Hi Phil,
Being a professional video guy, I'll try not to get on my soapbox about this topic.
First of all, what's your budget, and what can you afford? Perhaps you may want to enlist the help of someone who is a professional in your area.
As for cameras, I'd recommend the Canon XL1, Canon GL1, Sony PD150, and others. They are all in the $2K - $5K range, which may be a bit expensive for you.
Add to that the fact that you now have to edit it on something.
If you're really trying to make a good sell to the schools, you may be better off putting together a package of info other than video. Producing good video is extremely time consuming and can be very expensive.
The other factor you have to consider is that anyone who watches your video is a very sophisticated television viewer. They're used to watching the likes of 20/20, Dateline, Tom Brokaw, National Geographic, ESPN, etc, etc, etc. This means that if you shoot a bunch of shakey video with bad audio, your message is going to get totally lost in the process!
Oops, sorry! I feel a soap box speech coming on!
I say get the help of a friend or professional who already knows the ropes if you really want to be successful. But, in reality, it's more about the guy holding the camera, than it is about the camera itself. Ansel Adams would have been a great photographer even with a 110 pocket camera, he just wouldn't have been able to make good enlargements! In video it's all about rock solid camera work, good composition, great audio (often more important than the video quality), and good story telling ability.
Good luck,
Tim J
