The Lawrence school district is fortunate to have so many great friends. Private donations over the years have allowed the district to expand its preschool programs and provide many “extras” that benefit Lawrence students every day.

The generosity of alumni and friends of the Lawrence district was displayed again this week in two announcements of sizable private gifts.

Perhaps the best gifts are those that come with the fewest strings attached. The Lawrence Schools Foundation is a wonderful vehicle for gifts like the one received this week from Lawrence High School alumnus Brian McClendon, who now is a vice president at Google Inc. The amount of the gift was described only as “less than $25,000,” but it probably was closer to $25,000 than to $100. The money will be used by LHS faculty members to buy computer software, robotics kits and other materials to boost computer science programs at the school.

Also this week, supporters of LHS released plans for an arched entry and other upgrades to the new outdoor athletic fields at the school. The group has raised about $300,000 to pay for the work.

At their Monday meeting, Lawrence school board members agreed to accept the donation and move forward with the construction project. It is a generous donation, but it also renews some concerns about how private donations to the district should be handled.

The LHS group sprang into action after private donors contributed about $600,000 to upgrade concessions, locker rooms and other facilities connected to the new athletic fields at Free State High School. Because of the district’s commitment to have equal facilities at the two high schools, the district then was in a position of needing to pay for additional facilities at LHS. Given the current budget challenges, district officials perhaps should be especially grateful to LHS donors for helping offset some of that cost.

The district has a policy concerning private donations, but most candidates in the last school board election agreed that policy needs to be reviewed to make sure that well-intentioned gifts don’t put the district in an equity bind.

With more cuts on the way in Kansas public school budgets, private donations will be especially welcome in the Lawrence district this year. If donors have a particular project in mind, foundation officials will honor those wishes, but they also would be happy to work with donors to identify how their money might be used or accept unrestricted funds that can be used to fill a variety of special educational needs.