The Coronado Unified School District has earned about $830,000 in facility rental fees from 2021 to 2025, according to a report shared at the March 12 school board meeting. The total includes rentals by organizations ranging from after school arts programs like Monart, to local sports organizations and churches.
“The Civic Center Act requires that we make our school facilities available to the public,” said District Deputy Superintendent Donnie Salamanca. “But school-related activities always take precedence over non-school sponsored activities, even if that means cancelling a contract.”
CUSD currently rents out spaces on all four campuses, as well as District Offices, Crown Preschool, and the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex (BBMAC). Priority access is based on how closely an activity aligns with CUSD programming, with preference given to programs that serve a larger number of district students.
“We prioritize access based on closeness to CUSD, so the further you get from Coronado or CIF sports teams or CoSA and instructional-related activities, the lower your priority goes,” said Salamanca.
Every May or June the district releases its schedule and interested parties are able to make their reservations for the next school year.
The fee schedule for facility rentals is tiered. School-connected organizations like the Coronado School of the Arts, Coronado Schools Foundation, and PTO don’t any pay fees. The City of Coronado is also exempt under a joint-use agreement with the district.
Tier 1 fees apply to organizations which qualify under the Civic Center Act who exist for purposes of character building and welfare. These include after school programs like Pop Warner and Soccer Shots. BBMAC is in its own category under Tier II.
Tier III fees apply to organizations that charge admission or solicit contributions when net proceeds are not necessarily used for the welfare of CUSD students or for charitable purposes. This category includes groups such as the Coronado Community Church, Awaken, and the Rebels Soccer Club.
Finally, Tier IV fees are reserved for organizations that rent for commercial purposes. Examples of such organizations could be universities and private for-profit organizations.
“They get charged the maximum amount, just like any other business,” said Salamanca.
Trustee Fitz Lee asked Salamanca to clarify why the district is allowed to rent out facilities to churches. Salamanca said that under the California Civic Center Act, the district is not allowed to discriminate against various organizations. Groups cannot be denied use based on protected characteristics, as long as users don’t violate safety or legal standards.
“We cannot deny them,” said Salamanca. “We have to make [the facilities] available. As long as they aren’t threatening to overthrow the government.”
The district can deny a rental request, however, if it determines the activity could negatively impact on CUSD programming.
“For example, if someone wanted to rent out a classroom at 7 am every morning, they can’t do that because it has to be ready for school,” said Salamanca.
The district has used a software program called Facilitron to manage facility rentals for the last five to six years, according to Salamanca. Facilitron incorporates district schedules, allows organizations to book rentals for facilities, and functions as an internal scheduling tool, allowing district departments to know who’s on campus at any given time.
It also generates invoices and houses insurance requirements.
“We are thrilled with the ability to onboard Facilitron, and it has made our facilities accessible and helps us remain accountable,” said Salamanca.
According to state law, districts may charge “direct costs” for use, including utilities, supplies, janitorial services, and staff salaries. And as of October 2025, a new law (AB 503) allow districts to charge for “capital direct costs” which represents a proportionate share of maintenance, repair, and refurbishment of the use of non-classroom space.
Trustee Alexia Palacios-Peters asked a hypothetical question.
“What if a non-school event was booked in the high school theater, but a school-related event comes up and needs that space,” she said. “Do we kick out the non-school related event for the school-related?”
Salamanca said it depends, but the district has the ability to do so.
“We try to accommodate that [rental agreement] as much as possible,” he said. “But included in the contract that they all sign, is that our programing takes precedence and if we need to cancel we reserve that right. But we try to reserve that for extreme circumstances.”
