Coca-Cola Field at Wakefield High School? Reebok Training Facility at Yorktown? How about the Washington-Lee Gatorade Generals? The possibility of large corporate grants, which often come with marketing strings attached, could prompt restrictions on donations to Arlington Public Schools.
“I just don’t want our kids to be shills for some commercial venture,” said school board member Elaine Furlow, at the Oct. 21 School Board meeting.
Board members will vote next month on a policy to address external funding such as corporate grants, sponsorship and exclusive rights contracts. It would also apply to donations from any group, including PTAs, other than Arlington County and the Commonwealth. Board members discussed a draft of the policy at last week’s meeting and will return to vote on the item Thursday, Nov. 6.
The four-page policy document and accompanying implementation guidelines would address grants and restricted programs; gifts to schools; private funding for building and grounds improvements; commercial activities; sponsorships; exclusive rights contracts; fundraising activities; fees, tuition and charges.
Perhaps the most controversial element of the policy states that Arlington schools can refuse any contribution based on “benefit to the school and/or school system,” “anticipated consequences of accepting the private funds including ongoing costs” and “equity among schools.”
At Thursday’s meeting, board members hinted that the equity provision could be extended to other sections of the policy, beyond building and grounds improvements. “If somebody could raise enough for, say, a next-generation computer system, why wouldn’t that apply?” asked board member Dave Foster.
KEEPING FACILITIES EQUAL among county schools is a concern for board members, but some parents are concerned that the policy could hamper efforts to contribute to neighborhood schools.
Decisions about whether to accept a contribution would fall on principals and the superintendent, and, depending on the amount of the donation, the superintendent for facilities and operations or the school board.
“The parents and the PTA should determine what they give to help their school,” said Linda Kosovych, Yorktown PTA president. Yorktown’s PTA has funded the school's art and drama departments, science labs and math labs, among others.
“I feel that the PTA is such an important component of all the extras that go to the school,” said Washington-Lee PTA president Judy Sullivan. Washington-Lee PTA representatives often ask faculty members what they need and then find a way to meet those needs, Sullivan said. Last year, that ranged from lab equipment and calculators to eyeglasses for needy students.
IF APS POLICY even suggests that contributions could be refused or limited based on concerns of equity among schools, Sullivan worries it could discourage fundraising efforts.
“That’s saying, ‘Oh, we’ll hurt everybody because we can’t help everybody,’” she said. “If we provide everything we can to help the kids succeed, then you succeed, and it benefits society.”
Foster questioned the term “equity,” which he said was too “nebulous.” Gifts to one particular school don’t necessarily create inequity, and often encourage parents at other schools to make similar fundraising efforts and donations, he said.
Equity among schools is less a problem in Arlington than elsewhere, said Kosovych. “I don’t think the schools in Arlington are that diverse [economically],” she said. “It’s not like Fairfax County where you’ve got such a different range.” Sullivan agreed and said external funding in the county is more about parental motivation than economic privilege.
External funding policy may not have widespread effects though. “It seemed basically to be on the right track,” said John DeCarlo, Gunston Middle School PTA president. “I would think about everything the PTA does would remain about the same.”
DeCarlo said the policy could affect large fundraising drives and large donations but would not have much bearing on the most common Gunston PTA activities, including staff appreciation, dances and other activities.