this fall after learning budget cuts would limit his in-school printing allowance -- tracked by the school 's copy machines -- to $ 316 for the year . The cost of printing quizzes and tests for his 167 students will easily be more than $ 500 , he said . That meant Farber , whose courses prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam , would have to give fewer or shorter tests , or find money . Farber , who says 90 percent of his students got a 5 -- the top score -- on AP exams last year , said skimping was n't an option . `` It has to be a certain quality , or they wo n't be ready , '' he said . So Farber , who says he 'd never asked for money from parents in his 18 years of high school teaching , pitched the ad idea to parents at a September back-to-school night . For checks made to the math department -- $ 10 a quiz , $ 20 a test or $ 30 for a final exam -- they could insert an inspirational quote -- their own or someone else 's --
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In tests for teacher Tom Farber 's high school class , students can demonstrate their mastery of calculus and find out where to get braces or even a haircut . Calculus teacher Tom Farber is selling ad space on tests to defray printing costs . Squeezed by classroom budget cuts , the Rancho Bernardo High School teacher is selling ads on his exams to cover the costs of printing them . `` It raises money for the teachers and it 's amusing for the kids , so it seems like a win-win , '' said Luke Shaw , 18 , a student at the suburban San Diego , California , school . Parents and administrators also praise Farber , 47 , for his creative classroom funding , but he does n't want it to become the norm . `` My intention is , -LSB- selling ads -RSB- is a stopgap measure , '' said Farber . `` I do n't want to be doing this year after year . '' Instead , he says , government must do more to help educators provide what students need . Farber started letting parents and local businesses sponsor tests