May 15th, 2011
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MyCentralJersey.com
Annual budget shortfalls have caused a change in attitude toward advertising in schools, with some districts looking at the concept as a new revenue stream.
“Twenty years ago, I would have said no way,” said Gregory T. Nolan, the superintendent of the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District. “The economics of schools today has changed, and I don’t think we can close the door (on advertising), but we have to be very cautious in the way we approach it.”
The industry’s next injection into schools might come from an idea floated by legislators, who have given districts the option of placing advertising on the outside of buses. The bill faced some opposition, despite that advertising for decades has had a presence in schools through the Channel One program and has found footing in area districts where officials are looking at signage and sponsors.
Not every district has followed suit yet, however — as is the case in Flemington-Raritan.
“I do think there’s a cost to everything,” Nolan said. “I won’t dismiss advertising outright, but I will be cautious in what we do. We do have our integrity, and we have to make sure that’s not for sale. Remember what we know about change: The slower the better.”