West Aurora logo to be used on credit cards

West Aurora School District 129 has approved a licensing agreement for credit and debit cards bearing the West Aurora Blackhawks logo to help raise funds for the district.

The School Board voted 6 to 1 on terms of a five-year agreement with Elgin-based Kane County Teachers Credit Union for an "affinity" credit and debit card program.

Each transaction on the credit and debit cards would generate .25 percent and .20 percent respectively for the district. The amount of revenue going to the district would depend on the popularity of the cards and their usage.

The finalized contract, a result of discussions at several meetings, eliminated a clause for marketing the program that would have allowed audio announcements during online video and audio broadcasts of athletic events.

Board member and Blackhawks broadcaster Neal Ormond previously expressed concerns of creating a precedent for advertising during online video and audio broadcasts that otherwise have been reserved for promoting district accomplishments.

The Kane County Teachers Credit Union will have an exclusive license to use district logos on its credit and debit cards but will be prohibited from transferring those rights or creating a sublicense for use by another entity and from modifying the logo in any way. All of the uses require approval by the district.

The license agreement does allow the Kane County Teachers Credit Union to distribute card information at athletic and non-athletic events such as theatrical performances with the approval of the district and have a link on the district's website to direct consumers to an online membership application site. The district has also agreed to insert the credit union's marketing materials in certain mailings and provide advertising space for them in a biannual district newsletter.

Board member Amie Thompson voted "no" on the agreement.

School officials said the program will be similar to how colleges, sports teams and other organizations have branded credit cards for fundraising purposes or to increase the profile and marketing of their organizations.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News