SlideShare a Scribd company logo
Examining the successful implementation
of cost recovery programs in our schools.
Recovering Costs for
the Community Use
of Our Schools
W H I T E P A P E R
Recovering Costs for
the Community Use
of Our Schools
Nationwide, educational institutions like yours are experiencing
exponential growth in both on- and off-campus events, resulting in
a constant competition for facility and transportation resources.
Additionally, the events explosion puts further demands on your
limited support staff. Then there’s the cost.
This white paper examines 10 years of data collected from more
than 1,700 educational institutions, and summarizes the advice
and best practices for cost recovery from facility use administrators
across the U.S.
The Cost Recovery
Champions We Interviewed
A special thanks to these facility scheduling champions, who assisted
SchoolDude with the analysis necessary to compile this white paper.
We appreciate their time and willingness to share with others their
best practices in achieving cost recovery for their schools.
LauriRainwater–Maintenance,ClaytonSchoolDistrict,MO
KimStutzman–SupportServices,TumwaterSchoolDistrict#33,WA.
WadeBrosius–Facilities,GarnetValleySchoolDistrict,PA
FredPamonag–ManagerofFacilityTechnology-SeattlePublicSchools,WA
JerriAnnYznaga–FacilityScheduler–EanesISD,TX
KimberlyRhodes–OperationsManagerFiscalServices–AlbemarleCountyPS–VA
DeniseWoolridge–FacilityUsageManager–RockwoodSD–MO
MichelleWilson–FacilityCoordinator–LeanderISD-TX
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 1
Recovering Costs to Find Relief
Maximizing Opportunities
Meeting Demands
Impact of Facility Use on Schools
Recovering Funds
Getting Started and Continuous
Improvement is Key
Implementing Success
Ending Debates
Conclusion
3
4
5
7
9
13
15
21
22
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 2
Recovering Costs
to Find Relief
In this time of continually tightening budgets, school business officials and facility
leaders are challenged to identify alternate sources of income and more effective ways
to cut operating costs. One trend that is increasing the financial burden on operating
staffs and budgets is the use of school facilities by the community. This trend reflects
growing sentiment that school facilities should be used more frequently because
taxpayers and other stakeholders have invested billions in these assets.
However, facility usage by outside groups strains already tight budgets and limited
staff by creating high demand for a district’s support services teams (custodial,
maintenance, IT, athletics) and generating additional costs in the form of utilities,
custodial overtime and wear and tear on equipment and facilities. While educational
professionals recognize that the use of school facilities by the community
must be supported, they also must acknowledge that some of these related
costs must be recovered.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 3
Maximizing Opportunities
In 2002, SchoolDude surveyed its clients regarding their organizations’ desires and
current policies concerning community use of school buildings. The responses
indicated that usage of facilities by outside parties was a high priority, as well as a
service districts hoped to continue and even improve.
Almost all respondents were committed to using facilities for extra-curricular events,
and most shared a common goal to fully maximize the use of facilities to better serve
their communities (Figure 1).
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 4
What phrase best describes your district’s policies towards the
scheduling of your facilities outside of normal educational needs?
Our goal is to fully maximize the
use of facilities to better serve
the community
We allow the facilities to be used
for only a limited number of
extracurricular uses
We try to use the facilities for
anything other than the districts
education needs
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 450
Figure 1
Meeting Demands
This commitment of facilities for community use leads to the inevitable rising costs
entailed by being a benefactor to the community. Incurring additional costs to
accommodate public use of facilities presents an incremental problem to already
money-tight districts.
A 10 year study of more than 1,700 school districts, colleges and private schools using
SchoolDude’s facility scheduling solution examines how educational professionals
nationwide are coping with this demand for community use of school facilities. The
sampling revealed that the average Public K-12 district holds nearly one event per
studentperyear.Thetop20%ofdistrictshavenearlyoneandahalfeventsperstudent
per year (Figure 2).
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 5
Figure 2
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0.93 AVERAGE EVENTS PER STUDENT 2014
1.49 TOP 20% EVENTS PER STUDENT 2014
Calendar Year 2014
>>
Meeting Demands (cont'd)
While one event per student per year is a good rule of thumb, it’s important to note that
the size of a district influences this benchmark. The data shows that the larger a district,
the less events per student are held annually.
For school systems with more than 5,000 students, the average number of events per
student drops to less than one event per student per year. Annual averages for the
numberofeventsperstudentrangefrom.37forthelargestdistrictsintheUS,to1.77for
the smallest, depending on enrollment size of the district (Figure 3).
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 6
Figure 3
ENROLLMENT
RANGE
AVG TOTAL
EVENTS 2014
AVG EVENTS/
STUDENT/2014
TOP
20%
< 1,000 1,018 1.77 2.42
1,000-2,499 2,132 1.20 1.86
2,500-5,000 3,506 0.95 1.49
5,000-14,999 5,949 0.71 1.23
15,000-24,999 10,354 0.53 0.85
25,000-49,999 15,079 0.43 0.68
> 50,000 34,582 0.37 0.55
Impact of Facility Use
on School
There are a myriad of activities going on at every institution during the school day as well
as afterhours, for school related activities as well as community events and outside
groups. WhatisoftenoverlookedintheFacilityUseconversationisthefinancialimpactall
of these rentals have on an institution.
Scheduling events and coordinating support services is a complicated process that
involvesmanystakeholders. Betweencheckingspacesforavailability,routingpermitsfor
approval through multiple channels, notifying service providers and checking for proof of
insurance; principals and site secretaries, the business office, department heads and
teachers, as well as the food services, custodial, technology / AV, energy management,
and maintenance departments could all be all involved in a single permit request. At the
end of the day, limited resources make it challenging to support the facility use process.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 7
>>
Impact of Facility Use
on School (cont'd)
Taking into consideration all those moving parts and associating a cost with each one, it
starts to add up quickly. SchoolDude estimates schools incur about $70 per student per
year due to Facility Use (Figure 4). And while Public K-12 schools are not a for profit
business,pressurefromshrinkingoperationsbudgetsforceschoolstothinkabouthowto
minimize the loss they incur from Facility Use.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 8
Figure 4
SCHOOL DISTRICT
ESTIMATES
Estimated Costs for Facility Rental / Facility Usage / Non Standard Events
Date Entry Fields
Researched Estimated Values (can be overwritten with a more accurate value)
Calculated Estimated Values (can be overwritten with a more accurate value)
Calculated Values (derived answers should not be overwritten)
Costs Recovered (invoiced & Collected) Annually $ –
Number of Students 5,000
1.00
5,000
35
60
$256
$330
10.0%
1.5%
Number of Events per student per year
Number of Events per year
Administrative Staff Time per event (minutes)
Custodial Time per event (minutes)
Energy Costs per student/per year
M&O Costs per student/per year
Energy Increase, related to events
M&O Increase/Wear & Tear, related to events
Staff Time (hours) per year
Custodial Time (hours) per year
Total Energy Cost per year
Total M&O per year
Staff Time
Custodial
Energy
M&O / Wear & Tear
Estimated Cost of Events
RESULTS
$ 350, 667 $70 per student
2,917
5,000
$ 72,917
$ 24,750
$ 128,000
$ 125,000
$ 1,280,000
$ 1,650,000
$25
$25
10.0%
1.5%
=
=
=
=
hrs @
hrs @
@
@
$ 72,917
$ 24,750
$ 128,000
$ 125,000
Recovering Funds
Theissueathandishowtokeepfacilityusefromcostingschoolsystemsmoneytheysimply
can’t afford to donate to the community. Most agree that the rising use of schools by the
community adds costs and burdens operating budgets due to increased custodial labor
costs (e.g. overtime), energy costs and increased maintenance costs. But each school
districtusesitsownuniquestrategytomanagethecommunityuseofschools.Eachhasits
own fee schedules, policies, “do not charge” lists, tiered structures, add-on charges and
leadershipphilosophy.
Apracticalmeasureofhowwellaschooldistrictisrecoveringaportionofthesecostsisthe
study of annual cost recovery income, which is collected by the district for the community
