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Schools

Parkland to Consider Ads In School Buses, Again

A school board committee is sending the proposal back to the full board for consideration at its Feb. 21 meeting.

The Parkland School Board will once again take up a proposal to sell ad space inside buses as a way to raise revenue.

The school board's Buildings, Grounds, Transportation and Cafeteria Committee discussed the proposal at its meeting Wednesday and decided to put the matter back on the agenda for the full board's consideration at its Feb. 21 meeting.

Last month, the school board was prepared to vote on establishing a contract with an ad design agency, which would sell the ad space, and an ad review committee. However, after two Parkland residents and a board member raised concerns, the board tabled the matter on a 5-3 vote.

That vote sent the initiative back to the buildings and grounds committee for further review.

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On Wednesday, committee member Barry Long said he thought it had been appropriate to table the matter since opposition had been expressed at the school board meeting. 

However, Committee Chairman Robert Bold expressed frustration.

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“Usually when a committee vetted something as well as we did,” he said, there should be no problem with getting approval. Besides, he said, a lot of school districts are looking at alternate revenue streams.

Parkland students already are used to seeing advertising in student newspapers and on the district calendar, Bold said. “It’s not like the kids have never been exposed to advertising in schools.”

Bold said he has discussed the matter further with some school board members, and he believes there will be enough support for the advertising initiative.

Committee member Lisa Adams said she had no problem with the proposal being tabled. But since that time, she said, she has talked with many Parkland parents and “could not find one person” who opposed it.

In a Patch poll, respondents were split on the issue. Of the 43 people who responded to the question, "Should Parkland School District move forward with plans to sell ad space inside its fleet of buses, at the roof line?," 20 voted yes, 20 voted no and three were undecided. 

School district officials face financial challenges as they prepare the 2012-13 budget because of shrinking revenues. School bus ads are projected to raise about $150,000 annually for the school district.

On Feb. 13, the Personnel and Finance Committee discussed the prospect of 59 potential staff cuts to bridge a gap in the 2012-2013 budget. The budget probably will require a 3.83 percent tax hike, despite the retirement of more than 30 teachers and staff.

If the school board decides to go ahead with bus ads, it would set up a committee to review and approve potential ads. The ads would be focused on health, nutrition, higher education and safety.

Other districts in the state and country have ads on school property, including Bucks County’s Pennsbury School District, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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