New rental rates for Sequim School District’s facilities and fields have been proposed with many prices less than first proposed in July. However, some groups that paused or moved events say they’ll have to stick with the changes or amend plans due to higher costs.

On July 29, school staff first met with nonprofits, businesses and community groups about proposed updates to 2019 rates for usage of spaces, such as the Sequim High School auditorium and football stadium. After hearing concerns from the groups, the rates were paused for 60 days on July 31 so staff could meet with the groups about their concerns.

“We are really working to be responsive from what we’ve heard,” said Superintendent Regan Nickels at the Sept. 15 school board meeting.

Initially, 41 stakeholders (renters) were invited to the July meeting and staff met with nine groups/businesses in August before the draft was released on Sept. 11.

Rates haven’t been revised since 2019, and Nickels previously said that revision talks started last fall but were paused to focus on the proposals for the construction bond and levy renewal that went on to be approved by voters in February 2025.

On Sept. 15, Sequim School Board directors agreed to revisit the rates at their Oct. 6 meeting after the 60-day pause expires.

Nickels said the new rates won’t be made until board directors approve the changes then. She again encouraged groups to reach out to the district (360-582-3276) to reserve spaces.

Group requests

After meeting with groups in August, Nickels said the general feedback about the initial proposed rates was that the timing was too soon, the rates were too high, and their budgets were too tight for rate increases.

Some groups, she said, also asked about the possibility of creating long-term rental rates, local business rates, and consideration of rates for groups that donate and/or offer scholarships to students.

Nickels said group organizers asked the district to work with the City of Sequim to make sure services/facilities weren’t redundant and if they could partner in some capacity.

“In every single meeting, there was absolutely recognition that the district would need to raise rates over time and recoup partial costs,” she said.

They also asked for transparency for where fees would go, to which Nickels said they’ll do their best but the uses could differ annually, such as supporting the football field one year, a basketball court the next, or the auditorium in another.

Rates explained

Nickels said for the latest proposal, their general rule was to use the district’s 2019 rates and add 5%.

Most rates were reduced from August to September based on feedback for most facilities/fields. The district still uses four classifications:

• Class A: for parent, youth and/or teacher groups (i.e. PTA, school clubs)

Under the new proposed rates, rentals remain nearly free for Class A use so long as the group/event remains within its time allotted.

• Class B: Youth nonprofit social, civic and recreation groups with membership 90%-plus Sequim School District students (i.e. scout groups, community athletic youth teams)

Since 2019, Class B groups had no charges for rentals and under the newest rates it’s $21 per hour for gyms with a required minimum of two hours of custodial fees depending on the size of the group renting the facility and/or if the event is after school hours or on the weekends.

Fields, courts, tracks and the stadium’s parking lot range in costs from $6 an hour to $21 an hour.

The stadium will cost $50 an hour with at least two hours of custodial and supply fees.

The auditorium will cost $36 an hour for rehearsals/meetings, and $58 an hour for performances with custodial and supply fees.

Custodial fees are $46 an hour with a minimum of two hours, and supply fees are $120 per event. They’re the same rate for Class B-D, but Mike Santos, director of facilities, said they’ll talk to each group about what is fair regarding supplies. Custodial rates are required under the district’s bargaining agreement, staff said.

• Class C: Adult nonprofit organizations, youth nonprofits with 89% or less youth from Sequim, community clubs, post-secondary institutions, cultural, and political groups

For the newest rates it’s $25 per hour for gyms with the same custodial fees depending on the event.

Fields, courts, tracks and the stadium’s parking lot range in costs from $11 an hour to $25 an hour.

The stadium will cost $80 an hour with at least two hours of custodial and supply fees. The auditorium will cost $42 an hour for rehearsals/meetings, and $64 an hour for performances with custodial and supply fees.

• Class D: For profit business-related enterprises

For the newest rates it’s $45-$74 per hour for various gyms with the same custodial fees depending on the event.

Fields, courts, tracks and the stadium’s parking lot range in costs from $21 an hour to $53 an hour.

The stadium will cost $110 an hour with at least two hours of custodial and supply fees. The auditorium will cost $50 an hour for rehearsals/meetings, and $83 an hour for performances with custodial and supply fees.

Nickels reiterated that the revised fees will not recoup all of the costs and they have it proposed in policy now to review the fees annually. Staff report that fees recouped each year came to less than $10,000 a year from rentals.

