Herricks fees riles Scouts

Richard Tedesco

The Herricks Board of Education did not earn any merit badges at last Thursday night’s board meeting that featured a heated debate with the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts over facility usage fees for school district buildings.

Months of sorting out a formula for fees to be charged community groups using Herricks School District facilities ended with the board voting unanimously to establish an annual $50 minimum for all outside organizations using its buildings.

Representatives of Boy Scout Troop 201 and local Girl Scout troops had come prepared to the meeting with questions about what the fees would mean for their organizations and why they should be assessed any usage fees at all.

“The Boy Scouts don’t only use the facilities, but we give back,” said Timothy Farrell, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 20. “We’ve given back thousands of dollars in projects to benefit the district.”

Herricks Girl Scouts representative Laura Andreacchi said the organization also gives back to the school district. Andreacchi  said the new fee structure could be particularly burdensome to the Girl Scouts, which has troops at different grade levels in schools around the district.

“We just want to know now what you’re charging,” Andreacchi said, adding that school administrators have resisted scheduling meetings for Girl Scout groups pending word from the school board on its fee policy.

Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth said the school board was seeking to make fees for use of indoor and outdoor facilities equitable.

In prior discussions on the subject, Helen Costigan, Herricks assistant superintendent for business, said Herricks Athletic Director Jim Petricca had been assessing teams annual fees of $30 for using district school facilities. No change in that rate was discussed.

Assessment of fees for facility usage – apart from groups that maintain long-term leases in the Herricks Community Center – began during the 2011-12 school year in response to the increasing financial pressures placed on the school following approval of the state-mandated tax cap. 

“I think all board members find this usage fee distasteful,” said school board Vice President Jim Gounaris.

Farrell said he thought the $50 fee was “nominal” but expressed concern about custodial fees he was informed the scouts would be required to cover for buildings used when they wouldn’t otherwise be open.

Costigan said this was a separate issue from the annual fee on groups to cover expenses of groups that use school buildings. Costigan said she would meet with Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders “to make it fair” for all parties.

Gounaris said the school board would structure its fees to work with the Girl Scouts’ organizational structure. The board informally qualified its resolution imposing the annual $50 fee to enable Costigan to reach amicable terms with both groups.

“This whole process was not meant to be profitable,” said Trustee Sanjay Jain.

Three Boy Scout organizations currently meet in district facilities: Boy Scout Troop 201 and two Cub Scout Packs. The Herricks Association of Girl Scouts of Nassau County comprises the six levels of Girl Scout troops in Herricks schools including Daisies (grades K,1), Brownies ( grades 2,3) Juniors (grades 4,5) Cadets, (grades 6,8) Seniors (grades 9,10) and Ambassadors (grades 11,12).

Seniors and Ambassadors typically hold meetings in private homes, according to Donna Rivera-Downey, chief marketing and communications officer for Girls Scouts of Nassau County. She said the issue of facility fees is a thorny one for the Girl Scouts throughout the county as school districts impose fees in response to the current financial crunch. 

“If each troop was assessed a $50 fee, that would be a real hardship for each troop,” Rivera-Downey said.

She said the Girl Scout troops’ main source of income is derived from fundraising efforts such as sales of Girl Scout cookies. She said building fees could adversely affect their ability to take trips and engage in other activities. Troops are usually starting up at this time of year, she added, so parents are already paying $2 weekly membership fees for each scout.

In other developments:

• The board revised a rental agreement with the Young Indian Culture Group at the Middle School for use of the school on Saturdays during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school year for an annual rent of $36,500. Costigan said the rent rate represents a significant increase over what the group was formerly paying.

• The board voted to accept a check of $41,324 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damages sustained to district property during tropical storm Irene last year.

• The board voted to accept $30,000 in state aid secured by state Sen. Jack Martins to be used to maintain a reading and writing program in grades K through 8.

• A resident expressed her concern that computers donated to the high school and grade schools displayed the name of the company that donated the machines, Zaro Realty, when the computers are turned on. Bierwirth said the board had discussed the issue before the meeting. 

“We’ll be changing this tomorrow,” he said.  

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