Donations help bridge schools’ funding gaps

The season of giving may come and go each year, but for many Spokane area public schools the generosity continues all year long.

As federal and state mandates tax the school system – squeezing out funding for things like band and sports – individuals, parent groups, businesses and community organizations work to fill the gaps.

In the past three years, the Spokane Public Schools board accepted nearly $800,000 in gifts for things like classroom books, money for field trips, playground equipment and athletics. That doesn’t include donations smaller than $500, or scholarship money given either to the schools or individual students.

During that same period, the Central Valley School District, the county’s second largest district with 12,000 students, received more than $660,000. That includes donations of all sizes, but not scholarship money.

Only records for the county’s two largest school districts were examined because they were readily available.

“We really feel strongly that the saying ‘It takes a village’ rings true,” said Sue McCollum, the principal at CV’s Sunrise Elementary School. “Our community is such a huge supporter of education and our children, and they are constantly looking at ways to benefit us.”

Just as public universities have become adept at soliciting private money, there are signs that public school districts are making it a bigger priority.

The Mead School District and recently Spokane created nonprofit foundations to assist with fundraising. The Mead Education Foundation was formed in 2004, giving out $31,000 in grants to teachers and school. In addition, principals get a $400 discretionary fund each year, said Mark Barnes, foundation president.

“Our goal is to enhance what the district doesn’t provide, to give the teachers tools that aren’t in their normal arsenal,” Barnes said.

Mead’s foundation was the only one of its kind in Spokane County until last summer, when the Spokane Public Schools foundation was formed.

“We are a publicly supported school, but private philanthropic funds are always welcome,” Spokane Superintendent Brian Benzel said. “A foundation supplements and extends the community’s core investment, and that’s a good thing.”

While small compared with overall district budgets – $285 million in Spokane – the private funds and goods donated to schools often supplement activities held outside of the regular school day and help teachers with classroom supplies.

The Parent-Teacher Organization at Sunrise raised enough money to supply every classroom with document cameras, McCollum said. Records show more than $22,000 was donated for the devices, used to project images from textbooks or student work.

“We have parents that are very strongly involved,” McCollum said. “I feel really lucky to have what I have here.”

But that same involvement and ability to raise funds is not seen by every school.

The records show demographics and socioeconomics play a role in which schools benefit, sometimes creating disparity between school programs and neighborhoods. Simply put, schools in more affluent neighborhoods tend to get more money. Parents in such neighborhoods can tap into wealthier community resources and businesses, such as their own employers.

Three examples: The Ferris High School Music Parents Association donated more than $50,000 to pay for a trip to Italy in 2006; University High School took in $45,000 for its athletic programs alone, $10,000 specifically for football; and band boosters at Central Valley High School spent more than $30,000 in three years on band clinicians, such as percussion experts to train the students. The CV band program tends to be one of the best in the region, participating in and winning many competitions, partly as a result of that investment.

“Equity is a huge issue,” said Benzel. “I don’t know how to solve that problem; it’s not easily solved.”

Poor schools – often those labeled as Title I by the federal government – get extra public money for academic programs and remedial help for low-performing students whereas non-Title I schools do not, Benzel said. But that money can’t go toward extracurricular activities, and that’s where the inequities show up.

In Spokane, south side schools have the definite edge. Even at North Central, which was given $53,000 in donations over three years, none of the money went to things like band. More than $15,000 was corporate money for a science journal, and another $15,000 was a one-time donation for a Native American display case in the school’s entryway (the school mascot is an Indian).

“I don’t begrudge the ability of those (more affluent) communities to raise those kinds of funds; I wish my kids had the opportunities those kids have,” said Collins Loupe, the NC band director. “But I work in an area with the highest welfare-recipient rate in the state of Washington. Obviously my parents are not going to be able to pony up.”Loupe said many of his families are single parents, working two or three jobs, and even donating time is a challenge for some. He has attempted to start a band booster club for several years without success. Such clubs are a standard feature at most high schools.

At Sheridan Elementary School in southeast Spokane, “the challenge we face is definitely parent involvement,” said Rachel Socha, co-secretary of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association.

About 80 percent of students at Sheridan qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches, compared with 37 percent at all districts statewide. The lunch rate is one measure of a school community’s poverty.

The Sheridan PTA worked for several months to raise $5,000 – the only recorded donation from the PTA in three years – to replace the school’s aging playground equipment. They were able to get some funds from the school district and from community groups to finish the job.

By comparison, CV’s Liberty Lake Elementary received more than $90,000 in donations over three years, including for playground equipment. Eight percent of Liberty Lake students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches.

“We do everything we can, things just take longer to complete,” Socha said.

The story is similar at Rogers High School in northeast Spokane, where parent groups struggle to raise money for sports or other programs. More than 60 percent of Rogers students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches.

“Our families can just not afford the additional things that are required for a high schooler to participate in various activities and sports,” said Principal Carole Meyer. “We work hard to make sure all our kids have access to the same things. Our challenge is just greater.”

According to school district records, one gift comprised the bulk of donations to Rogers in the last three years – a used Ford minivan for the Junior ROTC group.

“Here it’s more of the gift of giving time,” Meyer said. “It’s not ‘Here’s a blank check.’ It’s they give of themselves. Our teaching staff is the same way.”

Meyer said the Rogers community is generous when an individual student has a specific need – sneakers to play basketball, for instance, or $40 for an activity card.

“Many, many individual donations don’t get reported,” said Craig Skillestad, director of budget and accounting for Spokane schools.

And most high schools receive private money they can give out for college scholarships as they see fit. That’s in addition to money that groups give directly to graduating students who qualify for scholarships.

At Rogers, the undesignated scholarship money amounted to $900 from the alumni foundation over three years, but the Rogers alumni give much, much more to individual students each year, Meyer said.

At Central Valley, scholarship money amounted to $56,750.

At LC, it was $25,000.

North Central got nothing, the records show.

“There is no school in Spokane that doesn’t have kids in need,” said Meyer. “Sometimes it’s just finding your niche – figuring out, what is the fundraising capacity for this school?”