DATE: Tuesday, June 17, 1997                TAG: 9706170296

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   85 lines

CORPORATE SPONSORS MAY BE OK, BUT SCHOOLS WRANGLE WITH LIMITS

Salem High School didn't rename its gym the ``Pennzoil Palace'' after the oil company struck a sponsorship deal with the school last fall. Nor did its athletes turn into walking billboards.

The Beach School Board plans for things to stay that way. Today it is expected to revise a policy detailing who, what and how much the private sector can donate to schools in exchange for advertising.

In the proposed Beach resolution, local schools would have the authority to sign contracts, with an oversight committee checking to make sure everything is acceptable.

While the board seeks to secure a happy medium on the issue, other districts in the region are taking notes on how to get corporate cash and how to regulate it.

``I think that's the wave now,'' said Bert Harrell, athletic director for Norfolk Public Schools. ``A lot of high schools are going that way.''

Some express concern about equity issues and how to manage the flow of money and emblems into the schools. But others say sponsorships are a good thing, so long as moderation is exercised.

``You have to protect the integrity of the program,'' said Helen Upton of the National Federation of State High School Associations. ``You're not just slapping logos all over kids.''

While the Salem deal - which will provide about $5,000 for new girls' and boys' basketball uniforms - is new to this region, corporations have been underwriting high school sports across the nation for almost 15 years, Upton said. Nearly every state school association has a corporate affiliation, she said.

``In a perfect world, we believe that high school activities are an integral part of education,'' Upton said. ``But we know that schools face real budget considerations.''

The beauty of corporate sponsorships, backers say, is less sweating over how to pay for computers, uniforms, or other amenities.

For Salem, which supports 33 sports activities, the Pennzoil deal has been nothing short of a godsend, Principal E. Wayne Sykes said. High school games are no longer the only entertainment in town and the take from the games is not as high as it used to be. Nor are government dollars.

Because of Pennzoil, the basketball program won't have to tap the general athletic fund to pay for uniforms, leaving more money for equipment in other sports. In exchange for its donation, Pennzoil gets exclusive rights to program ads, a skirt around the scorers table, a sign, and public address announcements. In Sykes' eyes, it's a small price.

``With the contract, we were able to upgrade several programs,'' he said. ``It means being able to help more teams.''

That possibility of helping more teams led Norfolk's district to establish a committee to try to find companies that would be willing to fund programs in its schools. The same is happening in Portsmouth. The hunt for financial support also means new thoughts on policy, as should be the case, school administrators said.

Taco Bell, good.

Coors, bad.

``We're looking for corporate sponsors that are in line to our mission, which is serving Virginia youth,'' said Hannah Catherine Munro, director of development for the Virginia High School League. The league regulates policy for extracurricular activities in schools across the state.

``The companies get an association with the schools and give back to the community and the schools realize the financial benefits of it,'' Munro said. ``It's a win-win situation.''

So long as money is spent for programs that both sexes play.

``There are Title IX implications,'' Upton said. ``Money has to be equally distributed.''

Money for boys' and girls' soccer, good.

Money for football, bad.

Those who fear that commercialism may trash the innocence of school hallways need to get over it, media critic Alan Caruba said. He's based in the New York metro area.

In his view, it makes no difference if the billboard is outside or inside a school - kids will see it. At least with corporate sponsorship they can see benefits tied to the advertisements, Caruba said.

``We have to stop being hypocritical about the whole process of how our society functions,'' Caruba said. ``We swim in a sea of advertising. It's part of our society.''

Ditto for those who say only winning schools will win sponsorship money, tilting the equity of programs. School officials said that already happens within the booster club system.

Despite the reservations expressed in past meetings, Beach School Board Chairman Robert F. Hagans expects the measure to pass.

``I'm told it's a good way to finance programs without hitting taxpayers and I'm pretty much in agreement,'' Hagans said.

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