Texas High School To Build New $35 Million Football Stadium Despite Incredibly Small Enrollment (Dallas: 2014, theater)

[albert648]

Originally Posted by DFWGuy422

I agree completely on academics being the first and foremost concern. However, the $35M football facility doesn't necessarily eat into funds that would be used for academics. Unless there was a comparable $35M bond issuance that would have gone directly into education, it presumably would have been the stadium or nothing. Should we, as a country, care more about academics and focus on building those up more than athletics? For sure. But that isn't the case, and I don't have a problem with the stadium since it will offer significant non-academic benefits.

Sure, as long as they don't use that expenditure as an excuse to raise my school taxes. Because all you need to play football is a large field with some goal posts in the ground which presumably most schools have.

If you gave me a choice between no fancy stadium + lower school tax bill vs. a fancy stdium + higher school tax bill, I'd choose the former every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[Grainraiser]

I have to wonder how much revenue does high school football generate of the district. My local high school had a solid football program until our coach retired. The team just took a complete nose dive and attendance really suffered. Our stadium had good crowds when the program was doing well. When they took a nose dive the stadium would be at 20% capacity. They fired the old coach and we will have to see how the new one works out.

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by FreeVilley

$35 Million aint what it used to be.

This is exactly what I was thinking...

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Melissa is the next small town on it's way to being to bigger large town. It's just north of Allen and McKinney that had built those other huge stadiums. Huge population growth in that area.

Allen BTW gave us Gave us Kyler Murray, Heisman Trophy winner and QB for Phoenix. Texas Football rocks the NFL.

Where will it grow? The town doesn't have much vacant, buildable land left in its city limits unless they start piling on the garbage dump.

Sounds lovely
https://www.ntmwd.com/company-plans-...issa-landfill/

[Cicnod]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I have to wonder how much revenue does high school football generate of the district. My local high school had a solid football program until our coach retired. The team just took a complete nose dive and attendance really suffered. Our stadium had good crowds when the program was doing well. When they took a nose dive the stadium would be at 20% capacity. They fired the old coach and we will have to see how the new one works out.

It brings money and people to move there which increases property values which drives up tax revenue. Frisco 15 years ago was a small town just beginning. IT now thrives with expensive homes that generate a lot of tax revenue. Make no mistake the most dominant school district in the state is hands down Southlake and it isn't close. Elite academics and elite athletics. The only close ones in DFW are Allen. Conroe and Austin Westlake are the only other close ones. It will be interesting to see how HP performs now that it is 6A. My guess is it falls far behind and will e a middle of the pack school as their athletics are subpar when comparing to 6A schools. IMO this is what Melissa wants to be. They don't want to be solid. They want to be elite. A 6A powerhouse that will bring in higher socio economic families which will drive up education performance and athletic performance.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by albert648

Because they waste $35 MILLION on football stadiums.

Schools have plenty of money. If you can afford a $35 million luxury that is at best ancillary to your primary purpose, then you are not underfunded and you don't need any more money.

The bond money for stadiums CANNOT be used for instruction. The way Texas school funding works, when a district hits a certain tax valuation per student, any excess tax revenues go to the State, which uses it to reduce state funding for other school districts. Prior to some changes in the law from the 2019 Legislature, Austin ISD was sending $500 million per year to the State because it had "too much" property valuation. That was about $1400 per residential property that went to the State, and the law is such that Austin ISD could not reduce the rate to save taxpayers money. There's a reason that law was nickname "Robin Hood". I don't know whether Melissa ISD is a recapture district or not.

[albert648]

Originally Posted by WRM20

The bond money for stadiums CANNOT be used for instruction. The way Texas school funding works, when a district hits a certain tax valuation per student, any excess tax revenues go to the State, which uses it to reduce state funding for other school districts. Prior to some changes in the law from the 2019 Legislature, Austin ISD was sending $500 million per year to the State because it had "too much" property valuation. That was about $1400 per residential property that went to the State, and the law is such that Austin ISD could not reduce the rate to save taxpayers money. There's a reason that law was nickname "Robin Hood". I don't know whether Melissa ISD is a recapture district or not.

Where's the money to pay interest on those bonds coming from? That's right, from school tax revenues.

If you have to raise school taxes to pay P&I on those bonds, no, you can't afford it.

[TheOverdog]

I haven't checked Mellisa's bond election, but about 6,000 people voted in the one that created Allen's stadium. I bet McKinney's was around 10k.



So if you are big at your church or whatever and can rally the troops, it doesn't really take that many people to shoot these expenditures down.

[serger]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

I haven't checked Mellisa's bond election, but about 6,000 people voted in the one that created Allen's stadium. I bet McKinney's was around 10k.



So if you are big at your church or whatever and can rally the troops, it doesn't really take that many people to shoot these expenditures down.

Don't they usually pack them with other stuff though?

[TheOverdog]

Don't they usually pack them with other stuff though?

It really depends. I just looked up Melissas, and it was $150m for an arts center, new elementary schools, 6th grade center, indoor football practice field, and stadium.

If it had failed, it would have been repackaged to be smaller in a future election.

The current bond is $400 million, for 6 new schools, renovations to existing schools, and growing the size of the high school.