Approve Continuation of the Partnership with AT&T Advertising and Publishing Corporation (AT&T) for a One Year Period to Enhance Communication Efforts with Parents (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

AT&T Advertising and Publishing would continue to provide a section featuring Hillsborough County Public Schools within the Community Information section of their yellow page directory (AT&T The Real Yellow Paqes). The attachment reflects information in the current directory. Pending approval, all information will be updated. Approximately 1.5 million directories have been distributed to date. The designated section in the directory would be amended to reflect current information and continue to focus entirely on communicating information of importance to parents and other stakeholders. In return for this opportunity, the district would permit AT&T to continue to display signs on the athletic fields of our high schools. The district has provided specifications relative to the size and location of the signs. AT&T would assume all costs related to replacement of signs.

* Increase promotion rates at all grade levels and the percentage of high school graduates

The partnership has no financial impact on the school district budget. The district will realize approximately $40,000 of estimated value in free advertisement.

The Community Yellow Pages section consistently scored in the sixty percent range with respect to usage based on research conducted by Strategic Metrics, Inc. The evaluation noted that if the section was considered a yellow pages heading - such as "Restaurants" or "Physicians" - it would be one of the top six most referenced headings in the directory. There are a total of 2,642 headings in the Tampa Edition.