Mr. Harrison asked some good questions in the letter that was published on Dec. 1 titled “Why can church use local school?” He deserves a response.
First, the church at Kentridge High School is renting the facilities on Sunday mornings; the taxpayers are not funding it. The rental agreement includes paying for HVAC, electricity, cleaning, insurance and other recurrent expenses. The church also pays for the staff members who are required to be on-site.
The church brings everything else it needs to transform high school classrooms into individual Sunday school rooms appropriate for babies thru junior high youth. That is no easy task! The church brings all its own sound and video equipment as well.
After the 9:30 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. services, everything is packed back up again in trailers and taken to be stored off campus. No advertisements or other signage are left behind (unless by accident!).
True, the church benefits from using the high school, but so does the community. Previously, the high school sat empty on Sunday mornings. Now, the facilities are used regularly and the school district and the high school have an additional, dependable source of income to support their budget. It makes good business sense for all involved. This is not a new direction for the school district or the city.
Other organizations, both religious and secular, rent public facilities throughout the year. These includes homeowners associations, various clubs, other churches, and organized sports.
Steve Chen
Kent
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