Rental fees aid schools
| • | Chart: Money from school facilities: Where it goes |
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
When vocalist Lisa Loeb took the stage in her trademark cats-eye glasses for a concert earlier this month, it wasn't at a smoky club or hip café. The singer, known best for her 1994 hit "Stay," performed at Kaimuki High School's theater.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
It's one of hundreds of Hawai'i public school venues available to rent for private performances, classes, meetings, religious gatherings and other events.
Worshippers attend New Hope Christian Fellowship services at Farrington High School. Several schools rent out grounds and facilities to churches and other organizations for fees considered by many to be unbeatable.
For years, thousands of worshippers have gathered every Saturday and Sunday for New Hope Christian Fellowship's services at Farrington High School. And many other auditoriums, gymnasiums and classrooms are open after hours to dance classes, community groups and even political campaigns. Parking lots and pools also are for rent.
Rents are rock-bottom compared with more elaborate private venues, and the Board of Education's Support Services Committee may consider raising some of them.
"I think there's some perception from some people that the fees are much too low and might not even cover the cost of the paperwork," said committee chairman Breene Harimoto. "That's one thing we're very concerned about now, especially with the state's budget situation."
The panel has called for an internal review of the fee schedule, but no changes have been proposed yet.
The hourly fee for using an air-conditioned high- school auditorium is less than $100 on O'ahu, including charges for utilities and custodians. A classroom with no air conditioning is $1.80 per hour, plus utility and custodial charges of $18 to $23.
Nonprofit educational and athletic groups, labor organizations, service clubs and others that don't charge fees for their activities or that collect donations often can use school facilities rent-free, paying only for extra custodial services needed.
• For information on renting school facilities, call the school or find out online.
The state's schools generated about $757,000 by renting facilities during the fiscal year that ends June 30, according to the state Department of Education. That's just a fraction of the department's annual operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, and much of the rental cash must be transferred to the school districts the facilities fall within or to other state agencies. The schools were able to retain less than $454,000, DOE figures show.
How to rent a facility
But although the amount of money is small, the payoff for schools can come in other ways, officials say.
When residents and businesses tap schools for special events, they bring people on campus who might otherwise never visit a school.
"It makes people feel like they're part of a school," said state Rep. Roy Takumi, chairman of the House Education Committee. "The school becomes part of the community. People feel like it's our school, not just a school."
And having adults on campus after school for meetings and activities cuts down the likelihood of mischief and vandalism on school grounds, said Takumi, D-36th (Pearl City, Palisades).
Schools are often underused community resources that could be marketed better, he said.
"I believe that overall, we should make better use of our schools," Takumi said. "But I don't think schools should be used by for-profit businesses on a regular basis. We never want to lose sight of what our schools are for: education."
In any case, schools aren't about to become freewheeling nightclubs. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco substances cannot be sold or consumed on school grounds or in school buildings. And police must be hired for security at crowded events such as carnivals and fairs.
In years past, any money from school facility rentals went straight into the state's general fund. The system was later changed to allow schools to retain a portion of the money, giving them more autonomy and creating an incentive to open after hours.
Now the money is split four ways, according to DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs receives a portion off the top as compensation for the use of ceded land, property once controlled by the Hawaiian Kingdom for public purposes or to support the crown. The cut is different for each of the state's seven school districts, based on the amount of ceded land used, and ranges from 2.88 percent to 11.08 percent.
After OHA receives its share, 10 percent of the remaining money goes to the state general fund.
What's left is split between the school district and the school, with 30 percent going to the district and 70 percent retained by the school.
"Thirty percent goes to the district because not all schools have equal opportunities to rent out facilities," Knudsen said. "This way, needs of other schools can be met as well."
Not surprisingly, districts in highly populated areas earn the most. The Honolulu district took in $209,313 this year, while the Kaua'i district generated just $12,781.
Correction: After the Office of Hawaiian Affairs gets its share of school facilities rental income, 10 percent goes to the state general fund. A previous version of this story incorrectly said the money went to the state Department of Accounting and General Services' central services division.
