The newest ad placement: Math tests

A California high school is like most public schools, trapped by budget cuts. One math teacher, Tom Farber, took action into his own hands. His printing budget was cut in half, so he reached out to local companies to advertise on math tests and thus foot the bill. Little one-liners grace the first page of each exam and come at a cost of $10 for an ad on a quiz, $20 to be on a chapter test, and $30 for a spot on the semester exam. Parents are even playing a part and sponsoring inspirational quotes posted around the classroom.

Is this exploiting public schools? Or do desperate times call for desperate measures?

All I know is that this makes me think of my dear mother and her middle school library. She spends money out of her own pocket on buying extra Twilight books because she hates turning down someone who finally gets excited about picking up a book. So maybe I'll whip up some ad sponsored bookmarks or an advertised Dewey Decimal System poster.

It's sad that schools are forced to do this, but I'm glad people are inspiring solutions.