Okay, so let’s talk about the weight room that’s open to the public here at RCS. It’s open in the morning and the evening, with a first aid/CPR/AED certified staff member required for supervision. That’s necessary for liability purposes should someone get hurt. It costs the district roughly $20,000 per year for the supervision.
It’s wonderful that we keep this weight room open to our community–our students and taxpayers. After all, it’s taxpayer money that pays for the weight room. The thing that bothers me about it is that ALL taxpayers share the burden, not just the taxpayers who use the weight room.
Do you see what I mean? Even though it’s open to everyone, there are taxpayers who won’t ever avail themselves of this opportunity either because they have no interest, inclination or sometimes, physical ability. Should they have to share the cost?
Perhaps those people who use the weight room should share the burden of the cost with the district? We also have a lot of students who use the weight room before and after school as part of their training for their athletic programs–I wouldn’t want to eliminate that opportunity for anyone who can’t afford it.
As we work to contain our costs, I wonder if there’s a better way for us to operate this room?