use of schools. SchoolDude’s sample set of participants included organizations ranging in
size from those with less than 150 students to ones with more than 175,000 students. To
compare districts of varying sizes, SchoolDude developed a metric of “cost recovery per
student”toallowcomparisonsacrossthesizespectrum.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 9
>>
Figure 5
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Calendar Year 2014
$18.68 - AVERAGE
$27.75 - TOP 20%
Recovering Funds (cont'd)
Given this scale, it’s easy to demonstrate not only a district’s cost recovery from the
previous year, but also an average cost recovery opportunity per student. From this
information, SchoolDude estimates that the average district recovers $18.68 per student
inannualincome(Figure5). Districtsinthetop20%exceed$27perstudentannually,and
districtsinthe90thpercentilerecovermorethan$43perstudentannually(Figure6).
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 10
NEW JERSEY
Englewood BOE
East Brunswick
Kenilworth Board of Education
North Brunswick Township
Hopewell Valley Regional School District
NEW YORK
Clarkstown CSD
White Plains CSD
Chappaqua CSD
CONNECTICUT
Regional SD #15 Middlebury
MISSOURI
Kirkwood R-VII
ILLINOIS
Lake Forest District 67 & 115
NORTH CAROLINA
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
VIRGINIA
Falls Church City
Public Schools
PENNSYLVANIA
Upper Saint Clair School District
Great Valley School District
DELAWARE
Appoquinimink School District
TEXAS
Eanes ISD
ARIZONA
Vail School District
CALIFORNIA
Tamalpais Union HS District
Yolo County Office of Education
Campbell Union High School District
Albany Unified School District
Laguna Beach USD
MICHIGAN
Whitmore Lake Public Schools
Lake Orion Community Schools
WISCONSIN
Shorewood School District
Mequon - Thiensville School District
OREGON
Sisters School District 6
Plainville Public Schools
Milton Public Schools
City of Newton Schools
Reading Public Schools
Woburn Public Schools
Quincy Public Schools
Bellingham Public Schools
Chelmsford Public Schools
Barnstable Public Schools
East Bridgewater Public Schools
MASSACHUSETTSDistricts in the 90th Percentile
Figure 6
>>
Recovering Funds (cont'd)
Thecostrecoverytrendisup$1.22from2013andsteadilyincreasedeachyearsince2006
(Figure7).Thereareanumberoffactorscontributingtothistrend.Heightenedawareness
of the impact facility use has on schools, the development of new teams and processes
focused on facility use, and increased budget constraints pressuring leaders to look for
newfinancialgainopportunities.Andtheopportunitiesaresignificant.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 11
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$18.68
$17.46
$17.08
$16.01
$15.15
$13.99
$12.99
$12.37
$10.37
Figure 7
>>
Recovering Funds (cont'd)
Taking into consideration the average and top 20% cost recovery rates of the entire
sample, the chart below illustrates the annual cost recovery opportunities for
various-sized school districts (Figure 8). A typical school district of 5,000 students can
recover an average of nearly $76,000 per year, and with a diligent cost recovery program,
can recover well over $165,000 per year. A large district of 35,000 students can recover an
average of $479,000 and with a diligent cost recovery program well over $765,000- an
equivalentof15FTEs.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 12
Figure 8
ENROLLMENT
RANGE
AVG INVOICED
TOTAL 2014
AVG INVOICED/
STUDENT/2014
TOP
20%
< 1,000 $12,585 $27.13 $35.50
1,000-2,499 $34,752 $19.30 $30.32
2,500-5,000 $76,186 $20.39 $33.47
5,000-14,999 $161,347 $18.77 $29.97
15,000-24,999 $261,451 $14.25 $17.62
25,000-49,999 $461,221 $13.69 $21.86
> 50,000 $1,328,954 $15.06 $23.70
>>
Getting Started and
Continuous Improvement
is Key
Through research and studying clients’ experiences, SchoolDude discovered that many
districts, once they begin a cost recovery program, improve cost recovery year over year.
Figure8showsschoolsystemsthataredoingexceptionallywellwithcostrecoveryoverafour
yearinterval.Thecriteriausedtoselecttheseschoolsystemsareasfollows:
The upcoming chart (Figure 9) show that school districts and educational institutions have
successfullyintroducedinvoicingprogramsandthatmanyareincreasingtheirrecoveryofcosts
for community use year over year. However, in the population of more than 1,700 institutions
examined, more than 65% were invoicing less than $5 per student per year, or were not
invoicingatall.Interviewswiththesedistrictsrevealedavarietyofroadblocksgenerallyrelated
to the materials, processes, and know-how to get started. The remainder of the paper is
dedicated to best practices and resources from institutions successfully invoicing to offer
informationandtohelpotherslaunchinvoicingprograms.Thekeyistogetstarted.
• Higher than average cost recovery income relative to student enrollment
• Steadily growing cost recovery over several years
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 13
>>
Getting Started and
Continuous Improvement
is Key (cont'd)
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 14
DISTRICT - STATE - ENROLLMENT
Falls Church City Public Schools-VA- 2,084
East Brunswick-NJ- 8,725
Plainville Public Schools-MA- 803
Kenilworth Board of Education-NJ- 1,258
Appoquinimink School District-DE- 9,319
Vail School District-AZ- 10,615
Albany Unified School District-CA- 3,882
White Plains CSD-NY- 7,134
Barnstable Public Schools-MA- 4,153
Norwood Public Schools-MA- 3,454
East Bridgewater Public Schools-MA- 2,314
Woodburn Public Schools-MA- 4,809
Thompson School District-CO- 15,310
Clarkston Community Schools-MI- 8,160
Chelmsford Public Schools-MA- 5,307
Campbell Union School District-CA- 7,555
Whitefish Bay-WI- 2,989
Orange County Public School-FL- 176,008
Colts Neck Township-NJ- 1,244
Lenape Regional HS District-NJ- 7,557
JO Combs School District-AZ- 4,290
Olmstead Falls City Schools-OH- 3,777
2011 2012
2013 2014
INVOICED PER STUDENT PER YEAR TREND
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Figure 9
Implementing Success
Many successful school systems were interviewed about their procedures and lessons
learned while implementing their cost recovery program. Based on these clients’
successes, applying the following best practices could assist with successfully
implementing or improving a facility use program:
DISTRIBUTE EVENT MANAGEMENT: It is critical to find a balance
between which aspects of the process are centralized and which are
distributed. Consideration should be given to school personnel regarding
control and decision-making so authorization of who can use the school
at what times can be centralized or distributed as appropriate. Districts
with the most successful facility scheduling programs have determined
that billing and policies must be centralized. Concerns such as risk
management and community image drive this need for centralization.
However, a method must also be created to allow decentralized
decision-making regarding groups, event conflicts and ownership of the
schools. The ability to empower school-level administrators, while at the
same time maintaining centralized invoicing and policies, makes having
both centralized and decentralized processes a necessity. An automated,
role-based, multi-user facility scheduling solution makes this possible.
This holds true for Leander ISD in Texas and Seattle Public Schools in
Washington. Both districts have Site Administrators approve events for
their school, but any outside groups must then come through the Central
Office. While decision-making is distributed to accommodate multiple
layers of event management, the Central Office serves as the go-to for
invoicing and scheduling. This structure helps harness the collection of
money to recover costs associated with community use.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 15
1
>>
Implementing Success (cont'd)
AUTOMATE THE PROCESS: Paper, spreadsheets, calendars and email
systems lack the efficiency gains provided by an on-demand facility
scheduling and tracking tool. With multiple parties – such as principals,
teachers, custodians, coaches and community groups – involved in the
process, communication is key. Automating the methods of
communication used prevents duplicate entry of requests and schedule
overrides.
After years of using paper calendars, Clayton School District in Missouri,
grasped the importance of this automation, as well. Thousands of facility
use requests flowing into the district’s facility scheduling department,
creates the necessity of molding a process to implement the most
efficient method for all departments involved. Using a web-based
program to communicate approval and set-up details saves time and
money for the district, which enables those resources to then be allocated
elsewhere.
START SMALL AND GAIN BUY-IN: When implementing a facility use
program, begin with only certain types of rooms or certain schools. Gain
support and buy-in from administrators and assistants, and then let those
positively affected by the changes help sell the idea to the rest of the
district. Tumwater School District in Washington knows that
