Some Minnesota Districts Sell Ads On Lockers

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune (10/19, Draper) reports that the Centennial School Board will decide on Nov. 1 "whether it will allow...ads on up to 10 percent of the available surfaces in all of the district's seven schools. That includes lockers, walls, and floors." The ads could bring nearly $200,000 in additional revenue for the district. "Centennial -- with $3.6 million in cuts this year and more likely on the way next year -- is just the latest school district looking at the ads as an alternative way to generate some cash." Already, St. Francis schools have approved such ads, which "will start going up on lockers there this week." Through an agreement with the company School Media, St. Francis schools could earn up to $200,000 a year. The Star-Tribune adds that "some school officials say they have found either support or a lack of concern among their parents," while "others say such advertising crosses the boundaries of what schools should allow."