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Flagler County School District Venturing into Advertising

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School officials from Flagler County are in working on passing legislation that would allow advertisements to be published on the district’s website, athletic fields, and other property. The district officials hope that this initiative would help the district make money for its struggling budget.

The district held a regular meeting on Tuesday night, where School Board members thought about asking consultants to come forward to help the district with advertising. The members of the board said they needed more time to work out all of the details that would be in the proposal. During a future workshop session, the members of the board will discuss the matter once again.

If the proposal were to pass, advertising at this level would be something new for Flagler. The School Board voted earlier in 2011 to edit policies that would allow advertisements on newsletters, newspapers, district websites, uniforms, district vehicles and even school supplies. The School Board members are hoping that the funds raised from advertising will help offset the funding lost from the state, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The County of Volusia recently opened its doors to advertising, as the district’s first website advertisement was for an Ormond Beach physical therapy company. The advertisement went live on the district’s site in spring of 2011.

The ads that will be prohibited in Flagler include those for alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and anything else that is harmful or illegal for children. Also to be avoided are political and religious ads. District vehicles are fair game when it comes to advertising, except for district school buses, because of safety reasons.

The purchasing director for Flagler, Carmen Campanella, pleaded with School Board members to browse for professionals who can sign expensive advertising deals.

“Advertising is not as simple as we all think it is,” Campanella said. “It can be a very difficult thing or an intricate thing to pull off. There are a lot of dollars on the table that we need to make sure we capture.”

Andy Dance, Vice Chairman, said he would like to see the job be awarded to someone closer to the county, not someone outside of the state.

“Personally, I’d like to see it limited to a Florida company,” he said. “I think we have plenty of expertise in the state of Florida.”

Colleen Conklin, a member of the School Board, said that the district has to decide right now how that potential conflict will be handled before the district can begin selling advertisements. Conklin said that she is “concerned we are putting the horse before the cart.” The reason for this is that the district is discussing hiring a consultant before resolving any issues that could arise with such an idea.

Flagler County School District Venturing into Advertising by
Authored by: Harrison Barnes