administrative support was imperative. Knowing the new process would
improve efficiency and increase cost recovery, the district’s facility
director made sure those in the district office and business office were on
board. This solid start set the tone for developing additional backing.
Then they began with one venue in one school.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 16
2
3
>>
Implementing Success (cont'd)
RECOGNIZE THAT LEADERSHIP IS KEY: All those involved (e.g. school
board, superintendent, facilities department, athletic directors,
principals, business office) must agree to support a policy that establishes
fee structures, a cost recovery philosophy, and the process changes
needed within the school district. Jerri Ann Yznaga with Eanes ISD
believes getting buy in from leadership is the most important factor to a
successful facility use process. Most philosophies consist of a goal-driven
approach that focuses not on making money from community use but
simply recovering costs.
BUILD SUPPORT WITH PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANTS: Taking the
time to build support with school-level administrators is important. Their
understanding of what they will gain from this change is key in garnering
support for a district-wide approach to community use. Positives include
better visibility of who is in a building and when, not having to play the
“bad guy” with certain groups or school users, lowered risk, improved
security and less work. At Clayton School District in Missouri, not everyone
involved in the process would see the advantages at first. To help extin-
guish conflicts before they arose, principals and school personnel were
informed about what was in it for them, and training manuals were creat-
ed to aid with the rollout of their facility scheduling system. The principals
appreciated knowing what is taking place in their buildings and having
the ability to approve the events. Meeting one-on-one with administrators
and assistants to provide detailed explanations helped ease fears associ-
ated with implementing a new tool that would ultimately enable better
scheduling and cost recovery.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 17
4
5
>>
Implementing Success (cont'd)
RECOVER COSTS: With the rising use of schools by the community
creating very real demands on resources and school budgets, recovering
the costs used to support this facility use is crucial. The consensus among
Facility Use Campus Champions is that school systems should at least
estimate their costs for:
• Administration of events – Calculate administrators’ time to receive
requests, check availability, check insurance validity, acquire
approvals, inform users of policies and restrictions, arrange for
services, create an invoice, and collect payment.
• Custodial services – Calculate the cost of custodial time for events.
Most school systems agree that events require custodial services at
leastahalfhourbeforeandafteranevent,andfrequentlythatinvolves
custodial overtime.
• Utility usage – Calculate the estimated impact on your energy and
water bills. Use of schools after hours requires the HVAC to keep
running, lights to stay on, and equipment to be powered.
• Facility wear and tear – Calculate the shortened life of buildings and
equipment resulting from additional use.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 18
6
>>
Implementing Success (cont'd)
DEVELOP TIERED FEE STRUCTURES: Most successful districts establish
a simple fee structure for the various types of community groups that use
theschoolfacilities.Groupsarecategorizedtoestablishcostrecoveryfees
based on the degree of connection with the students or the community.
Tumwater organized bill rates by establishing four key groups, each with
its own fee structure:
• Category 1: school groups – no charge
• Category 2: non-profit groups – cost recovery fee, no rental charge
• Category 3: community groups outside district boundaries –modified
commercial rental fee, custodial fee, recovery fee
• Category 4: commercial groups – market rate charge
Implementing these fee tables and charge types brought the most
notable efficiency gains. Such guidelines allow for faster quoting and
invoicing, which enables the district to respond to usage requests more
quickly.
IMPROVE INVOICE MANAGEMENT: A billing experience that is accurate
from start to finish improves service to the school’s customers and the
community users, as well as increases the likelihood that the group will
use those facilities in the future. In the most streamlined districts a quote
isprovidedtosetproperexpectations.Thefinalapprovedquotebecomes
the contract and the invoice, paid before the event occurs. If paid after the
event, be pleasantly persistent with past-due notices. An invoice not
collected is funding taken away from the classroom.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 19
7
8
>>
Implementing Success (cont'd)
ESTABLISH PRESENCE AT THE EVENT: The largest and most
quantifiable costs from community event use stem from custodial labor
charges. However, this presence is important. Having a custodian on-site
during events reduces damage to property and equipment and protects
the district. Albemarle County Public Schools has a custodian present for
each event since they are responsible for so much that goes on in
building, says Kim Rhodes. Most users understand this requirement after
an explanation of the potential damage that could occur if facilities were
left open and unsupervised.
COLLABORATE WITH PEERS AND CROSS DEPARTMENTAL TEAMS:
When reviewing the benefits of cost recovery and all that encompasses
facility use, consider networking with peers to learn what others are doing
and share best practices. User groups that meet on a regular basis, even if
it’s only once or twice a year, helps build relationships that foster a
cooperative learning environment. Eanes ISD helps facilitate a local
Facility Use user group in the Austin area and checks with colleagues as
partoftheirannualreviewprocess.JerriAnnYznagaviewsthegroupasan
invaluable resource.
At Seattle Public Schools, Fred Pamonag says, a cross departmental team
consists of members from the conservation department, building rental
office, facilities, custodial, and maintenance team. They reviews rates and
policies each August, so they’re ready to implement any changes at the
beginning of their fiscal year which starts in September. Getting input
from each team ensures all stakeholders in the process have a voice.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 20
9
10
Ending Debates
Whilesomedistrictsmaybesteadilyrecoveringthecostsassociatedwithcommunityuse,
manyarestillenduringapoliticalbattle.Mostschoolofficialsagreethatthepublicshould
be able to use a district’s school buildings. However, the issue of whether community
groups should be charged for usage is often debated. Some argue facility use should be
freeofchargefortaxpayerssincetheirdollarspaidforthebuildingsbeingused.Butmany,
including some government officials, realize this approach is doing more harm than good
andarecallingforachange.Ratherthansiphoningmoneyawayfromtheclassroom,cost
recovery for the community use of facilities helps to ensure that school funds are
protected to accomplish the core mission of schools: educating students.
Formoreinformationaboutcostrecoveryforthecommunityuseofyourfacilities,visitthe
SchoolDude Community today:
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 21
• Facility Use Discussion Group
• Sample Fee Tables
• Best Practice Webinars
• Industry Benchmarks and KPIs
Conclusion
Achieve excellence in facility use management
with an enterprise-wide solution
SchoolDude.com is the nation’s leading provider of on-demand software for facilities,
technology and business operations, designed exclusively for the unique needs of
educational professionals. SchoolDude’s event management suite of solutions allows
users to coordinate across facility, athletic and transportation departments.
• Event Essentials Pro streamlines the process of managing facility usage
requests,trackingeventschedulesandaccountingforeventusageexpensesat
thedistrictlevel.
• FSAutomationisanintegrationtoolthatconnectsandenablesdataexchange
between building automation systems (BAS), and other intelligent building
technologies,andEventEssentialsPro.
• TripDirect isacloud-basedtripplanningandmanagementsolutionthat
streamlinestheeducationaltripworkflowprocess,includingrequests,budget,
mileage,driverandvehiclescheduling.
Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 22
>>
EVENT ESSENTIALS PRO
Event Essentials Pro is a cloud-based collaborative event manage-
ment solution that simplifies the facility scheduling and community
use process, providing your educational institution with to tools to
process online payments and data to benchmark progress along
with the best practices coaching necessary to guide your team to
success.
Event Essentials Pro includes:
To learn more about Event Essentials Pro visit www.schooldude.com
11000 Regency Pkwy. | Suite 110 | Cary, NC 27518 | 877-868-3833
salesrequest@schooldude.com | www.schooldude.com

