Request Board authorization to advertise Request for Sponsorship of Blackboard services for the district.  Blackboard is a service used by teachers, staff, students and parents and is an integral part of parent involvement in school-based issues.

Advertisement would allow consideration of a county-wide, exclusive, revenue-generating sponsorship agreement specifically linked with the District web-based Content and Learning Management System, Blackboard.  Sponsorship messages may include text, audio, video, and company logo only.  Only firms or individuals engaged in a business that meets the educational mission of the Clay County School Board should apply.  Firms may include banking or financial institutions, publishers of educational materials, and vendors of computer hardware, software, or educational services including post-secondary institutions.

Evaluation of applications will be conducted by a selection committee that includes one School Board member, and will be based on the application best meeting the educational mission and needs of the Clay County School Board.

Blackboard is currently funded under a federal project that does not allow expenditures for classroom teachers or materials.  For 08-09, there were 11,158 active Blackboard users and 4,842 active course or class websites.  As these numbers increase, so will the yearly fees associated with Blackboard.  This is the reason for planning ahead and advertising for sponsorship so there is continually appropriate funding for Blackboard resources.