A $60 Million Palace for Texas High School Football

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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/sports/30allen.html?_r=1&ref=gregbishop


-snip-

This is no ordinary stadium, in no ordinary state, where football ranks near faith and family. Super Bowl XLV will take place a short drive southwest next Sunday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, but while the “big game” will repeatedly highlight football’s oversize importance in Texas, the folks in Allen need no reminders. Here, every game is big.

-snip-

To the residents, who voted 63 percent in favor of a $119 million bond in May 2009, this project, which includes the stadium, an auditorium for fine arts and a service center for the district, is designed to scale. Their scale just happens to be larger than most.

Allen is the third-biggest high school in both Texas and in its area, which includes two larger schools in nearby Plano. It has more than 5,000 students in grades 9 to 12, more than 600 members in the nation’s largest high school band and a campus that spreads across 650,000 square feet.

-snip-

“It’s about tra-di-tion,” he added, accentuating the syllables.
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and they probably teach creationism and sexual abstinence

[snappyturtle]

1. It's a modern day coliseum for the dumbed down masses. Look at

these statistics for public education in the state of TX:

•Texas is #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
•Texas is #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
•Texas is #33 in the nation in teacher salaries. Teacher salaries in Texas are not keeping pace with the national average. The gains realized from the last state-funded across-the-board pay raise authorized in 1999, which moved the ranking from 33 to as high as 26th in the nation, have disappeared over the last five years.
•Texas was the only state in the nation to cut average per pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2005, resulting in a ranking of #40 nationally; down from #25 in fiscal year 1999.
•Texas is #6 in the nation in student growth. The general student population in Texas public schools grew by 11.1% between school years 1999 and 2005, with the largest percent of growth seen among low income and minority children.
•Between school years 1999 and 2005, the number of central administrators employed by Texas public schools grew by 32.5%, overall staffing in public schools grew by 15.6%, while the number of teachers grew only 13.3%.

more at:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/wwstand/wws0512ed/

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16. kick

nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. 5000 kids in ONE school? And they build a stadium???

They could have built two new schools for $119 million.

[Jakes Progress]

5. It's an old Texas trick.

The bigger the high school, the larger the pool from which you pull your football players. The football team is al that matters. The coaches make more money in coaching stipends than they do teaching. Hiring each year his held up until the head coach has filled his request for assistants. You can't hire a needed history teacher until you know that position is needed by some auxiliary, second string, turf-inspector for the athletic dept. It used to be worse, but this mania still goes on in many districts.

[tammywammy]

6. Not always

I went to high school in Arlington, it was the largest single school high school in the state...our football team still sucked. Our drama, orchestra, choir, band depts were well known throughout the state though.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. My dad was a high school coach for 40 years

And he's spinning in his grave over this.

[bluestateguy]

14. Don't coaches get a lot of their pay from a Booster's Club?

I thought that coaches at these big name football schools get most of their salaries from a private booster club (parents and other local people).

[Jakes Progress]

29. Coaches stipends come from tax revenue.

Local funds. Whatever goes under the table, stays under the table. But coaches salaries in Texas are state base plus local teacher salary plus stipend.

I got nothing against coaches. Many I knew were just great. But the system is bent.

[bluestateguy]

30. I guess I shouldn't rely too much on information from the TV show Friday Night Lights

nt

[social_critic]

10. Stadium is needed for a quality sports experience

Don't forget football is entertainment in Texas. I'm more worried about the trauma caused by football injuries because my son plays football in Texas. The stadium issue is minor when you see a young boy suffering from brain damage or paralyzed. If I could do something about it, I would outlaw the damned game.

[ensho]

18. its one thing if an adult plays - quite another for a minor

I agree with you

[WinkyDink]

3. Coincidence? Texas just decided to stop mandated steroid-testing for school athletes.

[elehhhhna]

8. it was a waste of time, $ and an affront to minor's privacy --

IIRC the program "caught " like one person in several years.

[Saboburns]

34. Great

I despise random drug tests in all cases.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Once upon a time, it was more than enough to install lights for the football field

so games could be played after sundown.

[AsahinaKimi]

7. wow...

priorities much?

[NoPasaran]

11. If you read the article it's not so bad

To the residents, who voted 63 percent in favor of a $119 million bond in May 2009, this project, which includes the stadium, an auditorium for fine arts and a service center for the district, is designed to scale. Their scale just happens to be larger than most.

Allen is the third-biggest high school in both Texas and in its area, which includes two larger schools in nearby Plano. It has more than 5,000 students in grades 9 to 12, more than 600 members in the nation’s largest high school band and a campus that spreads across 650,000 square feet.

And

For years, administrators wanted to build a larger stadium, but first they constructed schools to keep pace with the growth. Curtis, the facilities director for 32 years, said, “The stadium is long overdue.”

The voters of this school district approved this bond issue, of which the stadium is just a part. This is how democracy works.

[MedicalAdmin]

17. I am for a renaissance education.

A well rounded and balanced blend of arts, sciences and athletics. The problem I have with football is that it is a sport of exclusion by and large.

