LJWorld.com

A wealthy alumnus gives a large sum of money to Kansas University, with the stipulation that it be used for a specific project, school or department.

It's a scenario that's common at KU and other universities, and it may soon become more common at Lawrence public schools.

As local enrollment declines, leading to cuts in school programs, the Lawrence school board is bracing for the possibility that district patrons would want to restore programs -- or even add some -- using private funds.

But some board members are concerned that proposed guidelines could create divides in the quality of programs, facilities or equipment among schools.

"With giving to a particular school, aren't we really moving away from public education and toward higher education?" board member Rich Minder asked. "I'm leery of a situation where power and money shapes public education into something less than public."

The equity issue came up last year, when the school board voted to eliminate pep band programs at Lawrence High School and Free State High School. LHS band boosters raised enough funds to continue, though FSHS did not.

At its May 24 meeting, the school board reviewed a set of proposed guidelines for accepting private donations. The guidelines require many donations -- including those designed to sustain or reinstate programs -- to be subject to approval by the board, which will base decisions on "equity, educational value and district goals."

Donations given specifically to a particular school would be required to go through the building principal. The principal must contact the superintendent, who will determine whether board approval would be required.

Donations that would "alter the appearance of buildings on school property" would be required to be approved by the school board.

Kathy Johnson, the district's finance director, said the proposed guidelines were meant to give the school board enough leeway to determine whether to accept donations on a case-by-case basis.

"It's all dependent on acceptance by the board," she said. "There will be times when one school will get a donation that another school won't. What this is meant to do is to be general enough that we can get something started."

The guidelines may be especially important as the Lawrence Schools Foundation looks to step up its fund-raising efforts. Susan Hazlett, the foundation's director, said the foundation would be working to establish specific funds to meet district-wide goals.

"We hope the private donations don't create inequity issues," Hazlett said. "But we have to balance that with donors' intent. We do intend to work with donors to meet the needs of the school district."

Leni Salkind, the board's vice president, said the district will need to examine where private donations go in schools, much as it already does with PTO and PTA money.

For instance, some PTOs and PTAs have donated large numbers of computers to their schools, while others have not. The board has used district money to help some schools keep up in technology.

Board member Sue Morgan said she thought donations could be solicited to help the schools that need better facilities or equipment.

"Donations could help us solve inequities," she said. "It could help us catch up."