Editorial - Board is to be applauded for fundraising limits

The Dickinson Public School Board is to be strongly commended for the steps it has taken in the past year to set long-overdue limits on the seemingly never-ending fundraising that students have been involved in for extra-curricular activities.

As we reported recently, all Dickinson High School athletic teams and academic organizations can now only conduct fundraising activities for summer camps or competitions beyond the state level. This follows a practice that was implemented for the 2006-07 school year at the elementary school level, where fundraising is now only done for non-educational items.

Shortly before former long-time DHS activities director Marv Knoll retired about eight years ago, he was instructed by the board to analyze the amount of fundraising that was taking place within the schools. Knoll’s review showed students were at that time raising over $115,000 a year to support extra-curricular activities.

The majority of those dollars were for athletic teams, many of which already were receiving school funding support. Knoll’s review was eye-opening at the time regarding the large amount of money students were raising each year above activity fees and other expenses they already were paying to participate in extra-curriculars.

“It should make a marked decrease in our fundraising, which was our goal,” said board member Mitzi Swenson, who has worked with this topic going back to the study conducted by Knoll.

Swenson also acknowledged this new policy for the high school is a work in progress. Undoubtedly, situations are going to arise that produce questions that will need to be discussed as they pertain to the new policy.

Superintendent Dr. Paul Stremick also reminded everyone the high school still has the DHS Booster Club and the DHS Music Booster Club where each group continues to raise funds as they have in the past.

Again, the board deserves the community’s thanks for bringing school fundraising efforts back to reality. Other school districts would be wise to adopt similar policies, as we’re sure they would be equally appreciated in their communities too.

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