In May, Hays Consolidated Independent School District will ask voters to approve two separate bond propositions totaling $250 million. While officials are pitching the bonds as a way to “provid[e] the infrastructure needed to meet the current student enrollment and the expected growth in enrollment,” a growing number of residents are expressing concern about the extravagance of the district’s plans.
For instance, one of the projects included in Proposition #1 is High School #3, a new facility costing taxpayers an estimated $103.4 million to build, or about $250 per sq. ft. Once the building is fully furnished and all other costs are accounted for, the school’s actual cost is likely to be closer to $122 million.
And just what does a $122 million high school look like? Oddly similar to an upscale shopping mall.
Here’s a quick comparison of High School #3 (top) and The Houston Galleria (bottom).
With extravagant taxpayer-funded facilities like these, who wouldn’t want to go back to high school?