By Ted Rowlands
 
December 4, 2008
 
NEAR SAN DIEGO, Ca. -- When students are handed a test in Tom Farber's calculus class at Rancho Bernardo High School near San Diego, the first thing many of them do is look to see who's sponsoring it.
 
Every test, and even quizzes, are sponsored, mainly by parents. Orthodontist Dr. Stephen Henry sponsored a test with the message, 'Brace yourself for a great semester!' His daughter is in Mr. Farber's class.
 
"It's not a lot of money, and worthwhile, since I have two girls that go to the school," says Henry.
 
The idea came after budget cuts reduced supplies at the school by 30 percent. Teachers were told to come up with their own solutions.
 
"So I said, I'm going to do it in a more creative way," says Farber.
 
For 10 dollars you can buy an ad on a quiz. 20 dollars will get your message on a test. A final exam runs 30 dollars. There's only one ad per test, always a one line message on the bottom of page 1. Farber says he's already made more than 300 dollars, enough to make up for the budget cuts. Is there anything wrong with this idea?
 
"I don't know if anything is wrong with advertising on a test. Something doesn't feel quite right. I don't think that a small one line ad is a real distraction. But of more concern, is why does a teacher have to resort to raising outside money?" asks Lawrence Picus is an expert in education funding at the University of Southern California.
 
Farber agrees. He also says he'd be happy to stop placing ads on tests, for a price.
 
"If you really disagree with what I'm doing, then you need to get your wallet out," says Farber.