At LUSD, we believe that school facilities and grounds are vital community resources that should be used to foster community involvement and development. We want to share helpful information and background that may help you understand how Civic Use works in our schools.

• In 2016, LUSD switched from an outdated manual reservation system to an online portal through Facilitron. This change made it easier for community members to search for and request public event space at LUSD facilities, check availability in real-time, and get estimated quotes. The portal also made reservations more efficient for LUSD to handle.
• In the summer of 2021, the Board approved revisions to all three documents within the 1330 Civic Use series containing the Board Policies, Administrative Regulations, and Exhibit (fee structure).
• In the fall of 2021, the Board approved further amendments to Exhibit 1330 that permitted community users to begin renting only specific portions of our stadium facilities at the two comprehensive high schools, such as the field, half of the field, the track, or the exercise zone (located only at the Lompoc Community Track & Field), as opposed to the entire stadium facility.
• In June 2024, the Board approved revisions to all three documents within the 1330 Civic Use series containing the Board Policies, Administrative Regulations, and Exhibit (fee structure). The primary changes to those documents included:

  • Moving nonprofit youth organizations located within district boundaries that provide services to youth, including but not limited to LUSD students, although those services are not directly related to the District's educational program, into the Class I (no facility fee) section of the fee schedule.

  • Removing swimming pools from the list of available rentals.

  • Updating the hourly labor rates for LUSD employees.

Exhibit 1330 lists hourly Civic Use rates for various facilities in LUSD. That structure is divided into three categories- Class I (no fee), Class II (minimal, direct cost fee), and Class III (rental fee). Each of the three is described below:

1. Class I- The Class I structure lists no fees. It is utilized for Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) sponsored activities directly related to the educational program, nonprofit youth organizations whose activities are directly related to the District’s educational program, and nonprofit youth organizations located within district boundaries that provide services to youth, including but not limited to LUSD students, although those services are not directly related to the District's educational program.
    
2. Class II- The Class II structure has a minimal fee equal to direct costs, enabling the District to recover the direct costs it incurs proportionally to the rented facility. Groups receiving the Class II rate are nonprofit organizations located outside the district boundaries, nonprofit groups located within the District’s boundaries whose purpose is not directly related to youth activities or the District's education program, and/ or groups whose events' net proceeds are expended for the welfare of LUSD students. Class II also includes religious organizations or churches that arrange for and supervise sports league activities for youths. (Education Code section 38134(c).) The Direct Cost rental fee recovers the direct costs to the District required by the organization’s use of the facilities (Education Code Section 38134(c)(g)).
    
3. Class III- The Class III structure has a fair rental fee which includes the direct costs described above plus amortized costs of the facilities and grounds. Class III groups include organizations engaged in fundraising or for-profit activities for which the net proceeds are not expended for the welfare of LUSD students. (Education Code Section 38134(e)(h).

The fee schedule in E 1330 also lists regular and overtime hourly rates for LUSD employees who are required to be present to perform duties such as opening, cleaning, and closing facilities, which are necessary due to the use of a school facility. When LUSD staff are required to perform duties to support civic use, outside organizations, including those qualifying for Class I no facility fees, are charged for these employee hours at the listed overtime rate for a minimum of two hours.

LUSD facilities are available for Civic Use rentals on LUSD-observed holidays, pending the availability of LUSD employees to perform duties. Holiday hourly rates for LUSD employees equal the sum of the regular and overtime rates listed in E1330.

All Civic Use rental reservations, their required Certificate of Liability listing LUSD as additional insured, and fee payments must be finalized three weeks before using facilities. All billing and payments are handled within the District's Facilitron platform.

In 2020, LUSD was proud to host the grand opening of the highly renovated Lompoc Community Track & Field located at Huyck Stadium as the home field facility for Cabrillo and Lompoc High athletes. The stadium now includes a rubberized track, artificial turf field, exercise zone, and a multipurpose asphalt area to the south of the field. The District remains forever grateful to those instrumental in the process that began over a decade ago and included thousands of hours of arduous collaborating, planning, and fundraising before the renovation started. The renovation was only possible with the generous donations of many community members, firms, and organizations that funded a portion of the project. The District provides specific hours for community members to access and exercise in the highly upgraded, attractive, and safe venue. Those public access hours are for individual use only and are not available for group or team activities such as games, scrimmages, practices, or programming. However, the facility is available for Civic Use rental for group and team events through the online reservation portal described above. Although most district facilities are available for Civic Use rental on LUSD-observed holidays, public access to the Lompoc Community Track & Field is prohibited on all LUSD-observed holidays and while the facility is in use by LUSD schools. During specific sporting seasons, i.e., soccer, football, and track & field, the public access days and times are limited. Signage is posted at the two main entrances to the stadium, indicating the current access hours and expectations regarding use.

We hope this information is helpful and gives you a better understanding of Civic Use at LUSD schools. If you have questions or need further clarification, please contact LUSD’s Business Services at (805)742-3200.