By Kim Robertson
For the Leader
If all goes as planned, the Fox C-6 School District soon will be bringing in extra revenue to buy video scoreboards for its two high schools and to fund other improvements to athletic programs and facilities, all without going to taxpayers for additional money.
The Fox Board of Education has agreed to enter into a five-year contract with Kelly Sports Properties, a sports marketing company that will sell advertising on behalf of the school district to local businesses for display at games and other district events.
A large portion of the revenue from those advertising sales will benefit the school district, with a smaller share going to KSP, which is based in Columbia.
According to the contract, the district will get 70 percent of the advertising revenue up to $750,000. The district will get 85 percent of revenue between $750,000 and $1 million and 90 percent of revenue above $1 million
John Brazeal, the district’s chief financial officer, said preliminary estimates call for the marketing program to bring in $300,000 in advertising the first year of the contract, with the district getting $210,000 of that.
He said advertising revenue is expected to grow after the first year.
Fox Superintendent Jim Wipke said he’s excited about the KSP program because it will not cost the district anything, but instead is designed to bring in extra revenue, which would be used to fund athletic programs and athletic facilities improvements.
“We’re not using taxpayer money for it (the marketing program),” he said. “We’re trying to generate revenue without going to the taxpayers for more.”
Plans call for the district to use proceeds from the advertising to eventually buy video scoreboards for the Fox and Seckman high school athletic stadiums, which would be used to display advertising.
Brazeal said the video scoreboards would make advertising at events more attractive to local businesses.
He said those scoreboards probably won’t be purchased until at least a year down the road, after the program begins bringing in money.
“When we build up enough (advertising) partnerships, we will bring in the video scoreboards,” Wipke said.
As part of the district’s agreement with KSP, the company will generate marketing materials, like programs and fliers to be distributed at games and other events. It will create ads for print, radio and TV, as well ads to be displayed at the events, including on the video scoreboards once they’re installed.
Some of KSP’s other responsibilities include registering district logos, licensing vendors that want to produce apparel and other products featuring district logos, and licensing rights to photograph district events for profit.
Wipke said the KSP program also will provide learning opportunities for students who can help create marketing materials, like game-day handouts and videos.
KSP has the right to pursue “corporate partnerships” with any entities except religious ones or those whose primary business involves the sale of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, weapons, gambling or those that the district objects to.
Brazeal said whenever KSP sells advertising to a business on behalf of the school district, the board will have to sign off on the contract.
Fox school officials have been working for several months to negotiate the contract with KSP.
KSP has been in the sports marketing business for many years, first working with collegiate sports, but about five years ago, began offering services to high school sports programs.
Since then, area school districts, including the Northwest R-1 School District, have contracted with the company.
The Northwest school board signed up with KSP in summer 2015 and voted 6-0 June 16 to purchase a video scoreboard from Piros Signs of Barnhart for $99,783, the lowest of two bids. Most of the cost of the scoreboard is being covered by advertising revenue generated by KSP over the past year.
The Fox Board of Education voted unanimously June 14 to approve the contract with KSP.