In the woodworking shop at Memorial High School, senior Taylor Trummer configures the toe-kick on a three-dimensional computer model of a bookshelf.

He's designing an "instant library" for mass production as a special project. The class will then make the shelves to distribute books to families in need.

Nearby, in a biology classroom, Dan Wise cradles a corn snake as it attempts to wrap around the sunglasses tucked into his sweater, while Brooke Ferrell extends her arm as a walking stick strolls up it.

Behind her are terrariums that house hissing cockroaches, a tarantula, geckos, a turtle and a toad.

The school was not able to fund these projects in the regular, cash-strapped budget, so teachers applied for grants from the private nonprofit Foundation for Madison's Public Schools. The $675 to build the instant libraries and $150 for the biology class reptiles came from a foundation endowment raised specifically for Memorial High School.

Each of the district's 47 schools has its own fund although some are more successful in building them than others. The amounts raised thus far range from $16,179 at Whitehorse Middle School to $108,909 at East High School. (The new Paul Olson Elementary will start a fund soon.)

"These individual school endowment programs are unique to Madison," said Jim Collogan, executive director of the National School Foundation Association. "It's really a neat model for the nation. I travel all over the country and I like to talk about Madison as an example — I've not seen it elsewhere."

School foundations, an idea borrowed from universities, are increasingly common. Tightening school budgets, where an average of only 2 percent of spending is discretionary, have led to an explosion in the number of districts with private foundations, Collogan said. He estimated that out of 14,500 public school districts nationwide about 45 percent now have them.

"They're growing both in number and influence," he said. "Donors want to support kids' education. And in many districts this is a way to help fund the 'extras' of music, art and technology."

The Foundation for Madison's Public Schools was formed in 2000. The individual school endowments began in 2003 with a $5,000 per school matching grant challenge from John and Leslie Taylor and the Madison-based Clay-Price Fund. All schools met that goal — with the foundation stepping in when schools needed help fundraising. The total raised by all schools is nearly $1.5 million and each school gets the interest on their endowment to dispense in annual grants.

"It gives the community a chance to support the schools," said Martha Vukelich-Austin, president of the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools. "It's an investment in our kids, who are our citizens and leaders and taxpayers of the future."

School endowment funds are housed at the Madison Community Foundation, which also has provided challenge grants that put each school's individual fund above $15,000.

Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad said he was thrilled to move to a district that had a well-developed foundation. Green Bay, his previous district, had what he called a more embryonic foundation and he'd heard about Madison's group long before he accepted the job here.

"After meeting with them I was delighted to know there is an effective way to support staff members who have visions and ideas that the schools can't fund," Nerad said. "It's opening our doors and getting community members involved."

The only downside, he said, is that it's necessary: "I'm sad there's a need for it because some of these projects are things we can no longer do because we've made cuts."

Vukelich-Austin noted that parents, alumni and local businesses are attracted to the idea of investing in their own school.

This year's individual school grants, totaling $36,497, were approved last month. They include an orienteering course at Hamilton Middle School, a yoga class at Stephens Elementary, field trips, guest speakers, Spanish language training for staff at Crestwood and musical Boomwhacker tubes for Hawthorne Elementary. Leopold Elementary students will produce a monthly news broadcast for the school's Web site and Lincoln Elementary will study hip-hop culture.

In addition to the individual school grants, the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools funds such programs as businesses adopting a school, Principal for a Day where community leaders shadow school principals and the annual Circle of Friends luncheon.

The foundation also has an unrestricted general grant process that is announced each April. Overall, the foundation has raised approximately $5.4 million over the past eight years, but all these programs provide more than just funds.

"We're raising money but we're also highlighting what's being done in schools and doing outreach," Vukelich-Austin said. "For me, the job means being the schools' biggest cheerleader."

As the only school to exceed $100,000, East High School provides an example of how schools can be successful. (The next highest is Spring Harbor Elementary with $79,464.)

Vukelich-Austin credited East's tremendous success to a committed group of parents and alumni who successfully reach out to other alumni. It has allowed them this year to spend $2,213 to help fund a kitchen remodel for a culinary arts program and the AODA Student Leadership Committee.

All ideas for individual school funds and the general fund grants come from district staff.

Teacher Tim Droster got the idea for Memorial's woodworking class to make "instant libraries" when Paul Terranova, director of the Lussier Community Education Center on the West Side school's grounds, told him they had books available to distribute to families in need. Knowing his students would want to help, but there wouldn't be funds available, he applied.

All the reptiles and amphibians in biology teacher Nancy Piraino's class have been donated. With her grant she hopes to add an aquarium, an additional gecko and hermit crabs.

"I had a kid tell me the animals really help him relax," Piraino said. "And I love the animals because the kids never know what is going to happen with them around."

Jay Affeldt, Memorial's professional development coordinator, said the foundation's grant-awarding process this year yielded more than a dozen ideas.

"We asked the staff and got all these incredibly cool ideas, none of them bad," Affeldt said. "We end up only being able to fund a few, so we're now looking for other creative ways to make more projects happen."