High school unveils $60 million stadium
AllenHigh near Dallas christens its new stadium Friday night. (AP Photo)
No, we’re not talking about the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s the Allen (Texas) High School Eagles, which christens the 18,000-seat stadium against defending champion Southlake Carroll.
The stadium also features a multi-level press box, wrestling and weight rooms, a golf practice area and artificial turf.
It’s not the largest high school stadium in Texas, but it is the biggest that houses a single team.
Allen High supporters say the stadium is well worth the money, even in a down economy in which many school systems are struggling to find money to pay teachers.
“There will be kids that come through here that will be able to play on a field that only a few people will ever get the chance to play in,” said Wes Bishop, the father of a player and head of the booster club, told The Associated Press.
Collin County, where Allen High is located, is a suburb of Dallas and one of the most affluent areas of Texas.
Voters approved funding for the stadium in a 2009 bond referendum.
Officials concede they will never recoup the cost of building the stadium but say revenues — including six sponsorships that will bring in $35,000 a year — will cover the cost of operating it.
“Our intention is not to recoup the money it cost to build the stadium,” school district spokesman Tim Carroll told the AP. “It’s not practical to say we’ll get that money back. [But] the revenue we receive from the stadium will far exceed the cost of operating it.”
Carroll has pointed out that the funds for the stadium were part of a larger $219 million bond package and could not have been used for classroom purposes.
“In Texas, funding is completely separate between capital projects and general (education) fund,” he told Rivals.com in a 2010 article. “If we don’t build the stadium, none of that money could go to teachers or classrooms.”
What do you think of spending public funds on such an extravagant high school stadium? Is it money well spent, or another example of misplaced priorities?
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149 comments Add your comment
RetiredAthlete
August 31st, 2012
8:38 am
Sure, if the people of the area voted it through then I don’t mind. For as hard as those kids work to play football they deserve a nice place to play. And not just them but all the kids who came before and will come after them. Apparently it will also be used by the wrestling and golf teams (soccer maybe, if they allow that kind of thing in Texas).
It’s that towns money to use. If they see this as acceptable and as a possible money maker down the line then who am I to tell them they shouldn’t spend their money this way.
LOL
August 31st, 2012
8:40 am
How many teachers have had their pay reduced to pay for this I wonder?
Seriously?
August 31st, 2012
8:48 am
Seriously? 60mil for a high school stadium complex. Wow…
Silver Creek Dawg
August 31st, 2012
8:49 am
LOL, if you actually read the article, you’d know the answer. It’s none.
In TX, capital projects (like the stadium, a new school building, etc) are funded separately from classroom purposes (like hiring teachers, school books, etc). The money in one fund can’t be transferred into the other fund.
Chris
August 31st, 2012
8:51 am
Teachers did not have pay reduced. This was a bond that was passed by the citizens on this area. The state of Texas is actually one of the few states not laying off teachers and are in fact still hiring. While the state is a whole does not perform well the major metro area like Dallas and Austin has very high performing schools. As mentioned in the article this was part of a $219 million bond that also paid for the constuction of an equally outstanding fine arts facility
Fantastic
August 31st, 2012
8:55 am
Good for them. Better to put the money in something tangible than pour it down the hole of the general education fund with no obvious benefits.
Buddy Garrity
August 31st, 2012
9:03 am
Clear Eyes Full Hearts Can’t Lose!
THIS IS CRAZY
August 31st, 2012
9:10 am
I am sure that most of the students at that school don’t play football, and thus get no direct benefit from this structure. Regardless of the funding mechanism, it speaks volumes when there is a $60 million stadium on campus, but no comparable expenditure for education. It has often been said, you can tell where people’s priorities are by seeing where they spend their money. This might send the message that football is the most important thing at that school. No one is saying they don’t have a right to build this stadium. Just because something CAN be done mean is SHOULD be done?
Silly Waste of Money
August 31st, 2012
9:14 am
I’m sorry but this is completely asinine. In the article the dellusional football boosters try to say this was a good idea in a down economy because “There will be kids that come through here that will be able to play on a field that only a few people will ever get the chance to play in.”
How on earth is that a good argument for spending $60m when there are so many other areas of education in need right now? Guess what? There are very few people that will get a chance to play in Yankee stadium either – does that mean you should go out and build a $2B stadium?