More Related Content

What's hot

Sheri Thompson Slides
Sheri Thompson SlidesSheri Thompson Slides
Sheri Thompson Slides
EMID Families
 
Steering Committee 12-4
Steering Committee 12-4Steering Committee 12-4
Steering Committee 12-4
Todd Neibauer
 
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing PresentationAnoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
Anoka-Hennepin School District
 
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell GrantsStudent Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
HigherEdUtah
 
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-EditedOECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
OECD Environment
 
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentationDr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
Molly Osborne
 
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.orgOECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
OECD Environment
 
Tuition rising - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
Tuition rising  - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...Tuition rising  - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
Tuition rising - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
Mariah Sharp
 
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
HigherEdUtah
 
Brent swallow, 6th october
Brent swallow, 6th october Brent swallow, 6th october
Brent swallow, 6th october
World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
 
Brent swallow 6th october
Brent swallow 6th october Brent swallow 6th october
Brent swallow 6th october
World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
 
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
DeirdreConner
 
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan BudgetOpen Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
Shanan_Sorochynski
 
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
 
The School Voucher Audit
The School Voucher AuditThe School Voucher Audit
The School Voucher Audit
Jeffrey Spalding
 

What's hot (15)

Sheri Thompson Slides
Sheri Thompson SlidesSheri Thompson Slides
Sheri Thompson Slides
 
Steering Committee 12-4
Steering Committee 12-4Steering Committee 12-4
Steering Committee 12-4
 
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing PresentationAnoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
Anoka-Hennepin School District Levy Hearing Presentation
 
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell GrantsStudent Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
Student Loans and the Impact of Pell Grants
 
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-EditedOECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Rolfe-Eberhard-Edited
 
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentationDr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
Dr. Marguerite Roza weighted student funding presentation
 
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.orgOECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
OECD-GIZ-Conference-Presentations-Water.org
 
Tuition rising - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
Tuition rising  - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...Tuition rising  - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
Tuition rising - why college costs so much (by ronald ehrenberg of cornell u...
 
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
USHE Budget Priorities 2013-14
 
Brent swallow, 6th october
Brent swallow, 6th october Brent swallow, 6th october
Brent swallow, 6th october
 
Brent swallow 6th october
Brent swallow 6th october Brent swallow 6th october
Brent swallow 6th october
 
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
Cash to Classrooms — Where Do You Stand? Part 1: How are our schools funded?
 
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan BudgetOpen Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
Open Forum on the 2014-15 Saskatchewan Budget
 
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
Smith "Changes in Higher Education and the Information Marketplace Financial ...
 
The School Voucher Audit
The School Voucher AuditThe School Voucher Audit
The School Voucher Audit
 

Viewers also liked

Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
Module 1 sustainability (presentation)Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
IRC
 
Depreciation Refresher-2017
Depreciation Refresher-2017Depreciation Refresher-2017
Depreciation Refresher-2017
Michael Hurwitz, CPA, MST
 
On Early Recovery by munas kalden
On Early Recovery by munas kaldenOn Early Recovery by munas kalden
On Early Recovery by munas kalden
Munas Kalden
 
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
WASHplus
 
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
India Water Portal
 
11. capnet ch8.1
11. capnet ch8.111. capnet ch8.1
11. capnet ch8.1
Andrey Skopenko
 
Capacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
Capacity Building for Nonprofit OrganizationsCapacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
Capacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
California Community Foundation
 
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum EfficiencyDeploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
Amazon Web Services
 
Concept of energy transmission & distribution
Concept of energy transmission & distribution Concept of energy transmission & distribution
Concept of energy transmission & distribution
ZunAib Ali
 

Viewers also liked (9)

Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
Module 1 sustainability (presentation)Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
Module 1 sustainability (presentation)
 
Depreciation Refresher-2017
Depreciation Refresher-2017Depreciation Refresher-2017
Depreciation Refresher-2017
 
