21st Century School Fund and Center for Cities and Schools Release for Web Tool for Joint Use

School Facilities Cost Calculator: A Joint-Use Tool for Fair Fees

The joint use of public school facilities offers educational, economic, and environmental benefits for both schools and communities. But determining the real costs of owning and operating facilities and creating a fair fee structure that covers those costs can be a challenge for districts.

The School Facilities Cost Calculator: A Joint-Use Tool for Fair Fees provides step-by-step guidance in crafting effective, transparent joint-use fees based on district policy. The calculator is available as a web-based tool or as an excel spreadsheet format. This easy-to-use, adaptable calculator helps school system leaders:

1) Identify all facility-related expenditures in their district
2) Calculate the full cost of ownership on a per-square-foot and per-hour basis
3) Formulate a multi-tiered fee structure for different types of community users

The web-based version of the calculator is preloaded with rich data from 15,000 school districts around the country. And you can save your session.

For more information, and to use the calculator, visit, www.bestschoolfacilities.org/jointusecalc.

Featured

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Spaces4Learning Announces 2026 Product Award Winners

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2026 Product Awards! The award program spotlights outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products or services are considered to be particularly noteworthy in their ability to enhance K–12 and higher-education learning environments.

  • Florida District Completes Construction on New Leadership Institute

    Pinellas County Schools near Tampa, Fla., recently announced that construction is complete on the new Dr. Michael A. Grego Leadership Institute, according to a news release. The district partnered with Rowe Architects for the project’s design and with Skanska for construction services.