School Board Tables $2 Increase in HS Sporting Event Tickets After Community Pushback

An Arkansas school board has tabled a proposal to raise the price of tickets to high school sporting events by $2 after pushback from the community. 

Benton School Board president Paul Childress told the Benton Courier he and other members received lots of feedback from residents over athletic director Scott Neathery's request to raise the price of tickets from $5 to $7.

“I can usually judge hot topics based on the number of emails and phone calls that we get,” said Childress. “I got bombarded with phone calls, text messages, and emails from people in the community who are against it.” 

Neathery requested the increase due to rising costs. He said the expenses for the athletic department increased by $40,000 this year and that the district hasn’t increased admission prices since 2008. 

“Within the last few years, everything has gone up. Security is going up, we have to have that, all of that comes out of our athletic budget. Gate workers, officials, athletic supplies; everything has gone up tremendously,” said Neathery. 

Childress said there was a possibility of moving funds from the operating budget to the athletic department. 

“We have great facilities. I love to see our public come to see them and utilize them. You have to pay the bills. I personally would rather see us allocate you some money from the operating account,” said Childress. “That’s me, I’m just one person but you still have to pay what you have to pay.”

Neatherly said was open to the idea, and added that operating costs and equipment and supplies were where the athletic department was feeling the pain.