School board approves 'Jumbotron' at Scott High School

Video board should be in place by start of football season in August

HUNTSVILLE | By a vote of 5-2, the Scott County Board of Education on Thursday approved a digital video scoreboard for Scott High School’s Highlander Stadium, clearing the way for construction of the nearly-$200,000 project that should be completed by the start of the 2025 football season in August.

The digital video boards are commonly called “Jumbotrons,” although JumboTron is actually a brand name coined by Sony in the 1980s. Scott High’s would be constructed by Digital Scoreboards and would be 16 ft. by 25 ft. in size, encompassing 400 sq. ft. of real estate. Several other schools around the region have video boards in place at their football stadiums, including Anderson County, Alcoa, Williamsburg, and others.

According to 3rd District board member Chris Shelton — who spearheaded the Jumbotron idea — the video board can be used to provide educational opportunities for CTE students at Scott High, who ostensibly would be involved in the creation of content and operating the board on game nights, while also generating revenue that could be used to build up non-revenue sports like baseball and softball. The revenue would come through advertising dollars by selling sponsorships to local businesses.

However, support for the Jumbotron was not unanimous; 5th District board member Angela King and 7th District board member Tressa Murphy opposed the purchase.

While thanking Shelton for his foresight and saying she was not against the Jumbotron, Murphy said there were other needs that should be addressed.

“I see that we have positions where teachers have retired that we have not replaced,” she said. “I see that our maintenance department is trying their best to take care of the schools and keep them going (but) have gone over their budget. I have seen where we’re relying on ESSR funds to pay for a chiller that we’re not going to get.”

The last reference was to a chiller that is going to cost the school system in excess of $400,000 to replace, according to Murphy.

“We’ve got cooks, custodians, teachers assistants, secretaries, paraprofessionals that are way underpaid,” she added. “The least we could do is look at doing something for them in some kind of capacity before we look at the Jumbotron.”

But Director of Schools Bill Hall countered that 12 budgets passed by the board during his tenure as director has included raises for personnel.

“This is a different pile of money,” he said. “This is what is in our reserve that we don’t use. We’ve always tried to get as much money to people as we can, but we’re only allocated so much when it comes to that, in that retrospect. I’m never against anybody getting a raise, nor will I ever be.”

In response to a question from Murphy, Hall said that Christmas bonuses for personnel comes out of the reserve.

King asked why money couldn’t come out of the reserve to give raises, to which Hall responded that raises are recurring and could not be funded that way.

Both Shelton and 1st District board member Tommy Silcox said the Jumbotron will give back by generating revenue.

“I’m for raises, too. I’m for bonuses, too. Neither raises or bonuses give back to the fund. This will,” said Silcox.

“I get it, on the surface, what it looks like,” Shelton said. “That’s why I was extremely transparent when I was campaigning. That’s why I’ve tried to put it all over Facebook. I don’t want people to feel like they were baited and switched on.”

Shelton — who is not originally from Scott County and moved here after marrying a Scott County girl — said he heard jokes about kids from Scott County when he was in college.

Shelton said that the Jumbotron could generate revenue for sports programs that don’t require withdrawing from the general fund to cover those sports.

“I’ve tried to illustrate to as many people who’ll listen that we have a plan in place,” he said. “This will help our parents who have to fundraise and go hit up the same businesses.”

He added that businesses want to feel that they’re getting something in return for their investment.

“It’s not the Jumbotron; it’s the vision we have and how we’re going to be able to build up an athletic fund and support our kids,” he said.

“This does not impact the football team exclusively,” he added, saying that he has three daughters who will never play football. “If you think about how it can be utilized for the community, you can go on and on with the benefits. You can go on and on with what we’re going to be able to do with the CTE class and what you can do with the collaboration the (IH Sports Network) has offered.”

Shelton also pointed to the recent high school graduation that was held on the football field with its relatively new turf.

“That was a huge accomplishment,” he said. “Being able to celebrate our students who are graduating … I think it was pretty apparent there was a really positive energy there. A lot of people were proud. The venue was nice, and this is just going to elevate it. Our biggest threat is homeschooling, and at least we’re going to be able to say if you graduate from Scott High you’re going to be showcased in a way that I didn’t get to experience when I was in high school.”

Hall said he was comfortable with the money that is in the reserve. State law requires the school system to maintain a reserve that is equivalent to 3.5% of its annual budget. Hall said the school system currently has 4.5% in its reserve.

King countered that the school system still has to come up with about $100,000 in funding to complete the playroom project at Huntsville Elementary School, and said it’s not the appropriate time to pursue the project.

Ultimately, Hall said, he was okay with whatever the board decided.

“We’re going to play football on Friday night regardless,” he said. “Will this enhance things? Absolutely. Will it generate funds back into our athletic program? Yes, immensely. Will it take some time for people to understand and do? Yes.”