is being shut down for cracking in concourse concrete
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/02/27/issue...l-stadium/

Statement from construction company

http://cbsdallas.files.wordpress.com/201...tadium.pdf

http://www.pogueconstruction.com/our_team.asp

Impacts graduation and possibly football games in the fall.

(02-27-2014 08:19 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  is being shut down for cracking in concourse concrete
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/02/27/issue...l-stadium/

Statement from construction company

http://cbsdallas.files.wordpress.com/201...tadium.pdf

http://www.pogueconstruction.com/our_team.asp

Impacts graduation and possibly football games in the fall.

I heard that earlier on 1310 The Ticket. I have to believe a lawsuit is coming.

You just don't get what you use to for $60,000,000.

(02-27-2014 10:41 PM)Big Frog II Wrote:  You just don't get what you use to for $60,000,000.

Nope you certainly don't. Maybe kylesawitall gets a wiff of this?

They have a larger video board then over half of FBS.

Basically, these stadiums are an outgrowth of some bad public policy here in Texas. Texas doesn't have an income tax, and raises most of its revenue from property taxes. So in order to keep poor districts afloat, the state requires rich districts to prop up poorer ones. Unfortunately, the state allowed the rich districts to avoid doing so if they spent their funds on certain non-curricular improvements, such as football stadiums. So rich districts have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stuff they don't need in order to avoid subsidizing poor school districts (which they would be doing via income taxes, if the state of Texas had an income tax)

I don't think the taxpayers of Allen or Katy are served by these mega high school stadiums (especially in areas where there are other large meeting places for the community). Nor are the people of Texas. But hey, great video screen for the 9th grade football tilt between Katy and Alief.

(02-28-2014 11:12 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Basically, these stadiums are an outgrowth of some bad public policy here in Texas. Texas doesn't have an income tax, and raises most of its revenue from property taxes. So in order to keep poor districts afloat, the state requires rich districts to prop up poorer ones. Unfortunately, the state allowed the rich districts to avoid doing so if they spent their funds on certain non-curricular improvements, such as football stadiums. So rich districts have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stuff they don't need in order to avoid subsidizing poor school districts (which they would be doing via income taxes, if the state of Texas had an income tax)

I don't think the taxpayers of Allen or Katy are served by these mega high school stadiums (especially in areas where there are other large meeting places for the community). Nor are the people of Texas. But hey, great video screen for the 9th grade football tilt between Katy and Alief.

The Allen stadium was funded through a separate voter approved bond package. But yeah, in general the "robin hood" law has had some unintended consequences with districts wasting money in order to not send it to the state to disperse to in-need districts.

(02-28-2014 12:23 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  

(02-28-2014 11:12 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Basically, these stadiums are an outgrowth of some bad public policy here in Texas. Texas doesn't have an income tax, and raises most of its revenue from property taxes. So in order to keep poor districts afloat, the state requires rich districts to prop up poorer ones. Unfortunately, the state allowed the rich districts to avoid doing so if they spent their funds on certain non-curricular improvements, such as football stadiums. So rich districts have been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stuff they don't need in order to avoid subsidizing poor school districts (which they would be doing via income taxes, if the state of Texas had an income tax)

I don't think the taxpayers of Allen or Katy are served by these mega high school stadiums (especially in areas where there are other large meeting places for the community). Nor are the people of Texas. But hey, great video screen for the 9th grade football tilt between Katy and Alief.

The Allen stadium was funded through a separate voter approved bond package. But yeah, in general the "robin hood" law has had some unintended consequences with districts wasting money in order to not send it to the state to disperse to in-need districts.

Actually, if the voters in Allen had used a voter approved bond package to build an academic building, they'd have to share those funds with the other districts under robin hood. This is precisely the mechanism that districts use to avoid doing so.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/201...-loopholes

The real problem is that there isn't an effective way of funding poor school districts in Texas. I think the better solution would be via a formula that applies to all ISD funding. That way, you'd get better decisions by the districts and less waste. And yes, a 60 million dollar stadium for high school or a 120 million dollar one in Katy is a complete waste of the taxpayers money.

And the worst part of this whole mess is that ALL of the taxpayers in Texas are on the hook for these bonds because the state guarantees them.

I'm not particularly sympathetic towards the Allen ISD, seeing as they aren't sympathetic at all towards anyone outside their district (see the linked article).

Though obviously excessive, I've never had a problem with the community choosing the project.

What I have always had an issue with is their choice to maintain a 10-12 school with 1500 students per grade level. All in the name of not diluting the community's talent, so I've read. Sure they have won championships, but splitting into two 6A schools would create more opportunity. Separate teams of 100+ kids all able to participate, both teams making use of the building, more kids attaining snaps at the highest level of Texas football and gaining scholarships, a potentially awesome intra-community rivalry, etc. There's no doubt 2 schools would still maintain the resources to win titles.