SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Parents have mixed opinions about a new deal to bring advertising inside Seminole County public schools.
The school board is set to hire Education Funding Partners of Colorado.
Big banners in the cafeteria to a company’s logo on student lunch tables are just some examples of where corporations can advertise, according to the company's website.
According to its website, the Colorado marketing company promises to bring big names, like Nike and CVS. The company will get at least a 20 percent cut, but their goal is to generate $5 to $10 per student. That could mean up to $650,000 for the school district.
Seminole County parent Debbie Resh is worried about the message these ads send to kids.
“It really distracts from education because you're there to teach the kids and you're not there to advertise to them,” Resh said.
The school board will have the final say on which ads air and where. They can cancel the deal if they don’t make $100,000 in the first 18 months.
The school board barely closed a 16-million dollar budget gap and they say they need money.
“I would rather us look for how we are at this point spending our already allocated dollars on administration and other activities,” said Alwinson.
The Orange County school district sells ads only on its website and in print materials like athletic programs. They bring in about $250,000 a year.
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