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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Schools get a lesson in economics

USA Today

Welcome to the Plymouth-Canton Elementary School, presented by Comerica.

That could be the reality in the Plymouth-Canton, Mich., school district, where administrators say their budget is so tight they had to approve the selling of naming rights to their new elementary school, existing schools, athletic field or even events.

A growing number of districts nationwide have or are setting up policies on how to handle corporate gifts that are attached to a name. So far, it has shown up in small ways: a pair of school playgrounds in Rochester, Mich., named after competing homebuilders or an outdoor classroom in Walled Lake, Mich., named for Lowe’s.

It has some questioning whether commercialism has gone too far.

“It’s everywhere; it’s on everything,” said David Wayne, a Canton father of two elementary-age kids who will go to the yet-to-be-named school. “It’s about how far we want to take it.”

The district likely won’t launch an aggressive campaign to sell naming rights, but “it becomes part of the menu of opportunities for potential donors,” said Tom Sklut, the Plymouth-Canton development officer.

The policy doesn’t spell out how much money a school name would cost. But Sklut said the industry standard is 51 percent of a new building’s cost.

In the case of the new $15 million elementary school, that would mean a donation of more than $7.5 million.