FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT, COKE IS IT; SOFT DRINK AGREEMENT TO FUND A.V. UNION PROJECTS, SCHOLARSHIPS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Pepsi may be for the next generation, but Coca-Cola will be the real thing for students in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

A Coca-Cola corporate sponsorship valued at $3.1 million over 10 years is the first for the district and will help fund special projects by teachers, student body governments and a Coke scholarship fund.

``Coke came in with the best offer,'' board member Kevin Carney said. ``Hopefully this is a beginning of a new phase of public-private partnerships. There are shrinking tax dollars, we need to build a new high school, and there's no money from the state or local bond to build it.''

The new contract doesn't give Coca-Cola any greater exposure than serving its drink in the distinctive red and white cups.

``There will be no billboards or signs. They just want to see a can of Coke in (students') hands,'' said Jill Harris, executive director of the high school's fund-raising foundation that negotiated the contract.

Trustees voted last week to accept Coke over rival soft-drink maker Pepsi, which offered a few thousand dollars less than Coke.

Of the $3.1 million, about $2.1 million is cash and the rest is in the form of free products for athletic and special events, ice machines, fountain machines, and vending machines, officials said.

According to a comparative analysis prepared by the district, Coca-Cola came in with a bid of $2,128,650 spread over 10 years, while Pepsi offered $1,991,210, reports show.

The approval had been delayed about a month after a Pepsi representative raised questions at the Jan. 7 meeting about the process of negotiating the deal though the foundation and whether the contract should be advertised and put out to public bid.

The high school put the contract out to bid, and Coke again won, high school officials said.

The sponsorship will allow Coke to exclusively provide sodas and other beverages during athletic events and through campus vending machines. The agreement will initially run for three years with options for three-year extensions up to a maximum of 10 years.

Coca-Cola already was the exclusive provider of soft drinks at high schools under a three-year contract that expires in March.

That contract, however, was much less lucrative for the schools. The current contract gave the district $5,000 for each school and talk of a scoreboard that never materialized, officials said.

Money will be made available to high school teachers in the form of grants that they can apply for twice a year. In the spring, teachers can submit applications for 10 grants between $250 and $2,000, and in December, a $15,000 grant will be awarded to teachers who come up with a team project, Harris said.

Student body governments at the six comprehensive high schools will receive a total of $168,000 every year from the sponsorship, Harris said.

Coca-Cola also will establish a scholarship for graduating seniors at each high school funded with a portion of sales of soft drink cases at each school.