Approve the BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corporation (BAPCO) proposed partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools that would greatly enhance our communication efforts within Hillsborough County. (Student Services and Federal Programs)

BellSouth has submitted a proposal to develop a special eight page section in the Community Information pages of the Tampa Directory that would be dedicated to Hillsborough County Public Schools There are 1.5 million copies of the directory scheduled to be distributed. The section in the directory delegated to the school district would focus entirely on communicating important information about school district initiatives and programs, as well as provide a forum for noteworthy special recognitions received by the school district. For example, this section could contain information about Adult and Community Education programs, Choice, athletics, information for parents relative to student achievement, District websites, etc. In return for this opportunity, the District would permit BellSouth to provide signs on the athletic fields of our high schools. The District would provide specifications relative to the size and location of the signs and BellSouth would assume all costs associated with the development of the signs.

This partnership has no financial impact on the school district budget. The District will realize approximately $300,000 of estimated value in free advertisement.