Ads on campus? District 214 latest to eye corporate sponsorships for school spaces
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 could be the next suburban public school district to sell sponsorships, naming rights and other advertising to help pay for upgrades at its school buildings and athletic facilities.
Officials at the second largest high school district in the state have been exploring corporate sponsorships of highly visible spaces in and around football fields and gymnasiums, including scoreboards, fence windscreens and other signage.
A pending agreement with Power Ad Co., a Franklin, Ohio-based ad agency that would solicit potential advertisers, is being considered. The move comes as the Arlington Heights-based district faces nearly $900 million in projected renovation costs across its six aging high schools and has been making preparations for a possible referendum to help fund the work.
The district could reap $275,000 in the first year of the initial six-year deal with Power Ad Co, according to one estimate.
If the contract is approved by the school board Aug. 7, District 214 would be the latest in a growing number of school districts that have looked to advertising and sponsorships as a way to pay for — or at least defray — costs to renovate athletic facilities.
Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 in May began soliciting for donations for renovations to Prairie Ridge High School’s football stadium. For $500,000, a sponsor can get their name attached to the stadium entrance, under a proposed 10-year naming rights deal.
In 2018, Barrington High School debuted a new high-definition video scoreboard and other stadium improvements funded by $650,000 in sponsorships. Motor Werks Auto Group gave $200,000, allowing the local car dealership to affix its name and logos to the field for a decade.
Vernon Hills High School was likely the first school in Illinois to ink a corporate naming rights deal in 2002, with the opening of Rust-Oleum Field.
In District 214, booster clubs have long coordinated smaller scale advertising at schools. District officials have discussed expanding that for some time. They considered hiring someone at the district office to manage sponsorships across all six schools, but decided that retaining an outside consultant like Power Ad would be a “turnkey” process, Superintendent Scott Rowe said.
Under the proposed arrangement, school officials would have control over the type of advertising displayed, and veto power.
Revenue would be directed to a general district fund for capital projects across the district, not a specific school.
“We don’t want our schools and the surrounding areas to be overwhelmed with advertising images,” Rowe said. “This would be done in a tasteful manner that is another avenue to support our capital needs with some additional revenue in a creative way.”
Longtime school board member Bill Dussling of Arlington Heights opposes the practice, calling advertising signage that would be displayed on campus “goofy.” He didn’t say which way he’ll vote when the Power Ad contract comes to the board next week.
“I’m basically against selling the district or schools for profits,” he said.
District officials say they and Power would first concentrate on finding sponsors for new stadium scoreboards at Buffalo Grove and Wheeling high schools. Ads could run on the digital screens, and each board has limited space for physical ads.
District 214 also includes Elk Grove, Hersey, Prospect and Rolling Meadows high schools.
Future sponsorship packages could include naming rights — if a major sponsor was identified, and the school board agrees — commercials on the video scoreboards, and additional signage at football stadiums, gymnasiums and swimming pools, said Pat Mogge, the district’s director of community engagement and outreach.
“It’ll take some time if we were to move forward to get this up and running,” Mogge said. “We’re trying to take a deliberative approach.”