U-46 may cut Boy Scouts a break on fees

The Boy Scout motto is "be prepared."

But Scout troop leaders said they weren't prepared for the new rental fee Elgin Area School District U-46 proposed earlier this year.

And now the U-46 school board is prepared to cut the Scouts -- and other non-profit groups -- a break.

On Monday, the school board plans to vote on a revised fee schedule that would charge nonprofit groups just $10 to rent a U-46 classroom for two hours.

The $10 fee would apply so long as the nonprofit group consists only of students from the school, and so long as the meeting occurs directly after school, while custodians still are in the building.

The previous rental schedule could have cost some troops as much as $4,000 annually, Scout leaders estimated.

The compromise came after Scout leaders from across the district made impassioned pleas to school board members, asking them to reconsider fees they said would price them out of the district.

Previously, Scout troops had been treated like other school groups -- such as math or chess club -- that don't pay rent.

But the district changed course after a Christian character-building program called Crossroads threatened to sue U-46 because Scouts were exempt from fees imposed on other not-for-profit groups.

Under the most recent agreement being considered by the school board, Crossroads would be subject to the same favorable fee schedule as Scouts -- so long as the group meets directly after school, in a classroom, with students who attend that school.

The district would charge extra for the use of the auditorium or gym, and for the use of facilities during weekends or nights.

The school board plans to vote on the fee schedule at its next board meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 355 E. Chicago St. in Elgin.