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Ads in schools are name of the game To raise money, Conejo, others naming buildings after donors
By Jean Cowden Moore,
jcmoore@VenturaCountyStar.com Got an extra $2 million you'd like to give to your local schools? In the Conejo Valley, that donation could get your name on a high school's performing arts center. Or a stadium, if that's more to your liking. The idea is akin to naming a baseball stadium for a major corporation. Think Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings. Or Petco Park, the new home of the San Diego Padres. Quite simply, it's a way of raising money when times are tight. And if it can work for a sports team, maybe it will work for schools, educators figure. "Obviously a lot of different agencies do this," said Tim Stephens, a member of the board of education for the Conejo Valley Unified School District in Thousand Oaks. "When you have budgets that are being whacked every time you turn around, you have to consider other ways of raising money." The idea of advertising in schools is not new. Many high school baseball fields and tracks display signs advertising local businesses. And soda companies have had their machines on campus for years, in return for donating a portion of their profits to the schools. Still, the concept makes some people uneasy, even those who recognize that schools may badly need the money that advertising generates. John Andersen, a Newbury Park dad, is one of those people. Andersen is fairly comfortable with local businesses advertising in schools because he believes it creates a sense of community. But that comfort level evaporates when the advertiser is a national corporation. "The loss of community partnership gives it a sense of commercialism I wish we didn't have," Andersen said. "But I do respect the reality of needing to raise money for schools. I do respect what these officials are trying to do." Most districts have some sort of policy for naming buildings for people they wish to honor. Foothill Technology School in Ventura, for example, has Spirito Hall, named in honor of Joe Spirito, who was superintendent when the popular magnet school was planned and built. Less common are facilities named for corporations. But they do exist. At Buena High School in Ventura, which is in the midst of building a stadium, donors can get their names on everything from the stadium itself to the ticket office. No one has stepped up yet to donate the $400,000 the school is asking to name its new stadium. But a $40,000 donation will get Harley-Davidson's name on the scoreboard. The Ventura County Star will have its name on the press box and a ticket booth after donating $40,000. And the concession stand will be named for the County Schools Federal Credit Union, which donated $35,000. "We have to do this because there's no way our school can accomplish this goal," said Deborah Golden, a parent involved in the fund-raising campaign. "And that's a sad story." The Conejo district is doing something similar, but on a larger scale. Last week, the school board unanimously approved a policy that spells out how a person or business can get their name on a high school baseball field, for example, or an elementary school library. If you want your name on a gym, theater or stadium, the minimum donation is $2 million. If a library is more your cup of tea, that will be a minimum donation of $1 million. Science labs go for $100,000. Of course, there are rules about who can or cannot get their names on a school building. Under the district's policy, names should be "appropriate for a high-quality public school system." They should also reflect community values. And although a building can be named for someone living or dead, that person must have made a substantial contribution to the district. That means donors can name buildings for themselves, or for someone they wish to honor -- an English teacher, for example, who has inspired thousands of students to love Shakespeare. "Obviously, you don't want something that's not child appropriate," said Conejo board member Pat Phelps. "You don't want a Phillip Morris stadium. The trend we're going for is a tribute to somebody who's been involved in the community for a long time or who's been supportive of schools for a long time." So far, the Conejo district has had some nibbles from potential donors, but people have been waiting until a specific policy was in place before making any commitments, Superintendent Robert Fraisse said. Conejo donors will have some say in how they want their money used -- for band instruments, say, or library books -- but the district wants to make sure the money is distributed equitably among schools. For that reason, donations will be processed through the Conejo Schools Foundation, which is working to create a $12 million endowment for the district. At the same time, the district doesn't want to put too many restrictions on potential donors. "Most people would want to aim their money at a certain program they feel strongly about," Stephens said. "I think it's only fair to do that." |
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