Board to recommend first readings on facility‑fee changes and multiple policy updates

At the May 4 work session, the Hatboro‑Horsham policy committee reviewed seven revised policies and the board signaled unanimous consent to recommend several for a first reading at the May 18 legislative meeting.

Policy 707 (use of school facilities): Jared Carr, coordinator of athletics and community programs, presented benchmarking from 12 neighboring districts and a five‑category fee structure. Carr said the district’s indoor facility fees for nonlocal for‑profit groups were frequently higher than neighbor averages, while athletic‑field fees were often lower. He reported that "our high school auditorium are 280% higher than the average of our neighbors" for certain categories and proposed new targets: category 3 at 15% above neighbor averages, category 4 at 30% above, and category 5 at 50% above the average. The proposed schedule would reduce some extreme indoor fees while raising rates for athletic turf and stadium use; for example, the stadium hourly rate in one proposed cell would move from $125 to $175 per hour for a specified category.

Board members asked whether neighboring utilization data had been compared (presenter: no, utilization comparisons were not part of the initial benchmarking) and whether insurance and special agreements would be affected (presenter: general‑aggregate insurance is required and per‑participant fee agreements for frequent youth groups would be addressed separately). The board agreed to recommend the fee revisions for a first reading.

Other policy updates recommended for first reading included:

- Policy 201 (admission of students): a minor alignment to calendar policy changing the kindergarten cutoff date to September 8 to match the district’s Labor Day start rule. The change was described as aligning local policy with the newly approved school calendar.

- Policies 221 and 325 (dress and grooming for students and employees): revised to ensure compliance with the Pennsylvania Crown Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), signed into law in November 2025 and effective Jan. 24, 2026.

- Policy 332 (working periods): updates to clarify board authority over calendar/schedule decisions, duties assigned by supervisors, and attendance expectations for professional staff meetings.

- Policy 619 (district audit): updates to replace references to the Auditor General with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for audit submissions and to note posting audit reports to the district website; annual financial report submissions to PDE (typically due Oct. 31) were noted.

- Policy 818 (contracted services): expanded definitions for contractors, clarified mandatory criminal‑history and child‑abuse clearances (clearances must be dated within one year of employment), added vendor reporting obligations, and introduced a proposed certificate of compliance to include with vendor contracts.

Board members agreed to recommend all the reviewed policy revisions for first readings. The work session did not include final adoptions; revisions will return for second reading/adoption in upcoming meetings.