District 196 Continues Online Advertising

Eagan High School was the first school in District 196 to advertise on its school web site, and now Rosemount High School is looking into it, a school official said.

Tony Taschner, communications specialist for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public schools, this week made a presentation at a school board retreat about advertising on district web sites. The school board this last school year decided to as a way of generating new revenue, and Taschner gave the board more information about what they’re doing.

Each school is responsible for advertising on its web site, but companies or people can also buy sponsorships on district websites. Sponsorships are available for $1,000, $1,250 and $1,500, Taschner said. Depending on how much a person or company pays, an ad would appear on the external web site, internal district pages, and superintendent news e-mails sent to parents, according to a district document.

Eagan High School made $6,000 from web site advertising last year. Compared with the district’s approximate $300 million operating budget, that’s not a lot in earnings, Taschner pointed out. But it’s still a new resource at a time when the schools are looking for new income, he said.

“We are trying to save money wherever we can,” Taschner said.

District 196 has been forced to this year to cover a shortfall caused by state aid delays and a property tax shift, and it will need to borrow another $20 million to cover a shortfall created by further state aid delays.