 to $105,000 to maintain the facilities during those hours. “It covers a small portion of that. We’re not asking for the world.”
Superintendent Ralph Napolitano said the fees are a small sacrifice to avoid cutting more staff, which he said is “not doable.”
The proposed hourly rates are $10 weekday/$20 weekend for gymnasium or cafeteria use, $5 weekday/$10 weekend for classroom use, $5 for for soccer and lacrosse fields, $5 for Brookskide baseball fields, $10 for high school baseball and softball fields, $25 for the high school turf field and $45 for the high school turf field with lights.
Based on 2012 figures, the Yorktown Athletic Club would owe $29,380, the Yorktown Youth Soccer Club would owe $13,135, the Mohansic Girls Basketball would owe $6,120, and Oxygen Volleyball would owe $300.
Resident Ed Ciffone urged the school board to find the $48,000 elsewhere, and recommended using more of the of the district’s $3.6 million surplus. Cole said using surplus would be a short-term fix, because the $3.6 million balance will be empty in four years.
“We’re at a point where the rubber meets the road,” Cole said, blaming reduced state aid and rising employee benefits. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just giving you the facts.”
The board voted unanimously, 5-0, to include the $48,000 line of revenue into the 2013-14 tentative budget. The fees are not set in stone can always be removed are tweaked at a later date, according to school board President Jackie Carbone.
Comments (4)
What they should do is really analyze their spending and stop hurting schools. Review their spending, schools in the weekends are closed and I am sure heat is still running. Why not as clubs to pick up after themselves. Why are taxes in schools going up but cuts are always on. Kids need to learn and exercise. Think of our kids future or we will be forced to move elsewhere
This wouldn't be an issue if the school budget's benefits/pension allocation wasn't increasing by 9.1%.
The Yorktown School District has for 10 years been on a quest to impose user fees on Town programs and the youth clubs. In 2003 their proposal would have seen the town and clubs pay around $360K and then in 2008 they tried again by revising their number to about $120K. Now this year, 2013, they have proposed a “teaser rate” of $48K and cut a deal where the Town gets a complete exemption from paying fees. After all this does anyone doubt how high future rates will go? And for using the Murphy Field they want to charge the clubs (who only use the field 5% of the time) more than twice the amount justified by replacement cost and usage. The clubs pay the Town $45 per hour for the Legacy field, but YCSD wants $75 for Murphy which is 30% smaller than Legacy. Finally, on top of this, they are collecting unnecessary (i.e.: Murphy Field), exorbitant custodian fees of more than $123K.