They even go as far as to admit the construction costs will never be recouped…. I’d suspect this is similar for many pro stadiums (especially ones that are publically finances), but they also bring in far more revenue than $35k/year. Let’s say that there are 8 home games a year and they sell out the stadium. Let’s also generously say that each person in attendence brings in an additional $25 in profit (not revenue). Those are rather unrealistic numbers but even with that assumption the gross profit increase year over year is $3.5m. The break even point on that is nearly 20 years! It’s much more realistic to assume that the taxpayers that footed this bill will never see an actualized gain of $60m.
If that father wants his son to play in a nice stadium, then he needs to foot the bill, not the taxpayers.
I’m not one to think that simply throwing extra money at education will fix the ills in our system, but it is really silly for a voting base to have approved a bond for something like this in leiu of a bond for increasing teacher pay or buying additional supplies. They may claim that there is no way for the money to be used to pay teachers, but in reality, that’s because they’re simply not trying. They could always propose it to the voters and allow people to vote on making that happen.
Journalism
August 31st, 2012
9:15 am
I think a good piece of information would have been the number of students enrolled at the high school. High schools can range from 100s of students to thousands.
Curious George
August 31st, 2012
9:19 am
Was this stadium funding part of Barry’s half-baked “Federal Stimulus Package?”
Silly Waste of Money
August 31st, 2012
9:25 am
Last part of my comment seemed to have gotten cut off…
Like other people have mentioned though, this was the decision of the voters of Allen, TX, and if that’s what they truely wanted to have and how they wanted to spend their money, good for them, that’s their decision. Still seems like a waste of money though.
captaincrunch
August 31st, 2012
9:26 am
They should be allowed to build this if they voted for it. – True
You can’t fix stupid.- True
Priority Geek
August 31st, 2012
9:27 am
And how much did they spend on improving education?
Are You Serious?
August 31st, 2012
9:28 am
@Curious George…LOL…You blame “Barry” for this too? GEESH…
Techmom
August 31st, 2012
9:31 am
What a waste. The money may not have been able to go towards teacher pay but I’m quite sure it could have gone to build additional classrooms, science labs, computer equipment, etc. Most of the school bonds in Ga go towards capital-only projects as well but when you don’t have to pay for capital expenses out of the general budget, that [typically] means more of the operating budget can pay for things like teacher pay and supplies.
I wonder how many of the voters knew that more than a quarter of the money from the bond referendum they voted for was going to a stadium? Voters need to educate themselves and not just vote on every ‘education’ bond that comes their way.
Athletic Supporter
August 31st, 2012
9:31 am
I work in the school system and I’m also a coach. Everybody complain about spending money on a stadium and sports but they fail to acknowledge that football brings in the most money to the school to fund other things. As the article stated, the money couldn’t have went to the classrooms or teachers. As much as everyone hate to admit, sports bring school spirt and the community to the school NOT the teachers and classoom setting.
Jennifer
August 31st, 2012
9:32 am
the high school has 4,000 students
their website: http://www.allenisd.org
Master of Obvious
August 31st, 2012
9:32 am
LOL must be a public school teacher.
Jennifer
August 31st, 2012
9:36 am
They also have a 98.7% graduation rate and a lower student/teacher ratio than the majority of metro school systems, especially here in Gwinnett. Its America, the people voted, they used the money how they saw fit with people making the decisions that were voted into office.
Tammy
August 31st, 2012
9:40 am
“There will be kids that come through here that will be able to play on a field that only a few people will ever get the chance to play in.”
And then after they graduate perhaps they’ll be able to work at Walmart or one of the myriad other low wage jobs that Texas is so proud to have created over the past ten years. Sounds great…enjoy the field while you can cause you’re gonna be stocking shelves soon enough.
Melinda O'Brien
August 31st, 2012
9:41 am
My son attends Allen High School so I will tell you what I know from the inside. Allen High School is an incredible school. As the article mentions, not only did we get the football stadium, we got an incredible performing/fine arts venue that is used by the school AND the community. My son doesn’t play football, but he is in one of the school’s five orchestras, so he is able to benefit from the bond money. Whether or not we needed a $60-million stadium might be debatable, but we did need a new stadium. The old wasn’t large enough, there was very little parking and it was time to replace it. If you’ve ever seen “Friday Night Lights,” that was no exaggeration. In Texas, football rules. There are people with season tickets who haven’t had a child in the school system for 20 years, they just love the game. Season tickets are sold by lottery; you put your name in a bucket and if it’s drawn, you get to buy tickets. Games in the old stadium were sold out on a regular basis, if you wanted to buy tickets, chances are you would end up on the visitor’s side. This new stadium will give the infrequent football fan like me an opportunity to actually buy a ticket and sit on the home side.
