WEST MILFORD — West Milford Township Public School buses will soon be sporting paid advertisements.
The school board approved the plan Tuesday night and will enter into an agreement with Advantage3, Inc. for school bus advertising, pending attorney approval.
The Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission, of which the West Milford School District is a member, advertised a request for proposals in September, 2012, for the sale of school bus advertising space on behalf of its member school districts. Advantage3, Inc. submitted a proposal in response, which was accepted by the commission as being the most beneficial to its member districts.
According to the proposal, school districts that sell advertising space on the district’s school buses will receive a percentage of all earnings produced by those sales, and Advantage3 will also seek to provide advertisers for the districts. West Milford Business Administrator Barbara Francisco said the percentage of revenue received is determined on a sliding scale based upon the amount of time contracted, between one and five years. In addition, as a member district of the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission, the West Milford Board of Education may participate in and accept the terms of Advantage3’s proposal without separate advertising. The proposal includes provisions for other advertisement placement such as on Web sites as well, but Francisco said the district is only interested in the bus advertising portion at this time.
There is no estimate yet on how much the district will earn from the advertising.
First look
The proposal to permit advertising on district property to generate revenue was originally proposed a few years ago by former Board of Education Trustee John Aiello. It was discussed early in 2010, and the board explored options for creating a new policy that would permit ads to be placed in school facilities and other district properties such as gyms, fields, and school buses as well as for ads to be sent home with students. Some trustees at the time voiced concerns about the potential impact of advertising on student instruction and the overall educational environment. Trustee Wayne Gottlieb specifically cautioned against creating a policy that could be construed as compelling students to view advertisements, since children are required by law to attend school. But, he said, restricting the ads to placement in facilities such as fields and in gyms after hours during voluntary, non-instructional programs and events could possibly be an option. The board did not pursue the issue further since they were unable to construct a district policy.
On Jan. 5, 2011 the state Senate and General Assembly approved legislation allowing and setting requirements for contracts for the sale of advertising space on school buses, and specifying how school districts may use the revenue from such contracts.
As of 2011, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, New Mexico, New Jersey and Utah were the only states to allow school bus advertising
Idea revisited
The suggestion was reintroduced to the board last February by Trustee James Foody, who proposed advertising as a means to do away with the high school’s $75 student activity fee. Francisco said that the West Milford High School Athletic Department had also requested the board re-examine the possibility of generating revenue through advertisements on athletic fields. The administration began investigating existing legislation for the purpose of developing a policy for board consideration.
The resolution approved by the board Tuesday night follows the adoption of amendments made by the New Jersey State Board of Education in May, 2012 which states that New Jersey school districts may contract for the sale of advertising space on district school buses after school districts bid, or request proposals, for the sale of school bus advertising space as per Public School Contracts Law.
Contracting requirements
According to the state, all advertisements require the approval of the local board of education, and the regulations give the school board the right at any time to reject any advertising copy. The school board would be protected from lawsuits filed against advertisers regarding the school bus ads, according to the regulations.
Half of the funds generated from the ads must offset fuel costs, and half must support school programs.
There are many guidelines for ads on school buses. According to state regulations, the school board is not permitted to accept any ads that:
Are false, misleading, deceptive, disrespectful, fraudulent or libelous;
Contain language that is obscene, vulgar, or reasonably determined not to be in good taste;
Promote unlawful or illegal goods, services or activities;
Promote gambling, tobacco, alcohol, or any products designed for use in connection with sexual activity;
Depict or glamorize violent or antisocial behavior or sexual conduct;
Resemble a traffic control device;
Declare or imply an endorsement by the board of education;
Are political, religious, issues-related, controversial or age-inappropriate.
Districts may place ads where they want on the buses as long as they do not interfere with safety features. Districts, however, must report the number of buses with ads, how long the ads have been on the buses and the total revenue earned through the ads to the state Department of Education.
What do you think of advertising on school buses? Go to westmilfordmessenger.com and tell us your thoughts.