The school board was scheduled to consider rental-rate increases at its meeting last week. But board members delayed the vote and asked the board's policy and finance committees to look into it.

Businesses and nonprofit groups, including churches, can pay to use ball fields, gymnasiums, auditoriums, dining halls and other areas of schools across the county.

Businesses pay more than nonprofit groups. Now, a nonprofit can use a school's dining hall for $10 an hour, while businesses can use it for $100 an hour. Nonprofits pay $15 an hour for a gymnasium, while businesses pay $100.

The proposal school board members heard last week called for major price jumps. Under the proposal, a nonprofit would pay $50 and a business would pay $150 an hour to use a dining hall. A nonprofit would pay $100 while a business would pay $200 for one hour of gym time.

For local churches that use school space for worship services and banquets, those prices aren't reasonable, two pastors told the school board last week.

"If they could afford that, they could afford another building somewhere," said James Gathers, a pastor at Total Praise Ministries in Smithfield.

Gathers used to be the head custodian at West Smithfield Elementary, where his church held Sunday morning services for two years. During that time, the church paid $40 each Sunday to meet for four hours. While the church doesn't meet at the school anymore, Gathers said asking a church to pay $200 for that amount of time was unfair.

Groups that rent space at schools must also pay custodian fees, which could exceed $20 an hour. Asking churches to pay more would add strain, said Larry Williams, a pastor at Kingdom Builders Fellowship Ministries in Clayton. The church runs the Johnston County Men's Fellowship Basketball League, which hosts games at Wilson's Mills and Cooper elementary schools for eight hours a week from February through May.

"The majority of churches, as you know, are already strapped for funds," Williams told the school board.

Schools Superintendent Ed Croom said groups -- especially those that qualify for state or federal money -- should compensate the school system when they use school space. "At the same time, we're not in the money-making business either," Croom said.

The finance and policy committees will consider options for fee rates. Whatever happens, the rates should be fair, said board member Butler Hall. "These facilities in Johnston County belong to the people, who paid for them," he said.