The Columbus Dispatch

12/22/2006

David Conrad & Simone Sebastian

With the promise of a $2 million matching grant from Limited Brands, Columbus will become the third urban district in Ohio to establish an endowment fund for public schools.

The Columbus Public Schools Education Foundation, an independent organization that will represent a cross-section of the community, was announced yesterday after it started as only “a dream over a year ago,” said its chairwoman, Tanny Crane.

Such organizations are common in Franklin County, though, where more than half of the suburban districts have one.

The Canton and Toledo school districts also have similar programs, but their funds don’t come close to the $2 million that Columbus is planning to have for its start.

“We wanted to be able to work on innovative ideas for our public schools that would go way beyond what the district could fund,” said Crane, president and CEO of the Crane Group. “This will enable us to pursue initiatives that really spark opportunity and have programs that break the mold.”

Limited Brands’ donation is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant that officials are hoping will prompt other contributors to come forward.

Leslie H. Wexner, founder, chairman and chief executive of Limited Brands, said the foundation “will provide a long-term source of funds for programs aligned with the Columbus City School District’s strategic plan by increasing community involvement.”

The foundation’s key goal is to “seize great ideas and opportunities to reform and bring innovative programs to our schools that local, state and federal funding wouldn’t have been able to afford,” said Superintendent Gene Harris, who will be a nonvoting member on a seven-person managing board.

The board will operate completely independently of the Columbus school board.

A smile never left Harris’ face yesterday as she talked about the foundation, and Crane also couldn’t hide her optimism.

“We are so excited about this, and wanted to get the word out before the holidays,” Crane said. “We want to get people thinking about it, raising dollars, and start generating new innovative ideas now.”

Although the first meeting of the foundation board in early January remains tentative, Crane said, some ideas are already in the mix.

One idea echoed by Harris and Crane is for the expansion of a dropout recovery program modeled after the ISUS Trade and Technology Prep Community School in Dayton.

The program gives students who have dropped out of school the opportunity to earn a high-school diploma and job experience.

Crane also mentioned a leadership program for principals.

Across the country, businesses and communities are establishing foundations to help support their publicschool districts, said Jim Collogan, project manager for the National School Foundation Association, which helps promote and sustain foundations.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 foundations for public-school districts or individual schools exist nationwide, Collogan said, and that number is getting larger every year.

“It’s growing rapidly because of the need,” Collogan said. “Everywhere, (schools) are hurting.”

Many Ohio districts seem to be warming up to the idea.

Youngstown schools are making plans to create a foundation this school year to compensate for “shrinking state resources,” said M. Mike McNair, supervisor of public relations for the district. Among other things, the funds would support student trips to out-of-town competitions.

The Canton City Schools Foundation was founded in 1984 but has struggled to grow. Its funding comes primarily from individuals, and it contributes about $5,000 a year in grants for classroom projects, said president Sam Dorto.

The Toledo Public Schools Foundation’s net assets total about $500,000, said its executive director, Susan Zurawski. It supports scholarships and classroom projects.

ssebastian@dispatch.com