What $70 million can do for a high school

[GooooMarquette]

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2017/08/17/photos-katy-isds-new-70m-football-stadium-ready.html

[jficke13]

That's all you get for $70M? Seems like a ripoff to me. Not to mention a radical mis-prioritization of educational funds.

[dgies9156]

One question: Why???????????????

Do you measure your school district by the number and look of NFL players from it?

Or do you measure it by leaving no one behind.

This is absurd at the highest levels. Such waste!!!!

[#UnleashSean]

Makes me sick. That's ridiculous. Even for a college standard.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The taxpayers in the ISD voted for it. That's how crazy Texans are about their high school football. If it makes it any better, its not for one school, its being shared by 8 schools.

[Skitch]

77,000 students and 10,000 full time employees in the school district.  That's crazy.

[jficke13]

The taxpayers in the ISD voted for it. That's how crazy Texans are about their high school football. If it makes it any better, its not for one school, its being shared by 8 schools.

The first part yes. One of the reasons I've been a big supporter of taxes to support stadium construction (i.e. Miller Park Sales Tax) is that it is a thing we itemized. This .1% is going to that thing. If the people of Texas chose this, then sure.

The second part... I guess? How can you have that many team share one facility and not have scheduling get wonky?

I still think that looks like some wildly overpriced and under delivered construction for $70M though. I mean, it's not like this is World Cup or Chicago construction where you have a 2x graft multiplier on all construction projects, right?

[Tugg Speedman]

does this make it better? 

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However, the complex — designed by Dallas-based HKS Inc. and Fort Worth-based VLK Architects — won’t just be used for Friday night football. Katy ISD plans for the complex to host summer camps, banquets, concerts, movie nights and more. More than 77,000 students are enrolled in Katy ISD, according to a press release, and the school district is the largest employer in Katy with 10,000 employees.

I see it as an instructional facility where you have athletes competing for sure, but you have our bands, cheerleaders and drill teams performing,” Lance Hindt, superintendent of Katy ISD, told HBJ in an interview earlier this summer. “In fact, there are more fine arts kids who will perform there than football players. Our telecommunications students will be operating the digital video board.”

[dgies9156]

77,000 students and 10,000 full time employees in the school district.  That's crazy.

You must be from Illinois!

In many parts of the southeast, the school districts are regional districts that cover entire counties. I can't speak to Katy but I know in many places, that would not be absurd.

What's absurd is Illinois' one school districts, fragmented education and having (as in the case of our suburb), five school districts serve segments of a town of 19,000 persons.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The second part... I guess? How can you have that many team share one facility and not have scheduling get wonky?

The stadium is part of a complex with another football stadium. So eight schools will share two stadiums but my understanding is that they will all have equal access to the shinier newer stadium.

[HouWarrior]

Here is an earlier article about TX ISD stadiums. It shows the Katy complex costs just 10% of the whopping $748 million bond that Katy ISD voters approved a few years back...there is still lots ....90%....still going to the schools here.

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Texas-schools-spare-no-expense-for-huge-football-7386583.php

I wont begin to defend anything...I actually pay taxes for these monsters.

However....By way of explanation....The stadiums are most often built and owned by the ISD...the independent school district. My ISD is CFISD which now has 12 high schools . Each HS, at its own location  has the normal aluminum bleacher open air field seating 2-8k with a football field and track around it....used for soccer, track, lacrosse, field hockey, etc., and the jv football games. These look and cost the same....and are Ubiquitous to most HS 's in the USA

BUT:...

CFISD...for $72 million built a multiuse facility with football, BB, theater, and conf center (check out all the venues, uses and busy use schedule, here):
http://www.berrycenter.net/about/venues

http://www.berrycenter.net/directions/parking#

As the Varsity Football games have very big crowds (10-20k), TV coverage etc....they are mostly lined up at the ISD's big facility(as  you see in the photos in the link above) . Often there is a Thursday game and doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. Average use is 6-7 HS football games a week. A weekly gate of $1million at the big facility is not extraordinary. Stadium income repays the cost within 10-15 years...so the high construction is well supported by reasonable cost bond funding. Our taxes back ultimate repayment but the public bonds float and spread out the cost...in most cases the revenue will pay for the building cost. Believe it or not...because school buildings do not "pay for themselves" but these stadiums do self fund...the ISD bond elections for them usually  pass easily

Next to most of these monsters... is a BB field house so the same parking lot doubles use ....with 8-12 HS BB games per week and the Volleyball playoffs etc The entire ISD's group of HS's uses the facility...a lot. It may not justify the big cost...but its cheaper than upgrading all 12 HSs in our district with fancier bigger and totally redundant fields. The One Big Neutral site is also safer for rivalry games and crowd issues .

I guess this defends the big ones, a bit, and we do voter approve the high cost....but I sure agree with all those here that they are very opulent in comparison to my HS days. lol

[Benny B]

Here is an earlier article about TX ISD stadiums. It shows the Katy complex costs just 10% of the whopping $748 million bond that Katy ISD voters approved a few years back...there is still lots ....90%....still going to the schools here.

Exactly.

Listen, I'm not defending the utilization of taxpayer money here, but all of these Texas high school stadiums you see in the news are merely the "window dressing" on much larger bond issues / referendums.  In other words, money isn't being taken away from education to pay for these stadiums, districts are raising more money for education because of these stadiums.

In other words, these stadiums are usually being held up as the "hook" (or bait, if you will) just to get people to vote for the referendums... otherwise, every single one of these referendums would be failing one by one.

[HouWarrior]

Exactly.

Listen, I'm not defending the utilization of taxpayer money here, but all of these Texas high school stadiums you see in the news are merely the "window dressing" on much larger bond issues / referendums.  In other words, money isn't being taken away from education to pay for these stadiums, districts are raising more money for education because of these stadiums.

In other words, these stadiums are usually being held up as the "hook" (or bait, if you will) just to get people to vote for the referendums... otherwise, every single one of these referendums would be failing one by one.

Well put.

In the Houston area, school district quality/expenditure is the single biggest hook driving home development. Folks decide where to live largely based on school district quality. Houston is constantly building and growing, generating new jobs and constant incoming migration.... but the new residents demand good residential living areas....schools are key.

Katy ISD is growing by 2000 students per year....not because its convenient to a drive downtown (its a 25-30 mile drive along a  congested I-10 to downtown) ....folks instead love the area because of new homes, great square foot prices, nice subdivision amenities (area pools, tennis courts, greenbelts, lakes,etc) ....and the capper is school district quality. To enjoy this growth and continue to expand the property tax base as they do in Katy ISD,... offering infrastructure amenities like this sports complex is a draw. The big bond issue will increase property taxes a few hundred per year but it also spurs continued growth /building in the area. Its a good trade off