On Early Recovery by munas kalden
On Early Recovery by munas kaldenOn Early Recovery by munas kalden
On Early Recovery by munas kalden
 
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
Lessons Learned from Working At Scale for Better Hygiene & Sanitation Practices
 
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
Cost recovery in Urban Local Bodies_Ramakrishna Nallathiga,NICMAR_May 2014
 
11. capnet ch8.1
11. capnet ch8.111. capnet ch8.1
11. capnet ch8.1
 
Capacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
Capacity Building for Nonprofit OrganizationsCapacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
Capacity Building for Nonprofit Organizations
 
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum EfficiencyDeploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
Deploying a Disaster Recovery Site on AWS: Minimal Cost with Maximum Efficiency
 
Concept of energy transmission & distribution
Concept of energy transmission & distribution Concept of energy transmission & distribution
Concept of energy transmission & distribution
 

Similar to Cost Recovery Whitepaper

The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
SchoolDude
 
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
SchoolDude
 
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program NeedsSpring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
jhackett
 
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
SchoolDude
 
Round 3 budget priorities
Round 3 budget prioritiesRound 3 budget priorities
Round 3 budget priorities
EducationNC
 
081208 Aaa Year In Review Presentation
081208 Aaa   Year In Review Presentation081208 Aaa   Year In Review Presentation
081208 Aaa Year In Review Presentation
biferguson
 
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
Education Resource Strategies
 
Resource Allocation and the Superintendency
Resource Allocation and the SuperintendencyResource Allocation and the Superintendency
Resource Allocation and the Superintendency
Education Resource Strategies
 
Superintendent Academy_January 2019
Superintendent Academy_January 2019Superintendent Academy_January 2019
Superintendent Academy_January 2019
Education Resource Strategies
 
annualreport_2014_for web
annualreport_2014_for webannualreport_2014_for web
annualreport_2014_for web
Allessandra Kummelehne
 
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.20182019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
EducationNC
 
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended LearningDistrict Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
Luis Taveras EMBA, MS
 
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member SurveyCampus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
Ohio Campus Compact
 
COST OF EDUCATION.pptx
COST OF EDUCATION.pptxCOST OF EDUCATION.pptx
COST OF EDUCATION.pptx
analiemagno
 
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdfHalifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
Mebane Rash
 
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptxFinancial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
"Kamia "Mia"" Mwango, MBA, CFAA
 
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
ijtsrd
 
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy final
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy  finalEnrollment management as a fiscal strategy  final
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy final
Sukhwant Jhaj
 
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppoResearch paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
SHIVA101531
 
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
jhackett
 

Similar to Cost Recovery Whitepaper (20)

The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
The Efficient Event: Find Savings with Excellent Event Management (from ASBO ...
 
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - Savings Summit 2013
 
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program NeedsSpring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
Spring09 D6 Financial And Program Needs
 
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
The Efficient Event - California Savings Summit 2013
 
Round 3 budget priorities
Round 3 budget prioritiesRound 3 budget priorities
Round 3 budget priorities
 
081208 Aaa Year In Review Presentation
081208 Aaa   Year In Review Presentation081208 Aaa   Year In Review Presentation
081208 Aaa Year In Review Presentation
 
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
Superintendent Academy_January 2019 v2
 
Resource Allocation and the Superintendency
Resource Allocation and the SuperintendencyResource Allocation and the Superintendency
Resource Allocation and the Superintendency
 
Superintendent Academy_January 2019
Superintendent Academy_January 2019Superintendent Academy_January 2019
Superintendent Academy_January 2019
 
annualreport_2014_for web
annualreport_2014_for webannualreport_2014_for web
annualreport_2014_for web
 
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.20182019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
2019 legislative presentation for sbe fall work session 10.31.2018
 
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended LearningDistrict Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
District Guide: Financing to Scale Blended Learning
 
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member SurveyCampus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
Campus Compact 2012 Annual Member Survey
 
COST OF EDUCATION.pptx
COST OF EDUCATION.pptxCOST OF EDUCATION.pptx
COST OF EDUCATION.pptx
 
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdfHalifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
Halifax-ITHelpdeskSolarApprent_JAN 2022.pdf
 
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptxFinancial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
Financial Aid to Increase Yield and Retention General.pptx
 
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
Maintenance and other Operating Expenses MOOE and School Based Management SBM...
 
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy final
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy  finalEnrollment management as a fiscal strategy  final
Enrollment management as a fiscal strategy final
 
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppoResearch paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
Research paper you research should be on equal employment oppo
 
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
Spring 2009 Finance Presentation For Pt As V2
 

