Columbia Heights board unanimously accepts donations and in-kind gifts totaling thousands

The Columbia Heights school board adopted a resolution acknowledging donor contributions and in-kind support at its Nov. 25 meeting.

During the meeting the presiding officer read a detailed list of donors and amounts benefiting athletics, theatre, tennis and other school programs. Examples included many individual small donations to swim and tennis fundraisers, a $200 anonymous donation for the band at North Park, Camp Digital and Columbia Heights Lions in-kind food donations valued at $1,500 and $700 respectively, a camera and lens package valued at $900 donated to Columbia Heights High School photography classes, and DonorsChoose bins valued at $163 for classroom use.

The resolution text read into the record identified $15,374.25 in monetary contributions for the listed items; later in the list the presenter stated the total fiscal-year contributions (including additional items and in-kind gifts) were $21,374.28. Director Pettway and other members thanked community donors for their support. Because the item was a resolution acknowledging gifts, the board conducted a roll-call vote; members recorded as voting "aye" included Mueller, Palmer, Pettway, Maderas and Granlund/Poole and the resolution passed unanimously.

The board did not vote to accept any operational funding changes at the meeting; the resolution was an acknowledgement of contributions and will be reflected in the district's gift records and fiscal reports.