JISD looking at new video board, controller

At an estimated cost of more than $200,000, Jacksboro Independent School District board members are looking at having to replace the video board and controller at Tiger Stadium.

Brett Thomas with the district said the controller has not worked right since before graduation. In preparation for graduation, the problems appeared to have been righted. Graduation night, however, problems began happening again and had Thomas in a panic.

There had ben problems with the board from time to time for the last few years and all options had been exhausted, Thomas said.

A new controller would run around $25,000 as many of today’s controllers are not compatible with the current scoreboard which is the original when the facility was built in 2009. An upgrade is also not possible, Thomas said.

The scoreboard will need to be replaced but it could be another 12 weeks to get it shipped because of COVID delays throughout the country, meaning the district may be without a scoreboard through the middle of October.

Sponsorships around the board will also need to be taken down because of the size and shape of the new board.

Thomas will continue to get more information and work with the board providers. A special meeting will be called once the information is gathered to make a decision.

In other news, the board approved the $15,079 donation of the VISION group to pay for student insurance for all students involved in school activities.

Superintendent Dwain Milam said he was approached by JMS Boys Athletic Coordinator Brian Davenport with a program and was told to run with it. Davenport did a lot of legwork on the program and made a presentation to VISION before getting approval.

If a student has health insurance and is injured at school or an activity, the student’s insurance kicks in first. For students with no insurance this will take the place of having insurance while at school or a school activity.

Milam says the needs for student insurance and the numbers taking it have gone up and down over the past few years.

The district also announced dates and times for new student enrollment. New Student Enrollment for Jacksboro Elementary, Jacksboro Middle, and Jacksboro High School will be held on Wednesday, Wednesday, July 29 from 9:00 – 12:00 AM and 1:00 – 4:00 PM at each campus.

After July 29, please call the campus office to schedule an enrollment appointment.

• Jacksboro Elementary School: 940-567-7206

• Jacksboro Middle School: 940-567-7205

• Jacksboro High School: 940-567-7204

All new students to JISD must provide a copy of Social Security Card, birth certificate, shot records, and proof of residency in Jacksboro ISD.