School bus billboards get green light

WEST LAKE HILLS, Texas (KXAN) - On the web at home, ads dance across your computer screen.

Watching television, commercials scream at you. In the car, it seems billboards stare at you at every intersection. Come this fall, drivers in West Lake Hills will have more to pay attention to in the morning and afternoon.

As if the bright yellow school buses weren't enough to look out for, advertisers may also try to grab your attention in the Eanes Independent School District .

Board members voted 4-3 Wednesday night to move forward with negotiations to put advertising on school buses.

The move could generate close to $150,000 a year in extra revenue - money the district said it needs.

"It offsets our operating costs," said Transportation Director Tim Wysong. "Obviously, the cost of fuel, for example, has accelerated significantly. It could help us in that regard."

Advertisers will have two spots and types of signs to choose from:

• On the side of the bus, the 7.5-foot-by-2.5-foot "eye level" sign - between the distict's name and the flashing stop sign - will cost  $350 a month.
• The other spot is the "high visibility" sign just above the bus windows on the back. This 7-foot-by-1.5-foot sign would cost $175 a month.

The board would set strict guidelines for companies to follow to ensure the ads are tasteful.

"It really won't be offensive to children," Wysong said. "It's been proven it's not a distraction to motorists, so we feel like there's no safety concern there. And it's also another way we can partner with some of our local merchants and help them as they help us."

Local merchants, such as family-owned RiverCity Sportswear , have partnered and advertised with Eanes ISD for the last 25 years. Advertising on the side of a bright yellow school bus is the ultimate marketing opportunity.

"To have the additional exposure that buses driving around your community - for nine months, twice a day - really offers a lot of opportunity for us," said RiverCity Sportswear CEO Scott Sanders.

Ads will be placed on 40 buses covering 32 square miles throughout Eanes ISD, potentially reaching thousands of drivers each school day. It's good news for Sanders from a business revenue standpoint, but he's also concerned about revenue for the school district.

"With the implementation of Robin Hood , a lot of our school district's resources are going to underserved populations, and West Lakers and Westbankers are happy to help others' communities that don't have the resources we have," said Sanders. "But it does put us in economic shortfall, and so anywhere we can come up with additional revenue, I think is warranted."

Because Eanes ISD yields millions in property tax revenue, it  is required to send millions each year to poorer school districts across the state. The law has been dubbed the Robin Hood Bill . 

Of the $98 million Eanes ISD generated in property tax revenue in 2009-2010, it gave away more than $54 million. Some said it's all the more reason to look for other ways to produce extra cash.

"We're always looking for revenue opportunity, whether it be bus rentals or cost reductions," Wysong said. "On the other side of the equation, we're constantly looking for more efficient ways to run our routes."

Although he feels bombarded with advertisements, parent Evan Peter doesn't mind seeing ads on buses, especially if the money is helping his district.

"I guess the good side would be the school could make some money off of this, which I'm sure they could always use a little extra cash," said Peter. "I probably would be OK with it."

The ads are expected on buses when school starts in Fall 2010.