Advertising Flexibility

School districts and other local governments are required to provide public notice of meetings, bidding requirements for certain purchases and contracts, legal notices and official advertisements. The only legally permissible method of providing that public notice dates back to a 1976 law which requires that the notice be provided in printed newspapers. This mandate was created long before the Internet changed the ways that people receive information.

PSBA fully supports the need to keep the taxpayers and communities informed of district events and operations. However, as the frequency of printed newspaper publishing dwindles (and in some areas disappears) school leaders are required to plan their business around newspaper publication dates. As more people shift away from printed newspapers as their major source of information, school leaders are also confronted with the challenge of efficiently and effectively notifying their constituents of upcoming school business.

PSBA is advocating for solutions which would provide school districts and other local governments with flexibility in providing public notices, including providing notices electronically. Allowing public notices to be posted electronically will not only boost visibility due to increased access to and usage of the Internet, but public notices would also be searchable and available to a broader community base, allowing school leaders to reach greater numbers of their community in a more timely and cost-effective manner.