As the article states, Allen ISD teachers did not lose wages, nor were positions cut because of the stadium. Honestly, I don’t think our teachers are paid enough for the work they do, but that is true just about anywhere.
Oh, and did you know that Allen has the largest high school marching band in the United States? 845 kids march in our band along with the drill team and color guard. Check out our high school at http://http://www.allenisd.org/allenhs to see what our school is all about.
Union
August 31st, 2012
9:42 am
good for them.. at least it wasnt a $578 million dollar high school..
Bill
August 31st, 2012
9:48 am
OK, the money could not have been spent in the classroom. That does not mean it had to be spent in other ways. They could have saved local taxpayers $60m in debt, which the entire public will have to pay for whether they have football players, or even students in the family.
Woodstock Dawg
August 31st, 2012
9:52 am
Everything is bigger in Texas, even the Stupid.
Just Wow
August 31st, 2012
9:59 am
and yet, Georgia can’t pass a one cent tax to help eliviate traffic and create more jobs.
Joe
August 31st, 2012
10:02 am
Coming from the same BoE that proposed creationism being taught alongside evolution. It’s nice to know that education comes first in Texas.
WTF
August 31st, 2012
10:04 am
Just Wow. Your assuming a one cent tax would have done that.
No child left behind
August 31st, 2012
10:07 am
If he can carry a football
mikk
August 31st, 2012
10:08 am
It’s good to have nice things ! Teaching the kids valuable capitalistic lessons. Achievement pays off- see their rich Daddy’s.
meg
August 31st, 2012
10:09 am
Stupid is as stupid does…. This is the biggest waste of friggin money I’ve ever heard of.
… Bunch of morons…..
Matthew
August 31st, 2012
10:12 am
People are just making stuff up.
A) The funding is separate from education funding.
B) It was locally approved
C) Allen is a good school system and education funding is not lacking
D) Allen, a city of approximately 100,000, has ONE high school. Allen High has 5000 students. So this is the equivalent of a stadium built for 2-3 high schools here in the metro area.
Sure, the money could have been thrown to other communities who would have likely done something much less tangible with it, but why? People in Allen wanted to do this for their community, so what business is it of yours?
Val
August 31st, 2012
10:12 am
Maybe they will use it for graduations also who knows.
dr
August 31st, 2012
10:14 am
See the nice things you can have when business is booming as it is in texas? Take note libs – red state with red leadership and red citizenry gets to have nice things.
Show me where one of these is being built in california, vermont, michigan or any other state you’ve gutted and bankrupted with your idealistic professor led social and business policies.
meg
August 31st, 2012
10:14 am
love the “no child left behind” comment! -You are absolutely right!
Mike
August 31st, 2012
10:17 am
Personally, I find this to be excessive and a gross misuse of public funds. There is no way that a high school *needs* this. However, if the locals voted for it and are willing to take on the debt, then by all means, we should let nothing stand in their way.
po
August 31st, 2012
10:18 am
ah, the misplaced public priorities of disposable wealth . . . but then we’ll probably all be constructing a stadium because a rich owner wants us to . . .
seriously?
August 31st, 2012
10:23 am
I agree you can’t fix stupid. I’m talking to you Just Wow.
Bush-Whacked
August 31st, 2012
10:25 am
It sounds as though Texas has another Bush for Governor who is about to bankrupt his state,Team and ultimately the entire United States!
Drago
August 31st, 2012
10:27 am
Happy for them. Hope the stadium is full every Friday.
Union
August 31st, 2012
10:27 am
Bush-Whacked
August 31st, 2012
10:25 am
It sounds as though Texas has another Bush for Governor who is about to bankrupt his state,Team and ultimately the entire United States!
umm.. yeah.. texas is doing pretty well in the finance and education dept.. how is that grad rate coming along in ga again?
Ray
August 31st, 2012
10:28 am
AJC, you are a joke. This is a headline on your front page, yet zero mention of the Republican Convention and Romney’s speech last night. Yes, I’ll say it again, AJC, you are a pathetic joke.
Sponsors
August 31st, 2012
10:29 am
Who is Sponsoring this stadium????………Has to be a Beer or Alcohol company because the local officials have been drinking too much!
