Board to vote next meeting on Market Street Sports contract after members raise questions about revenue performance

Elizabethtown Area School District board members discussed the Market Street Sports fundraising contract at the Feb. 11 workshop and agreed the board will vote on whether to continue the relationship at the next meeting. Several members questioned the firm's recent performance and low revenue flows to the district.

Why it matters: the Market Street Sports contract governs an outside fundraising partner whose work is intended to generate donated revenue for district programs; low realized revenue reduces the financial benefit to the district.

Discussion details - A board member reported that Market Street Sports has recently delivered “barely half” of expected funds, and cited an example where the district expected about $75,000 over seven years from a naming or pledge source but this equated to roughly $10,000 per year. Another board member noted the district’s Education Foundation raised substantially more for a playground project than Market Street Sports contributed. - The contract includes a requirement that the vendor provide monthly communications about fundraising activity; board members said such reporting was uneven and that some donor lists in Market Street Sports materials had outdated school assignments.

Next steps The board decided it will take only the single question of whether to continue Market Street Sports on the next meeting ballot; any replacement vendor or internal option would be addressed separately at a later date. Administration said it would bring the contract continuation vote to the next meeting and provide the available financial materials for review.

Closing note: board members said they wanted clearer monthly reporting from any fund‑raising partner and emphasized the district could consider in‑house development options if an external vendor does not perform.