They’ve also implemented a key deposit system so that a custodian doesn’t have to be present. It will be a $150 refundable deposit for a key because it costs about $500 to re-key doors, such as the gym doors, Nickels said.

Custodial and supply fees depend on the event type, Nickels said, referencing varying needs between a practice and a tournament.

Santos said they also combined certain elements, such as parking lots with facility rentals to simplify the process. Staff cut four-hour and eight-hour increments from auditorium rentals to reduce confusion.

As for supply charges, Santos said that will range depending on the event and they want to see what’s fair to the renter.

He said the $120 charge will cover half a case of toilet paper and half a case of towels in one evening.

Nickels said they’ll see how they can order supplies and arrange cleanings so groups won’t have to incur more fees.

Santos said they’re more concerned about custodial time than supplies due to capacity for staff to clean in time for regular operations. If a gym or bathroom is not cleaned, then that will take staff away from regular duties come Monday morning, he said.

Groups offered to clean, Santos said, but they can’t allow non-staff to use the building’s cleaning chemicals and have access to janitor closets. It also could be problematic for children/staff with sensitives and/or allergies.

Group feedback

In conversations with groups, they appreciated district staff taking time to hear concerns, but the revised fees are still too much for some of them.

Amber Dewey, executive director of the North Peninsula Building Association (NPBA), shared this sentiment and that the nonprofit’s Building, Remodeling, & Energy Expo held annually in the high school’s gym will move to Port Angeles’s Vern Burton Center on Feb. 21-22, 2026.

“We’re relocating out of the city unfortunately,” she said.

The costs are less than half in Port Angeles, Dewey said, and the school district would also require fees for mats to go down in the gymnasium (which was re-coated this summer).

“Our event is free and as a nonprofit we can’t continue to absorb higher and higher increases,” Dewey said.

For many years, the Sequim Irrigation Festival has used the high school cafeteria and auditorium for its scholarship pageant rehearsal and main event.

Michelle Rhodes, director of the Sequim Irrigation Festival, said they too appreciated the listening session and communication, and understand the district’s need to increase fees.

“The new proposed fee schedule is one that we can work with,” she said.

“It will be too cost prohibitive for us to utilize the cafeteria for practices, but we still plan to hold the Royalty Ambassador Scholarship Pageant in the auditorium.

“The new fee increase will more than triple what we have paid for the use of the cafeteria and auditorium in previous years, for just the use of the auditorium.”

Rhodes said they’ll hold practices at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club to limit any barriers for high school participants, and they’re seeking ways to raise more funds to cover the increased expense.

“As an all-volunteer organization, we work diligently to keep our expenses at a minimum, allowing us to provide annual scholarships, two full weekends of community fun, and represent the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and Clallam County at 14 parades throughout the state of Washington,” she said.

In August Ghostlight Productions’ organizers paused its fall production of “Cinderella” in the auditorium to 2026 due to the first proposed increase in rental rates.

Mark Lorentzen, artistic director of Ghostlight Productions, said they were pleased with the revisions as “none of us were thinking that it would go back to the original pricing and all of us understand that expenses for everyone have increased.”

“The revised fee schedule was still significantly higher than what we had been paying, but it was workable at least within the budgets of those that I have spoken with,” he said.

However, Lorentzen said the board’s delay in approving the revisions delays their planning and hinders budget projects, and he’s reached out to the district for clarification.

Since the first rate proposal, Sequim Wolf Pack, a youth football and cheer program, moved practices from Sequim School District’s practice fields to Sequim Little League’s T-ball fields and “home games” to Civic Field in Port Angeles.

Stephanie Whitehead, the group’s treasurer, said the updated rates are “closer to what we budgeted for future seasons.”

“The bigger variable for us will be any added custodial/event staffing fees and how they’re applied,” she said.

Whitehead said they plan to keep home games in Sequim at the stadium and practice at the Little League fields and City of Sequim fields depending on scheduling and staffing requirements.

“As a volunteer-run nonprofit, every dollar we spend on facilities is a dollar we can’t put toward safety gear and keeping player costs reasonable,” she said. “If the final rates mirror what was discussed, we expect to continue playing at the high school stadium while keeping costs manageable for families. Our priority is local access for kids and a collaborative partnership with the district.”

For more information about Sequim School District, visit sequimschools.org.

Note: Matthew Nash has family employed by and enrolled in Sequim School District.