Cash-Strapped Schools Weigh School Bus Ads

SEATTLE (AP) -- As school districts struggle with tight budgets, some are revisiting an idea that's been around 15 years -- putting ads on school buses.

About half a dozen states already allow school bus advertising, including Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas. And it's an idea being considered in Ohio, New Jersey and Utah.

There are doubters as well as critics. A policy analyst for the Education Commission of the States says school bus ads are not as big a revenue generator as people might think. He says a consultant must often be paid to sell the ads, cutting into the profits.

Critics say it's wrong to force children whose parents are concerned about commercial messages to ride on such buses.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)