I thought we were in a “Great Recession”? Well somebody please tell California that. The state that is cash poor and literally broke has unveiled a $578 million K-12 super complex that will handle 4,200. This is a shocking example of a recent trend in what are being called “Taj Mahal” schools costing $100 million-plus that are already built or being built. Call me crazy, but people in California are nuts. This school cost more than the China Olympic Stadium they built a few years ago. C’mon! At a time when teachers are losing jobs, states are writing IOU’s, and government spending is out of control, do we need mega high schools?
From the news article:
“There’s no more of the old, windowless cinderblock schools of the ’70s where kids felt, ‘Oh, back to jail,’” said Joe Agron, editor-in-chief of American School & University, a school construction journal. “Districts want a showpiece for the community, a really impressive environment for learning.”
All for safe and clean schools, but this is ridiculous. It’s about teachers, it’s about kids, and it’s about creating a culture of learning. This can happen without spending obscene amounts of money.
