School districts across the country are facing widening budget deficits, and some are adopting an unusual strategy to raise extra money: Selling advertising space on school buses. Critics say this is a bad idea, because kids are particularly susceptible to ads, particularly those touting junk food. But administrators say they're careful to weed out inappropriate pitches, and that the hundreds of thousands of dollars these ads bring in are a critical new source of revenue. Are the schools just being practical, or are they exploiting children?
If this keeps schools running, great: "I'm all for creative fundraising," says Meredith Carroll at Babble, "particularly if it means that teachers can keep their jobs and kids can keep their activities." Yes, school districts will need to "draw strict guidelines about who can and can't advertise." But better to cover buses in ads than fire dozens of teachers.
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