Beyond Bake Sales School fundraising: A non-stop campaign The big business of school fundraising A wish list for school supplies One teacher's shopping list A new strategy: Creating school foundations Donations now pay teachers' salaries Alumni support at the core of one foundation's success Resources Blue Earth Area School Foundation Orono Alliance for Education Respond to this story Talk about this story in the MPR News Forum Submit a commentary Help us cover this story

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Two school districts, two foundations, one huge disparity
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
March 15, 2004

School foundations are becoming an increasingly popular means for districts and their supporters to raise money. But some observers are concerned that this trend will only increase the disparity between well-off and poorer school districts. A comparison between the Blue Earth school district and the Orono district illustrates that concern.

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Blue Earth Public School District 2860
Communities served: Blue Earth, Frost, Winnebago, Delavan and Elmore
Enrollment: 1,418
Number of schools: four

Blue Earth Area School Foundation

Amount raised in 2003: $50,000

Endowment: Receives 30 percent of all money raised

Recently sponsored activities: Art panels, geography CDs, Alpha Smart keyboards, Good Citizenship Award program, second grade storytellers program, admission to Mount Vernon on Washington D.C. trip, and Hands-on Discovery Learning kits for the kindergarten.


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Orono Public School District 278
Communities served: Independence, Long Lake, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetonka Beach and Orono
Enrollment: 2,463
Number of schools: four

Orono Alliance for Education

Amount raised in 2003: $397,000

Endowment: Separate campaign with a goal of $10 million by 2010

Recently sponsored activities: Funded 5.75 teaching positions

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