Dive Brief:
- In order to raise extra dollars, districts are turning to corporate sponsorships of everything from back-to-school lists to pre-prom events.
- In return for advertising space or district backing of events, companies like Sports Authority and Macy’s provide districts a share of their profits.
- In California's San Juan Unified School District, for example, Target placed its logo and a link to its website on back-to-school lists and paid the district $12,600.
Dive Insight:
Districts put the funds earned from these partnerships toward a variety of uses. San Juan placed its revenue in a donations account and spent it on enrichment for students. Folsom Cordova Unified School District placed revenues from an even larger sponsorship push in a reserve account intended to help low-income students with back-to-school needs.
But the programs also raise questions about relinquishing control to companies. In the case of San Juan, the district worked through a third party that helped design a partnership intended to give the district full control of a corporation’s involvement and bar it from influencing learning. Folsom Cordova adopted similar policies and required any sponsors provide evidence that their planned work benefited students, in addition to the financial payout. The district also put restrictions on the size and content of ads: no building-size ads for soft drinks, for example.