The Shawano School District made a pledge more than a year ago to try and capture private donations to offset the cost of the $51.2 million referendum approved by voters in November 2024.
From the sale of naming rights to lighting, audio and seats in a revamped auditorium, district officials vowed to do what they could to raise more than $1.8 million to pay for items like artificial turf and an orchestra pit that had caused voters hesitation in the first referendum in April 2024.
So far, the district has been able to wrangle just over $200,000 in sponsorships, according to Superintendent Kurt Krizan. That includes $100,000 from the Bert and Carol Huntington Family to sponsor the new scoreboard for the stadium, $85,000 from the Shawano Community High School Athletic Boosters for the stadium’s concession stand, and $10,000 each from Edward Jones and Boivin Excavation and Landscaping to sponsor the new bleachers.
“We’ve had a good response from the athletic side,” Krizan said.
The performing arts side is a different story. So far, seat sponsorships, about $300 each, have only netted six sponsors purchasing nine seats out of 100 available, generating only $2,700. No one has come forward to sponsor the lighting and audio systems, which come out to about $200,000 each, or the new acoustic shells, which are $175,000.
“This is going to cause us to take a look at a couple of things differently,” Krizan said.
Originally, the district looked at getting $500,000 donations for naming rights for the stadium and auditorium, but now Krizan said those honors are being lowered to $250,000 in the hopes of getting some nibbles. To offset the amount lost, the district is also looking at having turf sponsorships for about $100,000 each, along with a $50,000 sponsorship of the new ticket booth being built.
Krizan noted that naming rights for other school districts were lower than what Shawano had proposed, so reducing it to $250,000 for the 10-year deal seemed more appropriate.
Regarding the auditorium, Krizan believes the sponsorships originally proposed might have been a little too pricey for potential donors, so the district is going to work on a general fundraising effort in the hopes of collecting $1.375 million.
“Now we’re looking at doing more of a donor wall, because I think the dollar amounts we had, they weren’t attractive to other people,” Krizan said. “There’s an opportunity for people, no matter what they want to give, to be able to give to be a part of that program. It’s a way for us to recognize anyone who does over a $300 donation, because that’s what we were proposing for the seats.”
With the main part of the SCHS projects well underway, Krizan said decisions would need to be made on certain things unless donations pick up drastically. Work on the stadium is poised to begin soon, and the auditorium could see some work happening next summer.
“I really haven’t heard a whole lot about why not (supporting the performing arts), but it’s interesting,” Krizan said. “Maybe it’s on us. Maybe we need to do a better job of sharing out the opportunities that are out there.”
The district will work on marketing the fundraising efforts at the first of the year, noting that now is not a good time as everyone is focusing on their holiday expenses.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
