Event Supervision

• KCS policy requires a KCS employee to be at the school to supervise all scheduled events. Normally that employee will be a school custodian.
• A custodial fee of $35 per hour will be assessed during any hours when custodians would not normally be in the building. 
• If kitchen use is requested, a KCS Food Service employee is required to be in the building, and an additional $35 per hour fee will be assessed for the hours the kitchen is in use.
• Some events, especially those with large numbers of people using multiple areas of a school, will require security. Security guard costs will be assessed at $35 per hour for those events.

Facility Use Cost Recovery Fees

KCS charges hourly fees to organizations using Knox County School facilities to recover the cost of heating, air conditioning, lighting, and providing water for those events.  These fees are set at a rate to recover the cost of holding events and are not intended to generate additional revenue for the schools.

Because schools are often already heated and cooled with some lights on at the end of the last bell on a typical school day, organizations will not be assessed a fee provided their event is held in its entirety within the first three hours after the last bell of the day at every school. All other groups will be responsible to pay the facility fees and wages for any cost incurred beyond the normal operation of the school. In no instance should a group directly compensate an employee of the Knox County Schools.

Please take note there are fees applied to an event the majority of the time. Please review the fee table below. If you have questions regarding fees for your event, please email the Facility Use Coordinator at facilityuse@knoxschools.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

1). How long does it take to process my Community User application?

We ask you submit your application at least 15 school days prior to your event. This will give everyone involved time to process their part of the application process. If your event date is prior to this timeline, we will do our best to accommodate you, however we cannot ensure the application approval can be completed in less time.

2). How long does it take the school to approve my schedule request?

We ask that you submit your schedule request at least 72 school hours prior to the event date to allow everyone involved, to process their part of the schedule request. If your event date is prior to this timeline, we will do our best to accommodate you, however we cannot ensure the schedule request approval can be completed in less time. Each school can vary in regards to turn around time as they are very busy folks. If you are concerned about your timeline, call or email the person at the school responsible for Facility Use and ask if they will be able to approve your schedule request. As long as your account is set up to receive emails, you should receive an auto-generated email from SchoolDude, once the school approves your schedule. Please be sure to check your junk and clutter folders as well. Once your schedule is approved, it will be routed to the Facility Use Coordinator for final approval (activation). This process is typically very quick unless there is an issue with the schedule submission. You will be contacted if there is an issue. You will receive an auto-generated email once this step is completed as well. This is the final step of the approval process.

3). How much does the required liability insurance cost?

Once your application is submitted, you will receive an email containing the insurance requirements. Please contact your insurance agent for questions regarding insurance cost.

4). Will fees apply to my event and if so, how much?

There are many different variables when it comes to fees. Most community events will have applicable fees. If you do not have an approved schedule in the system you can refer to the Fee Table file located in the information above, on this web page. This should give you a good idea of what your fees may be. If you have an approved schedule, you can email the Facility Use Coordinator at facilityuse@knoxschools.org and request a Fee Estimate for your event. Please be sure to provide your Schedule ID number(s) in the email.

5). How do I pay my fees?

You will receive an email a couple of weeks after your event. We process invoices after the event as any applicable Custodial fees can vary. The invoice will be sent to the email address you used to register your organization. We accept check payments and the address for remitting your payment will be located on the invoice itself. Payments are due 15 days from the invoice date. You can also review your invoices by logging into your account.

6). What should I do if I need to cancel my event(s)?

Should you need to cancel; please email the Facility Use Coordinator at facilityuse@knoxschools.org at least 72 hours prior to your event date. You should include your Schedule ID number(s) in the email and include what specific dates need to be canceled if you have a recurring schedule or advise if the entire schedule(s) needs to be canceled. 

7). What does the "Energy Management" section in the online schedule form, refer to?

Our HVAC system (not lights; these are typically motion sensor) is on an energy management system which helps KCS reduce energy cost. The system is only scheduled to run during typical school hours. If your event is held past 4pm on a normal school day or on a day when school is typically closed you should request "Energy Management" by checking the box. This will tell our Energy Management Department to override the system during the time you will be using the facility. In addition, our Energy Management department cannot see the entire schedule form, therefore you need to add the rooms you will be using in the "Service Description" text box, in the online schedule request form. If you will be using a classroom(s), you will need to add the classroom numbers. You can get the classroom numbers from the school directly. Call or email the person responsible for Facility Use and ask they assign you classroom number(s), so you can add them to the form.