Largest gift in Topeka Public Schools’ history will go to one of its most in-need schools

It was when he was still Highland Park High School’s principal — so well over a decade ago — but Dale Cushinberry still keenly remembers the day he met an alumna who would eventually change the course of the school’s history.

Cushinberry was hosting alumni for a tour of the school, showing off what was then the state’s only freshman academy based on the transformational Johns Hopkins model.

The alumni were impressed, but none as much as Susan Guffey — a mysterious but deeply interested woman who had since moved out of the state.

“She asked: ‘What can I do to support these efforts? What do you need?’” Cushinberry recalled.

Highland Park staff, then fighting to increase students’ reading proficiency, had a big goal of having every student read three modern novels. Problem was, Cushinberry explained to Guffey, the school didn’t have three modern novels.

The next week, the principal had a check in his office to meet that need, and then some.

It was the start of a chain of fleeting donations, but ones that would lead to the largest gift in the history of Topeka USD 501.

The Topeka Public Schools Foundation on Tuesday morning announced that Guffey, as part of her will, had donated $5 million specifically to Highland Park High School for student needs.

The gift is the largest in the foundation’s history, either from an individual or organization, director Pamela Johnson-Betts told The Capital-Journal.

Donor Susan Guffey was passionate about changing East Topeka narrative

Speaking to The Capital-Journal, Johnson-Betts shared that Guffey, who had been living in Seattle, died in 2022.

Over the years, she had given various gifts, including one for $200,000. But none had been as large as the one the foundation learned about earlier this year from Guffey’s attorney.

Johnson-Betts admitted neither she nor other Topeka USD 501 staff know much about Guffey or the kind of life she lived, other than throughout much of the past two decades, she was committed to supporting her alma mater.

“I think it’s because of where she grew up, and I would say that, for many of us who grew up on the east side of town, there’s a desire to prove ourselves,” Johnson-Betts said. “A lot of times, people think that because you live in a certain ZIP code, you’re not as worthy as others. And I would imagine that just like me, she wanted other children who live in that ZIP code to pursue the kind of life she had.”

“She was a concerned person,” Cushinberry said. “She was warm-hearted, and a person who cared about people. She really had a passion for her alma mater, Highland Park. I could tell as I was talking with her, how interested she was in the things that are going on today.

“Anything she could do to further the legacy of Highland Park, she was very interested in that,” he added.

$5 million gift will make a difference for Highland Park High students

What stands out about Guffey’s large $5 million gift is that it’s specifically directed to support students and student programs, rather than any kind of facility or capital improvements, Johnson-Betts said.

Over the past several months, the foundation has worked with current Highland Park principal Juli Watson and her staff to begin brainstorming ideas on how to best carry out Guffey’s wishes.

Johnson-Betts imagines that a committee will review student and staff requests for funding to support programs and travel, and disburse those funds once or twice a year.

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“Over the years, we’ve had students who want to go on trips or out of state for festivals and contests,” the director said. “They’ve had to sell doughnuts or have bake sales to raise funds for the families who don’t have those dollars to send them. We now are going to be able to say to those students and staff: ‘Come to us. We have a pot of money that will make sure that the students we serve are going to be able to take every opportunity they want.'”

Cushinberry, who himself attended Highland Park in the early 1960s, said for years, Highland Park High School has had some of the highest needs of any school in Topeka.

He said the money would be transformational for the school’s students.

“We’ll see students who are better equipped to navigate the world ahead of them,” Cushinberry said. “They’re going to be afforded programs and opportunities that will fill their toolboxes with the necessary skills and knowledge.”

At the same time, Cushinberry encouraged attendees at the Topeka Public Schools Foundation’s annual breakfast to emulate Guffey’s example and consider the district’s other students.

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“Highland Park High School is in a good position moving forward, but in USD 501, there are at least 12,000 other students in those schools who won’t be able to take advantage of (this gift),” the retired principal said. “That’s where you come in, because one of the things one of the special things about Topeka Public Schools is the extraordinary effort that people like you make to make sure that our youth get what they need."

“It’s often said that the youth are our future. I want to change that. The youth are our present — and our future,” he said. “The future is too far away, and the present is here. The needs are here and now, and our students should be at the table with us as we navigate through these times.”

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka's Highland Park High receives $5 million from alum Susan Guffey