001Now, in Fairfax County, the school district is considering selling naming rights to athletic facilities. Less than an hour ago, the board voted yes to let the superintendent draft a plan. Katie Lassoe explains. We've already seen this on the bigger stage. Think about the Commanders. Their stadium sponsored by Northwest Federal Credit Union. The goal, the board says, is to hopefully chip away at their massive maintenance funding backlog. Where we have a 42-year renovation cycle for our public schools. We have a $400 million deferred maintenance backlog. >> Which is why school board members Mateo Done and Kyle McDaniel proposed selling naming rights for FCPS athletic facilities. The goal to bring in more money without raising taxes. Like, well, are you going to put patches on kids and things like that? Like, no, we're not turning things into
002NASCAR. Be very clear about that. What we're doing is we're basically saying, "Okay, to the people that would pay money to put a sign on the fence of a football field, would you pay more money to put a bigger sign on a football field?" Thursday night, the board voted yes to get the ball rolling on a plan, but voiced some concerns. >> This is going to be a collective pot, not some individual school pot. That's what I would envision. >> Fairfax County considered the topic of naming rights in 2009, but did not move it forward. However, in 2022, nearby Loudoun County green-lit the name change of Independence High School's football stadium to Prince Movers Field. The moving company is donating $240,000 over the course of 10 years in exchange. >> How much do you think
003you guys could make by doing this? Uh I believe definitely in the millions of dollars, um but uh we'll have to get a formal study to get a a formal estimate. >> He says this option also presents another opportunity, connecting students with local businesses. >> For example, to enhance training for FCPS students in career and technical education. Now, this won't be a free-for-all. There will be guidelines in place. >> I think FCPS has held uh the private sector at arms length for too long. I really believe in public-private partnerships. I think with uh our amazing community, we can achieve great things, and and including investment in our athletic facilities. So, here's what comes next. The board has asked the superintendent, Dr. Reid, to come up with a plan and get that to them by July.
004It is only after that plan comes to them that they will discuss it and then vote on it. In Fairfax County, I'm Katie Lassoe, WUSA9.