Plympton Schools Approve New Facility Usage Fees
Measure aims to cover custodial overtime costs; local organizations may face increased expenses for school building use
PLYMPTON, MA - June 3 - The Plympton School Committee approved a new fee schedule for use of school facilities during its June 3 meeting, aiming to cover custodial overtime costs previously absorbed by the district's budget.
"We no longer felt as a committee that we could bear the burden of paying the overtime cost for custodians to come into the building for organizations that we believe should be able to put the bill for themselves," said Committee Chair Jason Frazier.
The new fee structure will apply to non-school organizations using district facilities outside of regular school hours. School-sponsored activities and town government functions will remain exempt from the fees.
Committee member Jon Wilhelmsen raised concerns about the impact on other town departments, asking, "Is the town paying to use this building to do town meeting?"
The committee clarified that town government use would remain free of charge.
The committee announced that Senator Susan Moran secured a state earmark of over $36,000 for HVAC system upgrades at Dennett Elementary School.
"This is a great opportunity for the, and we thank the Senator for her work on that," said Wilhelmsen. "This is one thing that we then don't have to look for capital funds."
The funding will allow the district to replace one of six aging rooftop HVAC units at the elementary school. Committee members expressed hope that additional units could be replaced in the future using federal ARPA funds.
Director of Finance and Operations Sarah reported a deficit in special education and transportation costs totaling $277,281 for the current fiscal year.
Frazier stated, "We have about 10 months, really, to figure things out and get our ship in order and to make sure that we're being good stewards of the town's money."
The committee will hold its next meeting on July 15 to close out the current fiscal year and continue planning for the upcoming budget cycle.