The school board approved the $235,000 purchase of a new football scoreboard at their meeting March 4.

This new purchase is highly unnecessary for a high school of this size. 

This amount of money is reasonable for college-level. For a field used by middle school and high school students, a scoreboard worth a quarter of a million dollars is not needed. According to ultravisionledsolutions.com, the average cost for a high school scoreboard varies from $10,000 to $50,000. This does not include installation and maintenance. Different aspects factor into the cost of a scoreboard. Video display capability, making the scoreboard more of a “jumbotron,” is what drives this price so far up. Larger scoreboards may have several more uses than a less expensive indoor scoreboard. Installation is also more cost effective if the scoreboard is outside without a mount to hold onto. Generally scoreboards have a longer lifespan if bought under a trustworthy brand name. A low quality scoreboard would be cheaper, whereas a higher quality scoreboard with a longer life expectancy would be more costly. It makes more sense to buy a high quality scoreboard that can be used for a long period of time than to purchase a cheaper option that gives out in five years. While this is true, all of this quality is possible for a far lower price tag. 

There is a variety of students who aid in school funding through electives and extracurriculars such as qualifying at state competitions. Many of these students rely on fundraisers to barely get by with their chosen elective. Budgets are tight for teachers attempting to continue. Culinary, yearbook, newspaper, FFA, cosmetology and band are all examples of getting a head start on career paths through the school. Students are changing and becoming more educated with these extracurriculars. It is important to not only fund the aspiration of their future, but to give them a chance to figure out where their lives are headed. 

School lunches are not free for many students. There are some parents getting by financially to be able to provide for their children, but there are others barely able to afford school lunches even if they do not qualify for financial aid. There are parents who walk across that line very thinly, just almost qualifying for the school to help their children eat. It’s difficult to consider that there are students going hungry while hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on a scoreboard. 

An alternative for such an expensive scoreboard is changing the type of scoreboard purchased. The scoreboard previously used at Badger Stadium is considered an LED scoreboard: a high quality scoreboard with newer technology on the screen and controls. Replacing the old scoreboard – depending on how long it lasted – would be around the same price, though higher if there were a change in brand, size, and quality. It is the addition of the video ability that makes the price skyrocket, and video capability should not be a priority at a 4A high school. 

Football does bring in a good amount of money for the school through ticket sales and games, but football is not the only activity that raises money for the school, nor the only important activity. It is true the school board approves funding for other organizations, recently including the construction of a new greenhouse, but the amount pales in comparison — especially for a single item. Even through the help of fundraisers to pay for the scoreboard, the public should consider donating their money elsewhere. 

While the football team deserves a nice scoreboard, the district should consider a less expensive option.