Ray
August 31st, 2012
10:31 am
Hey Union, the people VOTED for it. It has nothing to do with who is governor. And Texas is NOT going bankrupt like a lot of loser blue states are. Texas is thriving. You have no clue what you are talking about.
Message to Union
August 31st, 2012
10:32 am
The Grad rate in Georgia is excellent here because the teachers are correcting all the wrong answers on the kids tests!
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
10:33 am
Smoke and mirrors accounting…of course funds are separate. The real issue is how is funding acquired in the first place. If funds are raised via taxation then it doesn’t matter how many accounts the money is disbursed into, the source is the same.
I agree that if people voted for taxes to pay for the stadium then there is no political or legal problem. However, were citizens given a clear choice between funding classrooms and funding a stadium? I assume it was a simple yes/no for the stadium project and there was no option to vote for taxes for classroom improvements. Football or no football, I don’t see myself ever voting for a new tax for such a focused expensive project. I think it’s different than voting for general improvements to a school system where a new or renovated stadium is included yet doesn’t cost $60 million.
At the end of the day, these people bought themselves a new stadium. Buying something implies a simple purchase, not an investment since they never hope to recoup the cost of building. If they think $60 million is well spent on a high school football stadium that isn’t shared by multiple schools that’s their problem. To each their own. I just hope they don’t complain about any local issues that tax money could have addressed anytime soon.
Paul
August 31st, 2012
10:35 am
Just a bunch of parents living through their kids again…
Hey Ray
August 31st, 2012
10:35 am
You know a paper sucks when a Drunk Clint Eastwood grabs the headlines over a Presidential Canidate!
Ray
August 31st, 2012
10:36 am
Devil’s Advocate, just to let you know that part of Texas has a lot of successful people (to liberals, that means they are mean rich people, but I digress). So, if it makes you feel any better, their schools are state of the art and there is no shortage of funding for improvements to academic facilities or anything academic related. Just thought you would like to know.
Thanks Mexico
August 31st, 2012
10:39 am
Texas can afford new stadiums because they have been confiscating millons in Drug money from the cartels from Mexico!
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
10:40 am
And if football is so dang popular in Texas, why isn’t it producing enough revenue to raise enough money to justify a single high school building a $60 million stadium without so much tax money? Money talks and BS walks.
It’s like all the Thrashers fans complaining that the team left. If the support dollars matched the support words then they’d still be here.
College programs like Texas and UGA are doing it right. They generate so much revenue that any lavish improvements to their facilities are totally justified. Show me a high school football program that generates enough revenue to justify a $60 million stadium without dipping into taxes.
Rome
August 31st, 2012
10:40 am
It was a Capital Funds project voted on and approved by the local citizens. No money taken from education. I’ve spent time in Texas. High school football is like another religion in Texas.
You would have to see it to believe it!
Kat
August 31st, 2012
10:42 am
How does a vote like that go, “Let’s see, we’ve got $60m to spend on something, anything, having to do with sports, but specifically football…got it! New stadium! Next item of business, please…?
I mean, how does this come up for a vote and go through? I could better understand it if there was more than one sport involved in the discussion. A new gymnasium, new/updated facilities? But this is one sport, at one school, and it’s $60m! Seems like the problem is in the way the money/revenue was raised/allocated or something? Build half that much of a stadium and vote the rest of it to something else.
Texas Football
August 31st, 2012
10:42 am
A 60 Million$ Football stadium will not make the Teams in Texas any better.Texas,Texas A.M.,Texas Tech will never be able to compete with any college team in Alabama!………….Roll Tide!
MB
August 31st, 2012
10:44 am
@Crazy Most of the expense would be to give the non football playing kids and parents a reinforced place to sit. Oh and band members get to use it at halftime too….
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
10:46 am
Ray,
Way to play the “rich people” card. You’re so smart. Do you earn substantial income or are you just riding coat tails? Most rich people stay rich by not blowing money on unreasonable purchases that they cannot cover with additional income. Another way to stay rich is by spending other people’s money when you have the option, which is what they just did. The part of the article stating that they never hope to recoup the cost of building the stadium means this is not an investment. They willingly spent that money for a luxury. Sure, the revenue will cover the operating costs but that doesn’t change the fact that they are out $60 million. And I already said that if those people are okay with that then that’s their issue to manage.
So how about you go play your class warfare card elsewhere. You’re starting to sound like Buffet now. If you make enough money then it’s open season on taxation. Yay, more taxes!
