Supporters of Texas school districts may soon show their team pride by displaying vanity plates touting their favorite mascot.
The Carroll Independent School District could be the first in the state to sponsor personalized Texas license plates with its mascot logo. Trustees on Monday approved a five-year marketing agreement for Carroll Dragon license plates.
The idea is from Austin-based My Plates, authorized by Texas to design and market full-color specialty license plates.
The state-issued license plate would include Carroll's fire-breathing logo, used for all 11 schools, but district officials have not finalized a design for the background. The plan must be approved by the state, district spokeswoman Julie Thannum said.
"I think it is a good idea," said trustee Craig Rothmeier. "It is a no risk opportunity for Carroll."
The state receives the bulk of the money from sales of such plates, Thannum said. The district would get 10 percent.
The company has sought to partner with school districts with active athletic programs, and Carroll is the first to go forward, My Plates spokeswoman Kim Miller Drummond told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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"A lot of the colleges already have that, but nobody's ever tapped into that for high school," said Drummond.
Carroll ISD hopes to have the program in place by August, to coincide with back-to-school activities. Customers would order the plates through the My Plates Web site.
The cost for a plate without a personalized message is $55 for one year, which would generate $5.50 for the school district's operating budget. A personalized message costs extra, and the district would not get a percentage of that.
