Sweetwater schools will soon bring advertisements onto middle and high school campuses and school websites, hoping to yield as much as $1 million in new revenue as their budgets are crunched.
Under an agreement with 4 Visual Media Group, the school district will choose which advertising companies are acceptable. It plans to split the money 50-50 between school sites where ads are placed and the larger school district budget. If all schools sign on, it expects to generate up to $1 million.
Sweetwater Union High School District spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said as it stands now, the ads will likely be for juices, sports drinks and clothing. A committee of educators and parents is setting out guidelines for what works and what doesn't. USA Today reported earlier this year on one reason why advertising in schools is so sensitive:
"This is really tricky stuff for school districts, though," says Richard Colvin,Road Show for School District Critics Continues
San Diegans 4 Great Schools, a newly formed group that is seeking changes to how San Diego Unified is governed, brought its message to a tough crowd at the Ocean Beach Town Council Wednesday night.
A retired teacher called it an overly vague "dog and pony show" that didn't address real problems in schools. "Governance is a minor issue," said Mike Berrill, who used to teach in East County. "You've got a problem that's way bigger than how many board members are squabbling."
Scott Himelstein, who organizes the group of philanthropists, business leaders, parents and other community members, said he respectfully disagreed. "Governance plays a big role,"
San Diego Unified is seeking to borrow more money for school renovation and pay it off over a longer period of time.
Doing so could help accelerate school fixes and upgrades, which have been delayed because of dropping tax revenues from a bond that voters approved two years ago.
But taking longer to pay off the bonds will also mean that San Diego Unified pays more in interest. The question that the school district is wrestling with is whether the added costs of paying off bonds over a longer period of time -- just like taking longer to pay off your credit card -- will be offset by getting money to build and renovate schools sooner while construction prices are low.