A speaker at a Jackson County Schools meeting described a new innovation center inside the county industrial park as a unique chance to link career-technical education with local industry and keep more students in Jackson County.

The speaker said the facility, which began as a 66,000-square-foot shell and now totals about 138,000 square feet, will house career-technical programs, the district central offices and a theater that seats about 750 and will include a storm shelter. "This center will live on as a legacy and testament to his vision, And it will be impactful for untold generations of children and students for years to come," the speaker said.

The speaker framed the center as an economic-development and workforce-development tool for Jackson County, saying the industrial park has roughly 311 acres with ready utilities and that locating an educational facility in that park is uncommon at the K–12 level. "I would love to see school buses take kids from this innovation center to different industries in our Industrial Park," the speaker said, arguing that such co-op exposure would help the district develop a local workforce.

The speaker noted the county educates about 5,000 students and emphasized that many students follow technical or two-year college paths rather than four-year colleges. The speaker listed program areas the center will support, including healthcare, culinary arts, automotive, electrical and plumbing trades, STEM and cybersecurity, and said the district already produces students with substantial dual-enrollment credit tied to those programs.

The speaker also mentioned local leaders by name, saying "our superintendents, now Jason Davidson for the Jackson County Schools, Naomi Childress for Scottsboro City Schools, they understand the importance of communicating with business and industry." The speaker praised the late Kevin Dukes for his impact on local education and described Dukes's legacy as including the new facility.

The speaker argued Jackson County is well positioned for industrial growth, citing the region's location between Chattanooga and Huntsville and noting statewide strengths in automobile production and shipbuilding. "Scottsboro Jackson County is an ideal location," the speaker said, adding that companies looking for less expensive property and a trained workforce may consider the area.

No formal vote, motion, or official action was recorded in the provided transcript excerpts. The remarks focused on describing the facility's scope and potential role in workforce development and economic growth.

Details that were provided in the remarks include the building's growth from a 66,000-square-foot shell to about 138,000 square feet, a theater of about 750 seats, an industrial park of about 311 acres with utilities in place, and a district population of roughly 5,000 students. Funding sources, construction timeline, operating budgets and any formal agreements with industry partners were not specified in the excerpts.