Texas OK
August 31st, 2012
10:46 am
Texas will be ok as long as a Bush never takes public office there.If one does Texas will be bankrupted swiftly just as our country was under George Dup-ya Bush!
Anon
August 31st, 2012
10:51 am
This is right down the street from where my parents live. Trust me… that area can afford it. I long to live like my parents do, but they’ve worked hard for YEARS to achieve that kind of success. I just go a couple times a year to bask in its warm glow!
Matt
August 31st, 2012
10:52 am
Wow. This is just way out of whack and these folks are just deluded. If it had been raised with private money, it would be one thing, but to spend that much tax payer money and NEVER expect to recoup the money is asinine.
this can be a big positive
August 31st, 2012
10:54 am
now u think about it the person above said that there about 8 home games correct but u got to think about it instead of having the state championship game in the Cowboys stadium it would be alot cheaper to do it in this stadium they will make their money back in no time they will have most if not all the local events here so theres even more money coming back to it then last but not least u would include all other sports like track(but i dont see a track in pic) golf wrestling soccer field hockey(if have team) and so on every other high school would love to rent out this place for their events they will make more than the 60mill invested
Texas Football
August 31st, 2012
10:54 am
It takes a lot of MONEY to build a 60Mil$ stadium!But don’t worry because Texas is loaded with OIL MONEY thanks to the people in the rest of the country who are paying high prices for gas(4$/gal)from that refined West Texas Intermediate that goes for 40$ a barrel more than it should!Why shouldn’t a few kids benefit while the rest of the countries inner city children go without!
Rome
August 31st, 2012
10:55 am
@KAT – Didn’t say I agree with it, just saying football is huge in Texas and this is what they voted in. I’m not sure but I think it’s similar to a local SPLOST type tax we have here in Georgia. What I do know is, I wouldn’t have voted for something like this and would not live in a community that did.
Alabama Tide
August 31st, 2012
10:57 am
We can play on dirt and be watched by fans in lawn chairs and still be able to beat any team from Texas!
Longhorn
August 31st, 2012
10:59 am
i love Texas. I am pretty sure they will vote for succession if the presidential election doesn’t go right. Why does anyone outside of Allen Texas care how they spend THEIR money?
Florida High School Football
August 31st, 2012
11:00 am
Whoever said that the best High School Football Teams are in Texas is full of BS!
Melinda O'Brien - Allen Resident
August 31st, 2012
11:01 am
I don’t think you are being presented with all of the information. The old football stadium, which resided at the Freshman Center, was too small with very little parking. On Friday nights, it was difficult to drive anywhere near the stadium. It was time for a new stadium. Did it need to be as grandiose as it is, probably not. However, this stadium has enough parking for games, and the new location will allow for better traffic flow on game nights. I’m not a football fan and don’t attend games, but I’m glad for the bond money that we voted for because of the Performing Arts Center, which brings people to Allen for community musical and theatrical events that are held there. As for having graduations there, by the end of May in Texas, the idea of sitting outside in the sun for four hours is not my idea of a good time. It’s too hot.
bob
August 31st, 2012
11:04 am
LOL
August 31st, 2012
8:40 am
read the article – NONE
Mess with Texas
August 31st, 2012
11:05 am
Longhorn…………I agree with you……Does any Native Georgian give a Flying F#$K what anybody does in Texas?……………I don’t!………….Go Dawgs!
Jerry Campbell
August 31st, 2012
11:12 am
It seems like Georgia has a “Pig”problem cause there are alot on this blog!Call me and American Hoggers will be right there!
gadem
August 31st, 2012
11:19 am
they will pay for a $60,000,000.00 stadium?! Americans priorities are so out of whack, it is not even funny…
Bill
August 31st, 2012
11:21 am
As long as it’s local money, they can spend it however they want if approved by the voters. I would only have a problem if it were state or federal money. I certainly wouldn’t want any outsider telling me how my local money could be spent.
washking
August 31st, 2012
11:23 am
And what happens if Obama is reelected and country hits another recession, and sponsors pull out? Who’s going to foot the bill for operating cost then?? taxpayers
Kc munchkin
August 31st, 2012
11:31 am
For those worried about the teachers, we also voted for and passed a property tax increase last year in order to save teachers’ jobs and avoid layoffs. Also, unlike many other communities around us, allen operates in the black, and has avoided a deficit, even in tough economic times.