Cost Recovery Whitepaper

  • 1. Examining the successful implementation of cost recovery programs in our schools. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools W H I T E P A P E R
  • 2. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools Nationwide, educational institutions like yours are experiencing exponential growth in both on- and off-campus events, resulting in a constant competition for facility and transportation resources. Additionally, the events explosion puts further demands on your limited support staff. Then there’s the cost. This white paper examines 10 years of data collected from more than 1,700 educational institutions, and summarizes the advice and best practices for cost recovery from facility use administrators across the U.S.
  • 3. The Cost Recovery Champions We Interviewed A special thanks to these facility scheduling champions, who assisted SchoolDude with the analysis necessary to compile this white paper. We appreciate their time and willingness to share with others their best practices in achieving cost recovery for their schools. LauriRainwater–Maintenance,ClaytonSchoolDistrict,MO KimStutzman–SupportServices,TumwaterSchoolDistrict#33,WA. WadeBrosius–Facilities,GarnetValleySchoolDistrict,PA FredPamonag–ManagerofFacilityTechnology-SeattlePublicSchools,WA JerriAnnYznaga–FacilityScheduler–EanesISD,TX KimberlyRhodes–OperationsManagerFiscalServices–AlbemarleCountyPS–VA DeniseWoolridge–FacilityUsageManager–RockwoodSD–MO MichelleWilson–FacilityCoordinator–LeanderISD-TX Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 1
  • 4. Recovering Costs to Find Relief Maximizing Opportunities Meeting Demands Impact of Facility Use on Schools Recovering Funds Getting Started and Continuous Improvement is Key Implementing Success Ending Debates Conclusion 3 4 5 7 9 13 15 21 22 TABLE OF CONTENTS Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 2
  • 5. Recovering Costs to Find Relief In this time of continually tightening budgets, school business officials and facility leaders are challenged to identify alternate sources of income and more effective ways to cut operating costs. One trend that is increasing the financial burden on operating staffs and budgets is the use of school facilities by the community. This trend reflects growing sentiment that school facilities should be used more frequently because taxpayers and other stakeholders have invested billions in these assets. However, facility usage by outside groups strains already tight budgets and limited staff by creating high demand for a district’s support services teams (custodial, maintenance, IT, athletics) and generating additional costs in the form of utilities, custodial overtime and wear and tear on equipment and facilities. While educational professionals recognize that the use of school facilities by the community must be supported, they also must acknowledge that some of these related costs must be recovered. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 3
  • 6. Maximizing Opportunities In 2002, SchoolDude surveyed its clients regarding their organizations’ desires and current policies concerning community use of school buildings. The responses indicated that usage of facilities by outside parties was a high priority, as well as a service districts hoped to continue and even improve. Almost all respondents were committed to using facilities for extra-curricular events, and most shared a common goal to fully maximize the use of facilities to better serve their communities (Figure 1). Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 4 What phrase best describes your district’s policies towards the scheduling of your facilities outside of normal educational needs? Our goal is to fully maximize the use of facilities to better serve the community We allow the facilities to be used for only a limited number of extracurricular uses We try to use the facilities for anything other than the districts education needs 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 450 Figure 1
  • 7. Meeting Demands This commitment of facilities for community use leads to the inevitable rising costs entailed by being a benefactor to the community. Incurring additional costs to accommodate public use of facilities presents an incremental problem to already money-tight districts. A 10 year study of more than 1,700 school districts, colleges and private schools using SchoolDude’s facility scheduling solution examines how educational professionals nationwide are coping with this demand for community use of school facilities. The sampling revealed that the average Public K-12 district holds nearly one event per studentperyear.Thetop20%ofdistrictshavenearlyoneandahalfeventsperstudent per year (Figure 2). Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 5 Figure 2 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.93 AVERAGE EVENTS PER STUDENT 2014 1.49 TOP 20% EVENTS PER STUDENT 2014 Calendar Year 2014 >>
  • 8. Meeting Demands (cont'd) While one event per student per year is a good rule of thumb, it’s important to note that the size of a district influences this benchmark. The data shows that the larger a district, the less events per student are held annually. For school systems with more than 5,000 students, the average number of events per student drops to less than one event per student per year. Annual averages for the numberofeventsperstudentrangefrom.37forthelargestdistrictsintheUS,to1.77for the smallest, depending on enrollment size of the district (Figure 3). Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 6 Figure 3 ENROLLMENT RANGE AVG TOTAL EVENTS 2014 AVG EVENTS/ STUDENT/2014 TOP 20% < 1,000 1,018 1.77 2.42 1,000-2,499 2,132 1.20 1.86 2,500-5,000 3,506 0.95 1.49 5,000-14,999 5,949 0.71 1.23 15,000-24,999 10,354 0.53 0.85 25,000-49,999 15,079 0.43 0.68 > 50,000 34,582 0.37 0.55
  • 9. Impact of Facility Use on School There are a myriad of activities going on at every institution during the school day as well as afterhours, for school related activities as well as community events and outside groups. WhatisoftenoverlookedintheFacilityUseconversationisthefinancialimpactall of these rentals have on an institution. Scheduling events and coordinating support services is a complicated process that involvesmanystakeholders. Betweencheckingspacesforavailability,routingpermitsfor approval through multiple channels, notifying service providers and checking for proof of insurance; principals and site secretaries, the business office, department heads and teachers, as well as the food services, custodial, technology / AV, energy management, and maintenance departments could all be all involved in a single permit request. At the end of the day, limited resources make it challenging to support the facility use process. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 7 >>
  • 10. Impact of Facility Use on School (cont'd) Taking into consideration all those moving parts and associating a cost with each one, it starts to add up quickly. SchoolDude estimates schools incur about $70 per student per year due to Facility Use (Figure 4). And while Public K-12 schools are not a for profit business,pressurefromshrinkingoperationsbudgetsforceschoolstothinkabouthowto minimize the loss they incur from Facility Use. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 8 Figure 4 SCHOOL DISTRICT ESTIMATES Estimated Costs for Facility Rental / Facility Usage / Non Standard Events Date Entry Fields Researched Estimated Values (can be overwritten with a more accurate value) Calculated Estimated Values (can be overwritten with a more accurate value) Calculated Values (derived answers should not be overwritten) Costs Recovered (invoiced & Collected) Annually $ – Number of Students 5,000 1.00 5,000 35 60 $256 $330 10.0% 1.5% Number of Events per student per year Number of Events per year Administrative Staff Time per event (minutes) Custodial Time per event (minutes) Energy Costs per student/per year M&O Costs per student/per year Energy Increase, related to events M&O Increase/Wear & Tear, related to events Staff Time (hours) per year Custodial Time (hours) per year Total Energy Cost per year Total M&O per year Staff Time Custodial Energy M&O / Wear & Tear Estimated Cost of Events RESULTS $ 350, 667 $70 per student 2,917 5,000 $ 72,917 $ 24,750 $ 128,000 $ 125,000 $ 1,280,000 $ 1,650,000 $25 $25 10.0% 1.5% = = = = hrs @ hrs @ @ @ $ 72,917 $ 24,750 $ 128,000 $ 125,000
  • 11. Recovering Funds Theissueathandishowtokeepfacilityusefromcostingschoolsystemsmoneytheysimply can’t afford to donate to the community. Most agree that the rising use of schools by the community adds costs and burdens operating budgets due to increased custodial labor costs (e.g. overtime), energy costs and increased maintenance costs. But each school districtusesitsownuniquestrategytomanagethecommunityuseofschools.Eachhasits own fee schedules, policies, “do not charge” lists, tiered structures, add-on charges and leadershipphilosophy. Apracticalmeasureofhowwellaschooldistrictisrecoveringaportionofthesecostsisthe study of annual cost recovery income, which is collected by the district for the community use of schools. SchoolDude’s sample set of participants included organizations ranging in size from those with less than 150 students to ones with more than 175,000 students. To compare districts of varying sizes, SchoolDude developed a metric of “cost recovery per student”toallowcomparisonsacrossthesizespectrum. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 9 >> Figure 5 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Calendar Year 2014 $18.68 - AVERAGE $27.75 - TOP 20%
