Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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School names for sale?
Yesterday I wrote about the Dayton schools naming a school for former Sinclair Community College President David Ponitz, a influential community figure for two decades.
But today I am wondering, should the school board instead be offering the names to the highest bidder?
In Las Vegas, new elementary schools are traditionally named for community figures and high schools are named for geographic areas. But the school board there is now hopes to raise millions by selling the naming rights to schools.
Among suitors already interested in school district projects are MGM Mirage, Wells Fargo Bank and the Sims Family Foundation. Private donors or companies that pay up can name classrooms, laboratories and school buildings, the story said.
It’s certainly breaking convention to name schools in this way. But if sports teams, theaters and other public structures already are taking corporate names for cash, why shouldn’t cash-strapped school districts get in on the game?
Think of it: Fifth Third High School, NCR Elementary School. Or maybe it would be more like Coca-Cola High and Frito-Lay Elementary?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By Dirk Sniggler
February 19, 2006 8:28 AM | Link to this
I would love to see an Loretta Cephus Elementary school here in town. She brought show business back to the school business. I miss her protests at the Dayton Public Fool Board meetings very much.By Britt T. Long
February 18, 2006 1:19 AM | Link to this
Scott, just ran across your Doherty story. It’s good, and stunning. About what I remember, too. Email me if you can. BrittBy Dave
February 17, 2006 9:29 PM | Link to this
And how about the next step? The Budweiser Staples Minute Maid Microsoft Toyota Hooters Dayton Daily News….By Mary
February 17, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this
And while we are at it, let’s just give naming rights to someone else for our towns, states and country and sell our bodies on the street to solve our money problems and runaway spending. Afterall, pretty much everyone is a spender on a personal and government level and has run up a lot of debt. Hey, some rich dudes, in an ironic twist, could buy the USA name and rename us the USSR since that name is no longer taken, or maybe “made/maid in China”. Would this solve our nation’s heavy debt problem? This concept might fly in Sin City and a state that has legalized prostitution and heavy gambling. In my book, it is a cop out to getting a grip on life and shows symptoms of self destruction or self mutilation.