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June 04, 2007

Public Schools Question Ethics of Private Gifts

Parents willing to install air conditioning, greenhouses, and other amenities at their children’s schools can be a blessing, but the uneven distribution of those gifts has forced many school districts to implement policies on private contributions, reports The New York Times.

Children in well-to-do neighborhoods benefit most often from such gifts, and while district officials applaud parents’ support in times of dwindling budgets, they also worry that poor districts will be left behind.

As a result, numerous districts have imposed caps on private gifts — which some individual schools promptly waived as soon as parents raised their pledges high enough. Overall, however, the caps seem to be effective at distributing money more equitably.

Other areas have found it easier to set up district-wide foundations to receive contributions in the name of all schools. Approximately 5,000 districts, one-third of the school districts in the country, now have such foundations.

For more on fund-raising efforts by public schools, read The Chronicle’s coverage.

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Monday June 4, 2007 | Permalink

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