Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | Arrangement between PenMet, PSD unfair to some
The Peninsula School District should not give special access and favorable terms to outside organizations and agencies unless they provide equal access to all Peninsula School District families. Yet that is exactly what they are doing.
When the PSD entered into a shared-use agreement with PenMet Parks, the community was told it would be a win-win for residents. Now, nearly two years later, a basic question remains: win-win for whom?
The joint use agreement provides each local government with priority access and rental terms to the others’ facilities when not in use by the other. Prioritizing their access over local non-profit organizations that serve residents of the entire school district. On the surface, shared use of facilities seems like a good use of taxpayer-funded assets. PenMet needed the PSD’s gyms for their popular basketball programs, while the school district needed PenMet’s artificial turf baseball infield at Sehmel Park because its own high school baseball fields don’t meet basic standards.
However, when you look closer, the arrangement becomes problematic when the favored partner doesn’t treat all PSD residents the same. Specifically, those residing within the city limits of Gig Harbor and on the Key Peninsula, which are not within the smaller PenMet Parks boundary, are not permitted to sign up for PenMet programs and activities until one week after registration opens for PenMet residents. And then, if space is still available, they are assessed a 20% penalty surcharge for not residing within the PenMet district.
For example, when parents living within the City of Gig Harbor attempt to sign up for a PenMet sport that is located at a PSD facility — which is a week later than those living within the PenMet boundaries — they have found their selection to be full, and if space is still available they are hit with an over $30, out of district penalty per child. And to make it even more insulting, these programs are often held at PSD facilities within the City of Gig Harbor and exclude children from participating at their school or those in their neighborhood.
It is important to note that PenMet Parks has its reason for this pricing scheme; it has every right to do so, and it is common at all levels of government. PenMet’s argument for differential pricing is that its activities and programs, such as sports and summer camps, are significantly subsidized by its residents through taxes. Which is ironic, since the PSD is doing the exact opposite to its own taxpayers that reside on the Key Peninsula and within the City of Gig Harbor. The PSD agreed to allow PenMet to treat its taxpayers this way when it signed the partnership agreement with PenMet nearly two years ago, and has since stated it wasn’t aware of the situation until a year ago. Yet here we are, nearly a year later, and the situation continues.
With PenMet, under this shared access agreement, soon offering much-needed swimming lessons at high school pools, will the PSD continue to allow those living in one part of the school district to sign up earlier and at cheaper prices than those on the Key Peninsula and within the City of Gig Harbor?
If a public partnership is truly for the benefit of the whole school district community, then every school district family should be treated like part of that community. It’s time for the school board members to quit talking about fixing this flawed arrangement, and actually make it happen.
Michael Perrow
Gig Harbor