In the face of budget crunches, more schools are looking to the private sector for money. Some have formed education foundations to pay for what school budgets can't, such as arts and sports programs. In Brunswick, the school superintendent is considering all his options, including a more novel approach to bringing in private funds.

It's recess time at Jordan Acres elementary school in Brunswick. You can't tell from the screams, but there are fewer students enrolled this year because of the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

And the loss of 600 students system-wide is a major reason for a drop in state aid along with a rise in property values that has reduced Brunswick's share of funds.

Now Superintendent Paul Perzanoski is thinking about other ways to raise money. "We would look to have donations made by folks that come into businesses, have, possibly, canisters out there like any other non-profit or charity may have."

Perznoski thinks residents would be more willing to give to schools in small amounts. That's why he is also proposing a program called "Round-Up for Education."

"If somebody came in and bought something for $10.50, the person who is a cashier could say, 'Would you like to round up to $11 and the 50 cents go to education,'" he says.

Perzanoski says the money raised could be put toward anything the school board decides, be it starting up a pre-school, or saving jobs. Some positions on the chopping block next year include resource assistants for students who need extra help with math and reading.

Over at Libby's Market, owner Tina Libby says she is up for doing what she can for the schools. "People come in here and ask us all the time to put to stuff out for canisters to draw loose change, whether it's student things, whether it's something the school needs, whatever happens that they want, we'll do."

The mother of a high schooler in town, Libby says she would prefer to place canisters out, rather than asking customers to donate money directly. "So I really think it's a better idea to put the cans out there and let people donate at will or to sell tickets to do a raffle of some sort -- that sort of fundraiser. That would go over better."

Retired engineer Pem Schaeffer, on the other hand, says he will have nothing to donate to the schools. "Am I willing to contribute? No I'm not, I have no children in the school system and I pay way above the average for property taxes as it is."

Schaeffer blogs about town affairs and thinks the school department overspends its money. "If I was to see a jar that said 'support our schools,' I guess I would consider that a rather tawdry approach, you know, almost juvenile as a way to offset the circumstances that the school department finds themselves in."

Others are waiting to learn more about the superintendent's ideas. Among them is Steve Wallace, president of the Southern MidCoast Maine Chamber.

He says that it's in the business community's interest to improve schools and develop a more educated work force. "We've got great jobs -- $50,000, $60,000 a year jobs at Bath Iron Works, people are being hired out of state because we can't find candidates here. Go and look at our engineering schools, they're not Maine folks, they're not Maine residents. They're getting the education and they're going away."

The question is how best to get private dollars to the schools. Wallace says he'd like to see an education foundation for the midcoast area that would be able to apply for education grants, rather than relying on local businesses to step up.

"You're taking money and just recirculating it in the community," he says. "What we need to be able to do is find how we can get money from a national competition, how can we get money from a Gates Foundation or a Libra Foundation or somebody else, because we're now bringing in $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000, $50,000 at a time, and that's outside money, and that's important."

Neighboring Brunswick's school system, SAD 75 -- which includes Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Harpswell -- started an education foundation about two years ago. It was spearheaded by the school district, and accepts private donations and applies for grants.

Bob Davis, an executive at Border Trust, sits on the foundation's board. "They have sponsored a couple of art ideas there was one I believe on photography and there was an I-T program where the kids formed an I-T team, a 'geek squad,' and they helped either teachers or people on the outside or kids."

Davis says the foundation was careful to fund short-term learning projects as opposed to funding programs that are traditionally covered in a budget. "You have to make sure you differentiate yourself from that budget because people are going to say, 'I'm not going to contribute something that I'm paying taxes for and is part of the basic school system.'"

Over in Brunswick, Perzanoski says that his fund-raising proposal does not preclude the creation of an educational foundation, an idea that has been discussed in Brunswick for years.

Perzanoski says he plans to formally present his proposals to the business community, and get the approval of the school board. He says if the program is up and running by the summer, that would allow the influx of summer residents and visitors a chance to support public education.