New Jersey governor approves bus advertising bill

TRENTON, N.J. — On Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law a bill that will allow school districts statewide to place advertisements on the exterior sides of their buses.

As SBF previously reported, under A1637, the board of education of any school district can enter into a contract to sell advertising space on school buses owned or leased by the district.

Advertisements for tobacco or alcohol products or for political advocacy would be prohibited, as would any other advertisements for products or services or by sponsors that the commissioner of education deems inappropriate. All advertisements would require prior approval by the local board of education.

Moreover, 50 percent of any revenue generated by the sale would be used by the board to offset the cost of fuel for providing pupil transportation services. The remaining 50 percent of the revenue would be used to support any programs and services the board deems appropriate.

“It is imperative that we continue to find creative ways to ensure that all of our schools are equipped to offer the high-quality education our students deserve,” Sen. Joseph Vitale, who was one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told NJToday.net. “This is a sure-fire way to get more money to our school districts to help them restore programs and services they were forced to eliminate as a result of the extraordinary budget cuts they faced last year.”

(Christie cut aid to schools by $812 million last year to help close an $11-billion budget gap in the fiscal year that began July 1.)

The law takes effect immediately.