Excelsior Springs School District (ESSD) is formalizing the way outside groups reserve and pay to use school facilities in order to reduce scheduling conflicts, support local teams and help offset wear and tear.

The Board of Education recently approved a new Community Use of District Facilities Handbook that establishes districtwide procedures for facility requests, creates three categories of users with varying fee structures and adds formal cancellation rules for outside groups using district property.

Activities Director Doug Baker explained the district’s previous approach to community facility use operated largely on a first-come, first-served basis, sometimes resulting in multiple groups arriving to use the same space and forcing teams to change plans or find another location.

He said the new system is intended to create more consistency while helping the district cover costs associated with maintaining facilities used by outside groups.

“We are not looking to try to create a revenue…