For visitors and students alike, the most prominent feature of the SHS campus may be the McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center. A gleaming structure of glass and steel equipped with state-of-the-art technology and renowned for its excellent staff, the McAfee is a venue that is sought after by not only students and members of the Saratoga community, but also by other organizations located outside our city’s boundaries.
Yet it is precisely this popularity that has raised concerns over whether the McAfee is being utilized fairly, and whether the district should re-evaluate its current policy governing its use.
“Over the years, I do hear from many people, especially the Redwood Musical, that they are not able to book the facility for the dates they need and for the rate that they need,” said parent Shinku Sharma at the school board meeting on March 1.
When the McAfee Center was constructed in 2005, a large community effort was organized in order to fund the project, which necessitated a steep, multi-million dollar cost.
“Through a lot of hard work, we were able to raise $5.5 million from the community,” said Sharma. “With the understanding that, as feeder districts, they would receive priority for reserving [the facility] at a good rate.”
The problem with the McAfee’s use arises from two aspects of the district’s policy governing the facility: the need to lease the McAfee to generate revenue and the ambiguity over who has priority over the facility.
“The original arrangement was that the theatre manager would be paid half by the district and half based upon on his ability to raise revenue,” said principal Jeff Anderson at the board meeting on March. 1. “He’s done that very well, and the McAfee is pristine considering the amount that it is used.”
Theatre manager Adrian Stapleton said that every effort is made to give students the highest priority over the facility. When the McAfee is booked each year, the first thing that is booked are the school events such as band concerts, said Stapleton. After that, assistant principal Kevin Mount contacts both Redwood Middle School and the feeder elementary schools to see if they have events that require use of facility. Finally, the facility is open to outside groups for booking.
“This is a state-of-the-art, professional facility that a lot of people want to use,” said Stapleton. “I have groups like the Steinway Society who try and book it two years in advance. But students have the highest priority, and groups have been bumped in the past when there is a conflict.”
However, Stapleton says that a group will not be bumped for a last minute booking by the community or students.
“Every effort is made to give students and the community priority,” said Stapleton. “But I will not bump a group that has reserved the facility six months in advance and has paid, for someone who wants to book the facility in a month.”
Still, others are concerned that a potential conflict of interest created by the need to generate revenue is harmful to the interests of students and the community.
Board member Doug Ramazane expressed concern at the board meeting that having a salaried employee responsible for bringing in outside income was conflict of interest. He said that students in the elementary and middle school district should have priority over the facility, second only to the high school.
Under the current district policy, outside groups that are not community or youth oriented are the lowest priority for facility use. The district may rent these facilities to such groups on a commercial basis.
The district’s policy also specifies that an outside group may be bumped if a school group needs to use the facility, but that every effort will be made to avoid such conflicts. Any organization or person whose facility use is revoked due to priority school use will not suffer a loss of fees due to the unavoidable cancellation of use.
There was general consensus from the board that some re-evaluation was necessary in defining what a “community” group would constitute under the board policy. Board President Michelle van Zuiden suggested limiting the definition to only those within the district boundary. In addition, Anderson brought up the concern that further direction was needed governing the priority of community groups over commercial interests.
“We want to invite all community groups who want to use the McAfee to use it,” said Anderson, “but what we may run into is a situation where the theatre manager books a date [to a commercial interest] and a community group later wants that same date, then who has priority?”
Board Member Lorrie Wernick suggested that the board should designate booking windows for the various priority groups to minimize conflict.
Superintendent Cary Matsuoka said that if the priority was given to community members, then revenue from the center would drop, which would require the district to cover the shortfall and that the district would look into the rates of comparable facility such as the Campbell Community Center when determining the new fee structure.