Financial Band-Aids for education.

It was Karen Roorda's second marriage, and she and her husband-to-be wanted something special for the June wedding. It wasn't china or new bath towels.

Roorda, who works at the University of California in San Francisco, and her now-husband, Chris Chidsey, a professor at Stanford University, asked their guests to donate money to at least one of three causes. One was to Herbert Hoover Middle School in San Francisco, where her son is a sixth-grader. The school needed funds to avoid several teacher layoffs.

"It was the second marriage for both of us, and we had no need for anything in the first place," says Roorda, 46. "One of the things that we're interested in and we like to promote is building a sense of community.... We value education. We put our emphasis on how our kids are being taught in life."

Even though she is still uncertain of how much was raised, she guesses about a third to half of her 100 guests donated funds.

The gesture, although unusual, is getting to be almost the norm across the nation as communities struggle with the worst budget shortfalls since World War II, according to the National Education Association.

Districts are cutting programs for the sheer lack of funds, such as Boston's decision to close five schools and lay off 800 teachers and 1,000 school employees and Denver's reduction of full-day kindergarten classrooms from 56 to 14.

Teachers, faculty, parents and even children are finding unique--and unconventional--ways to raise funds beyond bake sales and telethons.

About 50 parents in Eugene, Ore., donated blood plasma to raise $30,000 to pay for a school teacher's salary and some students in Sonoma County. Calif., gave up allowances and donated $100 in pennies, nickels and dimes to help reduce debt. "A lot of these sort of horror stories are desperate attempts, but they are understandable in a lot of cases to come up with solutions given a very difficult situation," says Daniel Kaufman, NEA spokesman. "The blood plasma donations and the wedding invitations ... these are Band-Aid solutions at best.... I think it's obviously great to see kids and parents and community members working together and recognizing the importance of teachers and classes, but it's not a long-term solution for the funding shortfalls. What needs to be done is for states and localities to look at longer-term solutions so districts are not subject to the ups and downs of the economy."

Roorda agrees. There is a "huge amount of disparity" between her middle-class school and other schools where parents cannot afford to raise extra money for education, she says.

In Dixon, Ky., the school board passed a four-day school week, a first for the state's public schools. And the Kentucky Dept. of Education is looking into it. Kentucky requires students undergo 1,050 hours per school year. "They claim they could save money by not having school" one of five days, says Lisa Gross, Kentucky's education department spokesperson. "We'll be looking at this with interest to see if there are some true savings."