Facility Rental and Use

• Policy 4260 – Use of School Facilities
• Terms and Conditions of Community Facility Use
• Facility availability (powered by Tandem) 
• Bellingham Public Schools Calendar

Create an account by visiting bham.tandem.co and submit a facility use request, email a certificate of liability insurance to facility.use@bellinghamschools.org, you will be contacted for additional information or clarification if needed. Please note facility requests must be submitted a minimum of 5 business days prior to the requested date of use if staffing is not required by the District, requests requiring staffing by the district must be submitted a minimum of 10 business days prior to requested date of use. Requests submitted less than 5 business days prior will not be reviewed.

Tandem Instructions

For rental rate purposes, organizations seeking the use of school facilities have been divided into three
categories. It shall be the decision of the Department of Operations office to determine which rate
schedule applies to any group. District-sponsored activities retain priority in use of facilities.

Category 0 District, School or Affiliated Groups: District, school and affiliated groups including school events, district committees, staff wellness activities, professional development, PTA, booster clubs, ASB and similar groups. Staff wellness includes physical, mental and emotional health of district staff only. If any non-district staff person is included in an event, this does not qualify as a category 0 group with the exception of district committees. Staff or adult sponsorship an supervision are required.

Typically, there is no facility use fee for these groups other than when the district incurs extra custodial or supervision costs due to use or impact during and outside of regular school hours.

Category 1 Youth Groups (ages 0 to grade 12): Youth-centric group use includes activities whose attendance is primarily by youth ages grade 12 or younger. Adult sponsorship and supervision are required. 

Facility use fees and proof of liability insurance apply and may include custodial, equipment, or supervision fees based on the fee schedule and costs incurred by the district. 

Category 2 Adult Groups: Adult-centric group use includes activities whose attendance is primarily by adults.

Facility use fees and proof of liability insurance apply and may include custodial, equipment, or supervision fees based on the fee schedule and costs incurred by the district. 

Invoices will be emailed around the 15th of the month following the use of Bellingham Public School facilities. When sending in payment, include the bottom portion of your invoice with your payment. Please remit payment to:

Bellingham Public Schools

1985 Barkley BLVD

Bellingham, WA 98226

A Certificate of Insurance with a minimum of $1 million in liability coverage is required for all facility rentals and use. The certificate must name Bellingham School District #501, 1985 Barkley Blvd, Bellingham, WA 98226, as an additional insured using form CG 2010 or an equivalent endorsement. This endorsement must be attached to the certificate.

If you or your organization do not currently have insurance, you will need to obtain coverage. Some insurance providers offer single-day event policies that can be added to a homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. Another option is to purchase standalone event insurance through a licensed insurance provider, either locally or online.

Please email the certificate of liability insurance to facility.use@bellinghamschools.org

Liability insurance is required to protect both you, the renter, and the school district from financial responsibility in the event of accidents, injuries, or property damage during your use of the facility. Even with careful planning, unexpected incidents can occur. Insurance ensures that any resulting claims are covered by your policy, helping to reduce risk for all parties involved.

Overview

Public parking during non-school hours is permitted on a first-come/first-served basis and use is not exclusive or guaranteed. Parking must be in designated spaces only, no reserving or marking of spaces is permitted without prior district approval, and no signage should be posted. Parking is at the user’s own risk and the district accepts no liability. Commercial shuttle companies shall not pick up or drop off on district property. Users may park in the lot and walk off the premises to access a shuttle.

Electric Vehicle Parking

Starting September 20, 2024, electric vehicle charging stations may be used by any member of the public, including district employees and students, subject to the payment of applicable charges and any posted limitations on hours of operation and length of time a vehicle may be parked in a parking space.

EV charging stations have the following fees:

• Energy fee of $0.25 per kWh while charging
• Charge of $0.25 per minute for occupying parking space after vehicle charging is complete, not to exceed $23, to allow for equitable access to EV charging stations

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Semester Break
• President’s Day
• Spring Break
• Memorial Day
• Last Day of School
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• First Day of School
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
• Day after Thanksgiving
• Winter Break

Any deviation to these dates must have prior district permission. In addition, use of the district facilities during the summer break period is limited (due to summer cleaning of facilities) and access is granted on a case-by-case basis.