Wood River Middle School fund-raising plan approved for Ron Clark "house" program; trustees question vendor fees and donor protections

HAILEY, Idaho — The Blaine County School District No. 61 Board of Trustees on Oct. 14 approved a fund-raising plan from Wood River Middle School that will support a new house system modeled on the Ron Clark Academy.

Wood River staff asked trustees to approve a fundraiser that will use an external vendor, Believe Kids, to manage online pledges, track individual and house-level points, and handle fulfillment of prizes and printed materials. The school said the house system — a cross-grade, staff-participant grouping — is intended to expand students’ sense of belonging, incentivize positive behavior and raise funds for house-branded prizes and celebrations.

Presenters told trustees the fundraising platform will charge a 25% fee on online donations but does not take any cash or check donations processed locally, which the school would deposit directly to the school-store account. The vendor provides a dashboard, preprinted pledge packets and prizes at no cost to the school, and offers a storefront in which the school receives about 40% profit on merchandise sales. The district will pay an annual app fee of $2,000 so students, parents and staff can track and redeem points. The school said merchandise and incentives purchased with fundraising proceeds will be used only for student rewards and house celebrations.

Trustee Turner asked whether donor email addresses would be protected and whether the platform provides a way for students to thank donors. Presenters said the vendor had assured them donor emails are used only for the duration of the fundraiser and are erased afterward; they also said they would train students to send thank-you messages and would prepare scripts for students who needed guidance on solicitation and gratitude. Staff indicated cash-and-check donations remain 100% to the school and will be tracked so students receive credit without online platform fees.

Trustees discussed equity concerns about publicizing top individual fundraisers and asked staff not to publish donation amounts; staff said they would publish only the top earners without dollar figures and would emphasize house-level and in-school ways for all students to earn points regardless of outside fundraising capacity. The board approved the fundraiser by voice vote.

Why this matters

The fundraiser supports a student-engagement program the school says has driven higher attendance and lower tardies. Trustees approved the plan but asked staff to protect donor privacy, ensure student thank-you practices and monitor equity so students from families with fewer outside connections are not disadvantaged.

Next steps

School staff will finalize vendor onboarding, distribute pledge packets and implement training for students on donor communications and platform use. The board asked staff to track how funds are deposited and to use a dedicated school-account line for transparency.