  • 12. Recovering Funds (cont'd) Given this scale, it’s easy to demonstrate not only a district’s cost recovery from the previous year, but also an average cost recovery opportunity per student. From this information, SchoolDude estimates that the average district recovers $18.68 per student inannualincome(Figure5). Districtsinthetop20%exceed$27perstudentannually,and districtsinthe90thpercentilerecovermorethan$43perstudentannually(Figure6). Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 10 NEW JERSEY Englewood BOE East Brunswick Kenilworth Board of Education North Brunswick Township Hopewell Valley Regional School District NEW YORK Clarkstown CSD White Plains CSD Chappaqua CSD CONNECTICUT Regional SD #15 Middlebury MISSOURI Kirkwood R-VII ILLINOIS Lake Forest District 67 & 115 NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools VIRGINIA Falls Church City Public Schools PENNSYLVANIA Upper Saint Clair School District Great Valley School District DELAWARE Appoquinimink School District TEXAS Eanes ISD ARIZONA Vail School District CALIFORNIA Tamalpais Union HS District Yolo County Office of Education Campbell Union High School District Albany Unified School District Laguna Beach USD MICHIGAN Whitmore Lake Public Schools Lake Orion Community Schools WISCONSIN Shorewood School District Mequon - Thiensville School District OREGON Sisters School District 6 Plainville Public Schools Milton Public Schools City of Newton Schools Reading Public Schools Woburn Public Schools Quincy Public Schools Bellingham Public Schools Chelmsford Public Schools Barnstable Public Schools East Bridgewater Public Schools MASSACHUSETTSDistricts in the 90th Percentile Figure 6 >>
  • 13. Recovering Funds (cont'd) Thecostrecoverytrendisup$1.22from2013andsteadilyincreasedeachyearsince2006 (Figure7).Thereareanumberoffactorscontributingtothistrend.Heightenedawareness of the impact facility use has on schools, the development of new teams and processes focused on facility use, and increased budget constraints pressuring leaders to look for newfinancialgainopportunities.Andtheopportunitiesaresignificant. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 11 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 $18.68 $17.46 $17.08 $16.01 $15.15 $13.99 $12.99 $12.37 $10.37 Figure 7 >>
  • 14. Recovering Funds (cont'd) Taking into consideration the average and top 20% cost recovery rates of the entire sample, the chart below illustrates the annual cost recovery opportunities for various-sized school districts (Figure 8). A typical school district of 5,000 students can recover an average of nearly $76,000 per year, and with a diligent cost recovery program, can recover well over $165,000 per year. A large district of 35,000 students can recover an average of $479,000 and with a diligent cost recovery program well over $765,000- an equivalentof15FTEs. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 12 Figure 8 ENROLLMENT RANGE AVG INVOICED TOTAL 2014 AVG INVOICED/ STUDENT/2014 TOP 20% < 1,000 $12,585 $27.13 $35.50 1,000-2,499 $34,752 $19.30 $30.32 2,500-5,000 $76,186 $20.39 $33.47 5,000-14,999 $161,347 $18.77 $29.97 15,000-24,999 $261,451 $14.25 $17.62 25,000-49,999 $461,221 $13.69 $21.86 > 50,000 $1,328,954 $15.06 $23.70 >>
  • 15. Getting Started and Continuous Improvement is Key Through research and studying clients’ experiences, SchoolDude discovered that many districts, once they begin a cost recovery program, improve cost recovery year over year. Figure8showsschoolsystemsthataredoingexceptionallywellwithcostrecoveryoverafour yearinterval.Thecriteriausedtoselecttheseschoolsystemsareasfollows: The upcoming chart (Figure 9) show that school districts and educational institutions have successfullyintroducedinvoicingprogramsandthatmanyareincreasingtheirrecoveryofcosts for community use year over year. However, in the population of more than 1,700 institutions examined, more than 65% were invoicing less than $5 per student per year, or were not invoicingatall.Interviewswiththesedistrictsrevealedavarietyofroadblocksgenerallyrelated to the materials, processes, and know-how to get started. The remainder of the paper is dedicated to best practices and resources from institutions successfully invoicing to offer informationandtohelpotherslaunchinvoicingprograms.Thekeyistogetstarted. • Higher than average cost recovery income relative to student enrollment • Steadily growing cost recovery over several years Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 13 >>
  • 16. Getting Started and Continuous Improvement is Key (cont'd) Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 14 DISTRICT - STATE - ENROLLMENT Falls Church City Public Schools-VA- 2,084 East Brunswick-NJ- 8,725 Plainville Public Schools-MA- 803 Kenilworth Board of Education-NJ- 1,258 Appoquinimink School District-DE- 9,319 Vail School District-AZ- 10,615 Albany Unified School District-CA- 3,882 White Plains CSD-NY- 7,134 Barnstable Public Schools-MA- 4,153 Norwood Public Schools-MA- 3,454 East Bridgewater Public Schools-MA- 2,314 Woodburn Public Schools-MA- 4,809 Thompson School District-CO- 15,310 Clarkston Community Schools-MI- 8,160 Chelmsford Public Schools-MA- 5,307 Campbell Union School District-CA- 7,555 Whitefish Bay-WI- 2,989 Orange County Public School-FL- 176,008 Colts Neck Township-NJ- 1,244 Lenape Regional HS District-NJ- 7,557 JO Combs School District-AZ- 4,290 Olmstead Falls City Schools-OH- 3,777 2011 2012 2013 2014 INVOICED PER STUDENT PER YEAR TREND 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Figure 9
  • 17. Implementing Success Many successful school systems were interviewed about their procedures and lessons learned while implementing their cost recovery program. Based on these clients’ successes, applying the following best practices could assist with successfully implementing or improving a facility use program: DISTRIBUTE EVENT MANAGEMENT: It is critical to find a balance between which aspects of the process are centralized and which are distributed. Consideration should be given to school personnel regarding control and decision-making so authorization of who can use the school at what times can be centralized or distributed as appropriate. Districts with the most successful facility scheduling programs have determined that billing and policies must be centralized. Concerns such as risk management and community image drive this need for centralization. However, a method must also be created to allow decentralized decision-making regarding groups, event conflicts and ownership of the schools. The ability to empower school-level administrators, while at the same time maintaining centralized invoicing and policies, makes having both centralized and decentralized processes a necessity. An automated, role-based, multi-user facility scheduling solution makes this possible. This holds true for Leander ISD in Texas and Seattle Public Schools in Washington. Both districts have Site Administrators approve events for their school, but any outside groups must then come through the Central Office. While decision-making is distributed to accommodate multiple layers of event management, the Central Office serves as the go-to for invoicing and scheduling. This structure helps harness the collection of money to recover costs associated with community use. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 15 1 >>
  • 18. Implementing Success (cont'd) AUTOMATE THE PROCESS: Paper, spreadsheets, calendars and email systems lack the efficiency gains provided by an on-demand facility scheduling and tracking tool. With multiple parties – such as principals, teachers, custodians, coaches and community groups – involved in the process, communication is key. Automating the methods of communication used prevents duplicate entry of requests and schedule overrides. After years of using paper calendars, Clayton School District in Missouri, grasped the importance of this automation, as well. Thousands of facility use requests flowing into the district’s facility scheduling department, creates the necessity of molding a process to implement the most efficient method for all departments involved. Using a web-based program to communicate approval and set-up details saves time and money for the district, which enables those resources to then be allocated elsewhere. START SMALL AND GAIN BUY-IN: When implementing a facility use program, begin with only certain types of rooms or certain schools. Gain support and buy-in from administrators and assistants, and then let those positively affected by the changes help sell the idea to the rest of the district. Tumwater School District in Washington knows that administrative support was imperative. Knowing the new process would improve efficiency and increase cost recovery, the district’s facility director made sure those in the district office and business office were on board. This solid start set the tone for developing additional backing. Then they began with one venue in one school. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 16 2 3 >>
