School Building Rental Guidelines
APPLICATIONS & RENTAL CONTRACTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS
- West Fargo Public Schools makes its elementary, middle, and high school facilities available for public use, with some exceptions to availability. School buildings are closed to all outside organizations from May 15 – September 15 and during non-instructional weekdays during the school year (vacations, professional development days, and holidays). These parameters do not apply to events scheduled by the district’s activities departments, or events that are directly affiliated with the district (PTO/PTA, Packer Backers, Mustang Boosters, WFEA, School Board, district-level hosted events, etc.)
- West Fargo Public Schools opens their gymnasiums, commons, libraries, and locker rooms at all schools.
- The hours of use on school days (excluding Wednesdays when facilities are not available for rent) shall be restricted to the period from
- Elementary Schools available 6:00PM – 9:00PM
- Middle Schools available 8:00PM – 10:00PM
- High schools are not available Monday – Friday, but setup arrangements may be made with the Facilities Rental Program at the time of application. The hours of use on weekends shall be restricted to the period of 6:00AM – 11:00PM at all schools.
- All clients must submit a rental application to the Facilities Rental Program for the use of a school facility at least five business days in advance of the desired use date(s). Team/organization rosters must be submitted in conjunction with an application if an organization feels they may be eligible for the WFPS student discount (see Regulations – Fee Structure 5B).
- Applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year and will be reviewed as they are received by the Facility Rental Program. The utilization of four processing timeframes throughout the year allows the district to assign space based on the best utilization possible, rather than on a first come, first-serve basis. All applications will be processed according to the following timeline:
- September 16 – September 30 events are processed the first week in September.
- October 1 – December 31 events are processed the second week in September.
- January 1 – May 14 events are processed the first week in December.
- Applications may be referred to another school facility if the requested facility is unavailable or inappropriate for the purposes of the requesting client.
- Once the application has been approved by all appropriate parties within the district, a rental contract will be issued, and the event will be added to the appropriate district calendar(s).
- The rental contract must be electronically signed by the client at least 5 Business days in advance of the desired use date in order to avoid cancellation of reservations and/or the rental contract. Use of a West Fargo Public Schools space will not be permitted without a signed contract.
- In the event, a rental occurs on a day, time, or location not listed on the signed contract, a $50 fee will be charged to the renter. The renter utilizing the space will also be billed for the used space at 125% of the regular rate to account for unplanned overtime expenses. Discounted rates will not apply on non-contracted spaces used.
- Cancellation of any event is permitted. In order to avoid a penalty, the cancellation notice must be received at least 24 business hours in advance. After the second time the client does not notify the Facility Rental Program and does not arrive for a scheduled event, the entire contract will be terminated. Deviations from this guideline may be permitted by the Facility Rental Program.
- Once a rental contract is drafted, the only allowable changes are cancellations of confirmed dates, as referenced in #7 above. Any other change (date/time/location/equipment) must be done through the submission of a new application and will result in the loss of currently reserved space.
- Use of the facilities shall not be permitted to interfere with the operation of the schools or with school activities. School-sponsored activities always take precedence, even when scheduled after the signing of a facility rental contract.
- Equal rights and privileges shall be accorded to all clients seeking space.
- No one client will be allowed to monopolize the use of any facility. No contract will be signed for more than two 60-minute sessions per week for the same purpose. Deviations from this guideline may be permitted at the discretion of Facility Rental Program once all other requests for the space have been acted upon.
- Use of the facilities by clients is automatically cancelled when schools must be closed due to inclement weather or other conditions.
- An event liaison is required to be present at every large event over 50 participants. The event liaison is responsible for enforcing all district policies and expectations related to facility rentals, as well as being the point of contact for potential district questions and concerns. Event liaison information will be collected, in addition to the client’s, on large event facility rental applications and will be shared with district event staff as appropriate. District affiliated events that are required to pay staffing fees can utilize volunteer staff member to work as the events liaison at no additional fee, but custodial fees are required and cannot be volunteered time.
- In no instance may a signed rental contract be transferred from one client to another.
Respectful Use of Space in School Buildings
As indicated in West Fargo Public Schools “Use of District Facilities for other than School Purposes – Guideline 9,” clients are expected to conduct activities and use the space(s) in a respectful and orderly manner. It is expected that all clients will show respect to the building, staff, equipment, and each other when utilizing the space for their contractual period.
Specific examples of the expectations that need to be followed include, but are not limited to:
- Requesting any necessary equipment or set-up needs at time of application and adhering to a contract once it has been created and signed.
- Appropriate adult supervision of all children and participants
- Refraining from bouncing, kicking, or passing balls in any area other than a gymnasium
- Not attempting to alter the current state of the gymnasium bleachers upon arrival.
- Not impeding on other clients’ use of the space by arriving early, staying late, or invading any space that is in current use by another client.
- Occupying your designated space only for the time indicated on your contract - you cannot use any additional spaces or times other than what is listed on your contract.
- Not climbing on chairs, tables, shelves, or other structures that may prove dangerous or cause damage to school property.
- Recognizing that a space is being used by another client and providing them a comfortable and respectful level of space and noise to have a positive experience.
- Not impeding on the building staff’s district and facility-level responsibilities
- Keeping exterior and interior doors closed at all times.
- Using appropriate volume levels
- Picking-up any equipment you have been approved for use.
- Addressing spills, messes, and damages in a timely manner and with appropriate action
- Speaking to all building occupants in a respectful tone, without the use of derogatory, insulting, or hateful language
- Notifying the Facilities Rental Program at least 24 hours in advance of a cancellation
Consequences
Upon notification of a client’s misuse of space (including those mentioned above), the Facility Rental Program will contact the client in question to discuss the issue. One warning will be given for the first infraction; any subsequent infractions will result in the loss of space for the remainder of the contractual period. As indicated in West Fargo Public Schools “Use of District Facilities for other than School Purposes – Guideline 4,” a client who violates the terms of the rental contract can also be denied future privileges at the discretion of the Facility Rental Program.
Fundraiser Guidelines
General Fundraisers:
- All fundraisers where proceeds do not directly benefit students are subject to the full rental price for the facility and associated staffing fees.
Fundraisers for District Staff and Current Students:
- Fundraisers organized for the benefit of district staff and current students are exempt from facility rental fees; however, staffing fees are applicable.
Fundraisers for District Activities:
- Fundraisers organized for district-approved activities are not required to pay for the facility usage; however, staffing fees are applicable. Note that meetings are not considered fundraisers.
Any extenuating circumstances should be discussed with the Director of Facilities Rentals and Business Manager.
These guidelines are implemented to ensure transparent and fair treatment for all fundraisers utilizing West Fargo Public Schools facilities. The district reserves the right to evaluate and make exceptions based on specific circumstances. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide accurate information regarding the nature of the fundraiser to determine the applicable fees. These guidelines are effective immediately and will be enforced for all future fundraising events.