Board members
lash out against
ad proposal

They do not want to see
Hawaii schools overly
commercialized

A proposal by two Board of Education members to loosen restrictions on advertising in public schools ran into a buzz saw of criticism yesterday.

Fellow board members teed off on the idea, put forth by Garrett Toguchi and Randall Yee, calling it "ridiculous," "disturbing" and a "can of worms."

"It's an idea that has no place in this board, in this system or in this state," board member Cec Heftel said at the Support Services Committee meeting.

Members of the committee expressed concern that schools could end up over-commercialized as perennially tight funding lures them into selling ads.

They said any revenue gains also could be offset by the additional burden placed on schools in managing an ad-sales program at a time when schools are already struggling to meet state and federal academic requirements.

"This idea is not as simple as it appears on the surface, and I'm worried it might open a can of worms," said Board Chairman Breene Harimoto.

No official action was taken on the idea, however, and its sponsors said they have not given up and plan to work on shaping a possible policy change that is acceptable to the board.

Providing advertising space in public schools is now largely banned, restricted to school or library fund-raisers.

But Toguchi said his fellow board members misread the intent of the proposal.

Under the suggested change, advertising would remain banned in classrooms and other instructional areas, and limited only to building walls and other public areas in schools and libraries.

It would also be restricted to subjects that are consistent with the state's education goals and that promote positive behavior, health and wellness, and similar ideas.

As an example, he cited anti-smoking ads at Aloha Stadium and said a typical advertisement might include a health insurance provider advocating healthy lifestyles.

"This isn't about selling soft drinks or computers. These are things that we want to promote," Toguchi said.

Students are already exposed to advertising on school property in the form of magazines in libraries, vending machines and in other ways, Toguchi said.

He cited a Pizza Hut program in elementary schools that awards a free pizza to students who read a certain number of books each month.

"Whichever way you cut it, we have advertising in our schools already," he said.

Amy Kimura, a parent whose children attended public schools, urged the committee to drop the idea, saying it would expose kids to the "insidious" intentions of advertisers.

"The people who prepare ads are very clever. They know how to play on our 'wants,'" she said.

Allowing ads would put schools on a "slippery slope" that might ultimately violate the intent of Hawaii's tough billboard laws, said Bob Loy, director of environmental programs for the Outdoor Circle.

"Let's find another way to raise money for our schools," he told the committee.

While lauding the goal of trying to increase revenue for schools, Harimoto said school principals and school community councils need to remain focused on their main goal of improving academic performance.

"As the dollar signs pop up, schools will be enticed into pursuing this," he said. "But I'm fearful they may run into difficulties."

Though the use of advertising in schools is considered a growing trend nationwide, Toguchi said his research into the matter has not yet turned up a mainland example of a school that sells ad space outright, as he is proposing.

He and Yee will seek further information from the Commercialism in Education Research Unit at the University of Arizona, which monitors the use of advertising in schools, he said.

This will include any examples of school advertising on the mainland that have "worked" for schools and that might serve as positive examples for Hawaii to follow.