Resident urges board to activate stadium scoreboard revenue; recommends dissolving Education Foundation agreement

During public comment at the Feb. 10 meeting, resident Tony Strelacci urged the board to turn the district—s stadium scoreboard into a revenue source and to revisit its agreement with the Education Foundation.

"We have a sleeping giant there that we have to discuss and do something about," Strelacci told the board. He recounted prior negotiations dating back several years and criticized an earlier agreement under which the board believed the Education Foundation would arrange corporate sponsorship. "They just don't have the manpower to be able to go out nor the expertise to go out and do it," he said, and advised dissolving the existing agreement and hiring an advertising agency.

Strelacci suggested creating a paid supervisor position, training students to operate the scoreboard and establishing a structure for ad sales similar to neighboring towns. "Get a group of kids that's educational, teach them how to do it...Get in touch with Sparta. See how they operate that scoreboard," he said.

Board members said they would need time to review the concerns. Dr. Panchat said he wanted time to "reflect on that, because there's a lot of nuance here." The board president said she and Superintendent Dr. Bangea had already discussed follow-up with the Education Foundation and expected additional financial reporting and a deeper review.

Why it matters: The scoreboard is an installed district asset that could produce advertising revenue if managed and marketed; contract terms and oversight determine how any revenue is distributed and whether it must be used for student programs.

Next steps: Board leadership said they will review the Education Foundation agreement and expected the foundation to provide financial reports; staff and board leaders will follow up and bring any recommendations back to a future meeting.