Of course this could be fulfilled by a blend of academics, CGI amination classes and ballet. To each thier own.

[Recursion]

27. What do you mean by "sport of exclusion"?

That it's hard to do intramurally?

[MedicalAdmin]

31. What is the goal of physical education?

To produce a youth withthe knowledge, skills, and experience to be physically fit through their lives? And to do this for all students?

Foot ball excludes many from participation due to gender, sexual orientation, income of parents, etc. And it does so at the expense of other more core activities in all too many school districts. While it can ( not is, but can) be beneficial to some is it worth the cost just to placate parents who peaked at age 18?

[NoPasaran]

28. Okay, well just this past summer

I did a little work at a new high school in a district a little to the north of Plano. Of course, they are very proud of their football team and that is reflected in the size and quality of their athletic facilities. (In fact, my first thought on seeing the place was that is is what a Roman high school would have looked like if the Romans had played football instead of racing chariots.)

But in addition, the school also included a big hall for dance classes, a restaurant-quality facility for cooking classes, and a high definition TV studio and editing for the media classes. I don't know about the other facilities, but I'd be willing to bet that they were also of a pretty high quality. If football fever helps to pass the bonds to build state of the art schools, well, there are certainly worse choices made in politics.

[MedicalAdmin]

32. I agree with you completely.

We just have to be careful that the tail doesnt wag the dog, n'est pas?

[MilesColtrane]

22. Yeah, it is just damned big.

http://www.allenisd.org/20061061015583133/lib/20061061015583133/Bond%20Project%20Artwork-Files/Stadium%20Update.pdf

[wain]

12. Try $578 million, downtown Los Angeles

"The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a K-12 complex built on 23 acres of land, cost $578 million to build. Considering the school will house about 4,200 students, construction cost about $130,000 per pupil."

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/los_angeles_unveils_new_578_mi.html

[bluestateguy]

13. The voters approved it, but it does show where their priorities lay

In Texas football is exempt from conversations about austerity.

[blogslut]

15. If they can fill the seats then, whatever

I don't care for football but the former drama student in me is pleased that a fine arts facility is part of the complex. If they can draw proper crowds as well as successfully rent it out for outdoor concerts, then good for Allen, Tx.

BTW - According to the article, Texas has four high school stadiums that are bigger.

[Recursion]

19. Also a fine arts auditorium

And a service center. It's a capital investment being paid by a bond issue; sounds like what we want communities to start doing again.

As an actor in high school we had to act in the gym; I would have loved an actual auditorium.

[Fumesucker]

20. I'd be willing to wager pretty good money that without the stadium the bond would have failed..

I don't live in TX but my own state is not far behind in football mania, I spent several years involved with HS boosterism when my daughter was in HS, the football team got far more money and attention than did the band or any other extracurricular activities and had fewer students involved with it than most of the others, definitely far fewer than the band did.

[Recursion]

21. Of course. So?

This will put people to work. This is public money being spent on a public good, and I frankly think a lot of DU is just pissed off because they're bothered that the people in that town like high school football so much. This is a good thing.

[Fumesucker]

23. A lot of us think that an emphasis on sports, and particularly football..

Means that academics, arts and other non athletic pursuits get the short end of the stick.

I've seen it happen personally when I was involved with the local HS, we had coaches teaching that were just awful as teachers.

[Recursion]

24. I've had and worked with awful coach/teachers

I also had to act in a gym. *shrug*

Sure, it would be nicer if this were a more all-around PE facility that more students could use (because ironically, despite all the focus on athletics, PE is woefully underserved in most schools I've dealt with).

I'm just glad that they passed a bond issue rather than finding some sort of "corporate sponsorship" to pay for it.

[Lucinda]

26. Yup. Sounds like they are keeping up with the growth of their community.

Amazing that 400 families were competing in a lottery for season tickets. I think that sort of community involvement in the school is a really great thing.

[Lucinda]

25. Great article. Did you read the whole thing?

They are also building a new fine arts auditorium and a service center. They built new schools before the new stadium, which was needed from what the article says due to growth of the town. Didn't know they had the nations largest HS band either. Interesting read.

[Saboburns]

33. Good for them

It makes them happy, they voted for it, are going to pay for it themselves.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE High School extra curriculur activities. These activities are for the most part very demanding, keep students engaged and involved in positive environments and away fro idle time, and problems galore. We need much more support for extra curriculur activities in our public schools.

The anti football bias here is sadly predictable.

[Odin2005]

35. This is sick!

[Recursion]

36. Why?

This is a community using a public bond issue to pay for capital investments. This is what we want.

[Odin2005]

37. The money could be going to actually EDUCATING the kids.

[Recursion]

39. Well, there's a fine arts auditorium, and a district service center

And, you know, football is part of physical education. If it's like every other high school I know, the track and soccer teams will use it too, along with the band.

[GSLevel9]

38. To be honest... If the community wants it

And the vote was fair, who cares? If a school in Massachussetts wants to build a 60m drama arts bldg at a high school and a majority of the community votrs for it I have no issue.