MONROE — Rates to rent the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center will likely change after months of discussion with members of the board of education looking to finalize numbers for consideration during the next district finance committee meeting.
Talks of change have been infrequent during finance committee meetings since before the school year began, but during its meeting Dec. 10, the committee agreed to consider changes to go into effect before the 2019-20 school year.
PAC Director Jennifer Bochar appeared before committee members to discuss comparable arts centers of other districts and how Monroe falls greatly below other districts of its size and generally takes in much less than it makes for events.
“It’s great to support the community, but we want to cover actual costs as well,” she said, adding that aging equipment and fixtures reaching 20 years of use were reaching the limit of usable lifespans.
Bochar said the PAC operates on a $5,000 annual budget. While the hourly rate for most groups is $45 in Monroe, she said Adams-Friendship schools charge $200 for a maximum of two hours and $25 for any additional hour. In Edgerton, she noted that the 18-year-old performance center hosts community shows funded through a local endowment. For non-community events, the fee is $100 per hour with a $25 rehearsal fee. Both charge other fees, like the cost of a weekend custodian; Adams-Friendship at $20 per hour and Edgerton at $27 hourly.
Monroe, like other schools with centers like PAC, charges differently if the group renting the space is a nonprofit organization. Because it also works with groups throughout the community, there are negotiated rates for certain entities.
District Administrator Rick Waski noted during the meeting that the arrangements were part of the problem for PAC revenue.
“I don’t think we should just not charge each other, but instead keep an inventory of the costs on both sides,” Waski said. “If it’s a wash, great.”
But, he said, he would recommend a flat rate with no exceptions because “you cover this and we’ll cover that” rarely evens out.
One example Bochar provided was the use of PAC by the Monroe Arts Center, which pays a $100 deposit for each of its events held at the center. However, MAC generally accrues a $5,000 annual expense for PAC based on estimates, from just over $6,000 in the 2015-16 school year to more than $4,700 in 2017-18.
Others include the Mat Rats Tournament Awards Presentation hosted by the Green County Family YMCA for no charge, but generally costs roughly $210 for PAC organizers, or the YMCA Youth Basketball Parent meetings held at no cost but at an estimated expense to the district of $90 each time. Another example was the 2016 YMCA State Gymnastics Tournament Awards presentation that spanned two days. Bochar said the group paid $360, but the estimated actual cost was over $4,700.
Monroe Clinic’s “PARTY in the PAC” event is also held at no cost, but has an estimated expense of $905.
The problem lies in arrangements like the ones referenced by Waski. Monroe Clinic Foundation may not pay a fee for the event, but it has supported PAC with grants for equipment purchases and lighting upgrades in recent years; over $1,300 in 2017 for new microphones and almost the exact amount again in 2018 for light fixture upgrades.
Director of Curriculum & Instruction Terri Montgomery said another unspecified agreement includes “significant” contributions by MAC, roughly $12,000 each year. The programs hosted by MAC span across each of the district’s elementary schools, Monroe Middle School and MHS and the organization even helps the district secure grant funding for programming.
“That’s probably the most complicated part of this,” Waski said.
Bochar initially suggested a possible block structure rental of $125 per hour to include setup, costs of the house manager and tear down expenses.
“I think it’s a little bit more straight forward and easy to understand that,” she said. “For simplicity, I think block structure works better.”
After discussion, members agreed to consider a block structure of $250 to cover up to two hours. The fee would double every two hours unless it surpasses eight hours. Then it would switch to $125 per hour. Nonprofit groups would receive a discount. Waski said the numbers would be simplified for a final proposal to deliberate during a January finance committee meeting.