  • 19. Implementing Success (cont'd) RECOGNIZE THAT LEADERSHIP IS KEY: All those involved (e.g. school board, superintendent, facilities department, athletic directors, principals, business office) must agree to support a policy that establishes fee structures, a cost recovery philosophy, and the process changes needed within the school district. Jerri Ann Yznaga with Eanes ISD believes getting buy in from leadership is the most important factor to a successful facility use process. Most philosophies consist of a goal-driven approach that focuses not on making money from community use but simply recovering costs. BUILD SUPPORT WITH PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANTS: Taking the time to build support with school-level administrators is important. Their understanding of what they will gain from this change is key in garnering support for a district-wide approach to community use. Positives include better visibility of who is in a building and when, not having to play the “bad guy” with certain groups or school users, lowered risk, improved security and less work. At Clayton School District in Missouri, not everyone involved in the process would see the advantages at first. To help extin- guish conflicts before they arose, principals and school personnel were informed about what was in it for them, and training manuals were creat- ed to aid with the rollout of their facility scheduling system. The principals appreciated knowing what is taking place in their buildings and having the ability to approve the events. Meeting one-on-one with administrators and assistants to provide detailed explanations helped ease fears associ- ated with implementing a new tool that would ultimately enable better scheduling and cost recovery. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 17 4 5 >>
  • 20. Implementing Success (cont'd) RECOVER COSTS: With the rising use of schools by the community creating very real demands on resources and school budgets, recovering the costs used to support this facility use is crucial. The consensus among Facility Use Campus Champions is that school systems should at least estimate their costs for: • Administration of events – Calculate administrators’ time to receive requests, check availability, check insurance validity, acquire approvals, inform users of policies and restrictions, arrange for services, create an invoice, and collect payment. • Custodial services – Calculate the cost of custodial time for events. Most school systems agree that events require custodial services at leastahalfhourbeforeandafteranevent,andfrequentlythatinvolves custodial overtime. • Utility usage – Calculate the estimated impact on your energy and water bills. Use of schools after hours requires the HVAC to keep running, lights to stay on, and equipment to be powered. • Facility wear and tear – Calculate the shortened life of buildings and equipment resulting from additional use. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 18 6 >>
  • 21. Implementing Success (cont'd) DEVELOP TIERED FEE STRUCTURES: Most successful districts establish a simple fee structure for the various types of community groups that use theschoolfacilities.Groupsarecategorizedtoestablishcostrecoveryfees based on the degree of connection with the students or the community. Tumwater organized bill rates by establishing four key groups, each with its own fee structure: • Category 1: school groups – no charge • Category 2: non-profit groups – cost recovery fee, no rental charge • Category 3: community groups outside district boundaries –modified commercial rental fee, custodial fee, recovery fee • Category 4: commercial groups – market rate charge Implementing these fee tables and charge types brought the most notable efficiency gains. Such guidelines allow for faster quoting and invoicing, which enables the district to respond to usage requests more quickly. IMPROVE INVOICE MANAGEMENT: A billing experience that is accurate from start to finish improves service to the school’s customers and the community users, as well as increases the likelihood that the group will use those facilities in the future. In the most streamlined districts a quote isprovidedtosetproperexpectations.Thefinalapprovedquotebecomes the contract and the invoice, paid before the event occurs. If paid after the event, be pleasantly persistent with past-due notices. An invoice not collected is funding taken away from the classroom. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 19 7 8 >>
  • 22. Implementing Success (cont'd) ESTABLISH PRESENCE AT THE EVENT: The largest and most quantifiable costs from community event use stem from custodial labor charges. However, this presence is important. Having a custodian on-site during events reduces damage to property and equipment and protects the district. Albemarle County Public Schools has a custodian present for each event since they are responsible for so much that goes on in building, says Kim Rhodes. Most users understand this requirement after an explanation of the potential damage that could occur if facilities were left open and unsupervised. COLLABORATE WITH PEERS AND CROSS DEPARTMENTAL TEAMS: When reviewing the benefits of cost recovery and all that encompasses facility use, consider networking with peers to learn what others are doing and share best practices. User groups that meet on a regular basis, even if it’s only once or twice a year, helps build relationships that foster a cooperative learning environment. Eanes ISD helps facilitate a local Facility Use user group in the Austin area and checks with colleagues as partoftheirannualreviewprocess.JerriAnnYznagaviewsthegroupasan invaluable resource. At Seattle Public Schools, Fred Pamonag says, a cross departmental team consists of members from the conservation department, building rental office, facilities, custodial, and maintenance team. They reviews rates and policies each August, so they’re ready to implement any changes at the beginning of their fiscal year which starts in September. Getting input from each team ensures all stakeholders in the process have a voice. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 20 9 10
  • 23. Ending Debates Whilesomedistrictsmaybesteadilyrecoveringthecostsassociatedwithcommunityuse, manyarestillenduringapoliticalbattle.Mostschoolofficialsagreethatthepublicshould be able to use a district’s school buildings. However, the issue of whether community groups should be charged for usage is often debated. Some argue facility use should be freeofchargefortaxpayerssincetheirdollarspaidforthebuildingsbeingused.Butmany, including some government officials, realize this approach is doing more harm than good andarecallingforachange.Ratherthansiphoningmoneyawayfromtheclassroom,cost recovery for the community use of facilities helps to ensure that school funds are protected to accomplish the core mission of schools: educating students. Formoreinformationaboutcostrecoveryforthecommunityuseofyourfacilities,visitthe SchoolDude Community today: Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 21 • Facility Use Discussion Group • Sample Fee Tables • Best Practice Webinars • Industry Benchmarks and KPIs
  • 24. Conclusion Achieve excellence in facility use management with an enterprise-wide solution SchoolDude.com is the nation’s leading provider of on-demand software for facilities, technology and business operations, designed exclusively for the unique needs of educational professionals. SchoolDude’s event management suite of solutions allows users to coordinate across facility, athletic and transportation departments. • Event Essentials Pro streamlines the process of managing facility usage requests,trackingeventschedulesandaccountingforeventusageexpensesat thedistrictlevel. • FSAutomationisanintegrationtoolthatconnectsandenablesdataexchange between building automation systems (BAS), and other intelligent building technologies,andEventEssentialsPro. • TripDirect isacloud-basedtripplanningandmanagementsolutionthat streamlinestheeducationaltripworkflowprocess,includingrequests,budget, mileage,driverandvehiclescheduling. Recovering Costs for the Community Use of Our Schools 22 >>
  • 25. EVENT ESSENTIALS PRO Event Essentials Pro is a cloud-based collaborative event manage- ment solution that simplifies the facility scheduling and community use process, providing your educational institution with to tools to process online payments and data to benchmark progress along with the best practices coaching necessary to guide your team to success. Event Essentials Pro includes: To learn more about Event Essentials Pro visit www.schooldude.com 11000 Regency Pkwy. | Suite 110 | Cary, NC 27518 | 877-868-3833 salesrequest@schooldude.com | www.schooldude.com