'Your Business Here': Ads On Brick Schools' Buses Aim To Help District's Budget

BRICK, NJ — If you see a Brick Township school bus advertising "Crown Fried Chicken" driving around the township, you're not seeing things.

The bus is one of three owned by the district that now carries advertising on its sides, part of efforts to bring in revenues from sources other than property taxes.

The ad for the local fried chicken restaurant drew attention on social media recently, but efforts to sell the space have been in the works for months as the district looked for ways to address continuing cuts in state aid.

In July 2023, the district hired Shore District Advertising, a Monmouth County-based firm that connects school districts and towns with businesses for marketing and ads. The firm connected the Toms River Regional School District with Rothman Orthopedic for sponsorship and naming rights on the district's "Bubble" indoor track facility on Hooper Avenue, and with RWJ Barnabas for the naming rights to the arena at Toms River High School North.

In the Brick Township Schools, the firm has sold ads to various companies at the football fields of Brick and Brick Memorial High Schools, said Angelo Scialfa, president of Shore District Advertising.

"We started proposing ads (on the buses) last year, now it's coming to fruition," Scialfa said.

The contract pays Shore District Advertising 30 percent of whatever advertising it sells, said James Edwards, the Brick Township Schools business administrator, so the company only gets paid when it sells ads.

The district only accepts ads "that are morally acceptable for schools," Edwards said. That means no ads for alcohol, tobacco, vape shops will be seen on the district's buses.

"It's all common sense," Scialfa said. "We do not take anything controversial or questionable. We are very selective and they're all appropriate ads."

Shore District Advertising, which also has partnerships with the Jackson Township Schools, Central Regional School District, has sold adsto Georgian Court University, the U.S. Army and the Marines, Wawa, and local realtors, along with multiple orthopedics offices and Jersey Mike's Subs. The ad contracts vary from annual to multi-year deals, and can include ads in multiple spots. Rothman Orthopedic advertising on five Toms River buses in addition to its sponsorship of the Bubble, Scialfa said.

With more than 300 miles of roads in Brick Township and the district's school buses traveling them during peak traffic hours, it's a viable way for businesses to reach the public, Scialfa said. In Phoenix, Arizona, and Odessa, Texas, there have been ads on school buses for several years, he said.

Edwards said the bus ads generated a net of $3,332 in the 2024-25 school year, and the other ads on district properties have generated a net of $16,639, numbers he anticipates will continue to grow as businesses see the ads appearing on the district's buses.

In a situation where the district is fighting for every penny it can, Edwards welcomes the revenue.

Scialfa said one issue affecting ad sales is scammers. There are companies from outside the area and even outside New Jersey contacting businesses in Brick and elsewhere claiming to be able to connect them with advertising on school properties, then making off with the money leaving the businesses wondering why there are no ads.

"We are local. We work and live here," Scialfa said, urging business owners to research who they are dealing with before making any agreements.