Scottsboro City Schools is moving ahead with a sweeping $70 million plan to build a new junior high school, construct an auditorium and overhaul its current junior high campus into an intermediate school. The school board approved the next steps Tuesday, setting in motion financing work that officials hope will let the district avoid raising taxes on residents.
The board voted to partner with Frazer Lanier, a Montgomery-based financial firm, and architecture firm Ward Scott Morris to help design and fund the work, according to WAFF. As reported by WHNT, the district is moving forward with a $70 million expansion capital plan that includes a new junior high school for sixth through eighth grade students. Superintendent Jennifer Williams received authorization to enter contract negotiations with the architecture firm as part of the deal.
Plans call for building the new middle school next to Scottsboro High School on Highway 72, with the auditorium going up behind the high school, the station's report notes. The current junior high campus would then be renovated into an intermediate school, replacing the aging Collins Intermediate School, which has plumbing, electrical, HVAC and roofing systems that are showing their age. “Our current Collins Intermediate School was built in the 60s,” per the same account, underscoring why district leaders say a replacement is overdue.
What's Planned for the Renovated Campus
The renovation and expansion of the existing junior high is expected to create an intermediate school serving students in grades three through five. Planned upgrades include expanding the cafeteria, adding playgrounds and installing security fencing, according to the earlier WHNT report. District officials also want to add new athletic amenities, including a baseball and locker room facility with a weight room, plus new practice athletic fields at the future junior high site.
The district also hopes to use the funds to build new baseball and softball facilities, WAFF reports. Those athletic upgrades would sit alongside the classroom and auditorium projects as part of the broader capital investment package the board approved this week.
How the District Plans to Pay for It All
Before any shovels hit the ground, Scottsboro City Schools must still secure the estimated $70 million through the bond market, a process that includes interviews with credit agencies and insurer approval, per WAFF's account. The board also approved engaging Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as bond counsel and is proposing to finance the work through special tax school warrants.
District leaders say the projects can be funded without a tax increase, pointing instead to the district's existing fund balance to help prepare for future debt tied to the improvements. “We won't have to raise a tax or anything like that,” the district said, according to WHNT. Scout Program Management was also approved to oversee the capital improvement projects as they move forward.
Timeline and What Could Still Change
If there are no delays, funding is expected to be available by December, according to WHNT, with construction beginning once the money is received. The district hopes the replacement for Collins Intermediate School will open by fall 2029, though officials caution the plans could still shift. Williams said the plans could change as the project continues over the next few years, per WAFF.
Williams called the moment “an exciting time” for Scottsboro City Schools, saying the decisions now will shape generations of Wildcats, including students not yet born. She said the district aims to build learning spaces designed for how students learn today while staying adaptable for the future, supporting modern instruction, STEM education, engineering programs and career preparation.
How It Compares to Other Alabama Districts
Scottsboro's push follows a pattern seen elsewhere in the state. The Baldwin County School System recently completed a $58 million investment in arts and athletic facilities across its schools, according to AL.com, including an $11 million upgrade at Foley High School and a $6 million gymnasium at Fairhope High School. The bulk of that funding, about $36 million, came from revenue tied to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach separating from the county school system, with roughly $22 million more coming from local tax dollars.
Those Baldwin County projects were authorized in 2023 and finished by fall 2026, giving Scottsboro a rough blueprint for how long a major facilities overhaul can take. Scottsboro's own timeline points toward a fall 2029 opening for its rebuilt intermediate school, assuming the bond financing and construction schedule hold.