And no, I don’t have football players or band members, or even kids in high school, but I am proud of the new stadium, and feel it provides benefits for all the community, not just football players.
for Ray
August 31st, 2012
11:41 am
try getting up and going out and actually buying a copy of today’s AJC. The entire headline is ‘Now is the Moment’ and a large photo of Mitt. It even lists the bonus coverage articles and the pages they are on.
Taxi Smith
August 31st, 2012
11:43 am
Sounds pretty cheap compared to what the Falcons want US to pay for! Since the people there voted to pay for it with bonds, doesn’t bother me.
Shep
August 31st, 2012
11:48 am
Whata bunch of stupid redneck idiots. And we wonder why this country is falling behind in education. I hope they have their holy be thank us jesus prayers in the stadium before every game too.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2012
11:54 am
@shep,
Such bitterness… They voted, they paid for it,, It’s there stadium. Why such animosity? Don’t worry about a stupid stadium. Worry about voting the clown we have in office OUT!
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
11:55 am
The funny thing is a lot of you assume that 100% of people voted for this project.
eaglenationrising
August 31st, 2012
11:58 am
What is the problem? The people of that community approved the stadium. It was a bond issue. There are a myriad of ways to use the stadium from graduation, community events (i.e. Fourth of July and/or Christmas events). At the time, one school uses the facility. Like most communities, I am certain that other schools will use the facility if other high schools are built. This seems like much ado about nothing. The people of that county approved the measure. It is as simple as that.
People in Georgia do not seem to be up in arms over the fact that the Georgia Lottery Corp. does not fund our state’s education system as agreed upon. People of Georgia simply turn a blind eye to it. It seems to be grossly hypocritical to look at this in a negative way. It was approved and paid for. What is the big deal. Finally, a local bond issue is COMPLETELY different than a state’s education fund. It is apples and oranges. Some cities build sidewalks. Some counties build toll plazas. Allen, Texas built a nice stadium.
Shep
August 31st, 2012
11:59 am
LOL its because of the stupic people like this and you that want to take this country back to the 1700’s. You people are so stupid that ou do not see that all the repubs want is to give more tax credits to the rich and wealthy and everyone else be damned to left to fend for themselves over the scraps. Good luck purchasing that private medicare insurance with your voucher when you are fat and overweight with diabeties and heart diesase and a family history of colon cancer. See see how far a that will get you. But then perhaps its best that we just weed out all of the dumb fat lazy rednecks.
don
August 31st, 2012
11:59 am
It’s a free country filled with Pin Heads
Old Dawg
August 31st, 2012
12:04 pm
The stadium is obviously the focal point of the story, though one parent from the school posted that some of the bond monies were used to build a fine arts center. There are also wrestling and weight rooms, a golf practice area and artificial turf.
Artificial turf means that the field can be used by soccer teams, field hockey teams and lacrosse.
This is an amazing amount of money, and the voters approved it. I’m not completely at home with the program, but the multi-use and public financed dynamics prove that it was well thought out and planned.
And, as many people have noted, football rules in Texas.
Melinda O'Brien - Allen Resident
August 31st, 2012
12:07 pm
By the way, this was noted by one of my friends on my FB page: The old stadium held 14000 and there were only 27 toilets. The new stadium has over 270 toilets. Nuff said.
Texas Native
August 31st, 2012
12:08 pm
High school football is HUGE in Texas and while I don’t agree with this in principle, the voters in that area felt it was important enough to build this stadium so agreed to foot the bill. This did not take away from teacher’s pay or other classroom improvements because it is a separate issue all together. Since it’s in an affluent area of Dallas I’m sure the school has plenty of community support for academic and artistic endeavors as well.
Contractors, building supply companies and laborers all benefited from this large construction job.
More than just football players normally utilize facilities like this one: marching band, track and field, etc. I guess I look at this as, it’s their business. Would I have voted for it — no — but obviously the majority in that district voted yes.
eaglenationrising
August 31st, 2012
12:14 pm
@ Devil’s Advocate: We do not need 100% of a vote on anything. Imagine any professional organization, Supreme or Appeals Court system, church, legislative organization operating on 100% approval. That is insane. I do not support the concept of having lottery, while prohibiting horse racing and casinos (I support all three and do not believe that the government should tell me when and how I can play Texas Hold ‘Em). I voted against it in 1992 as an 18 year old because of what I viewed as the hypocrisy of the whole thing…not to mention that it is simply a way to tax poor people chasing a dream while cutting taxes for people like (then) my parents and now me and my wife (who are fortunate enough to not have any desire to foolishly chase the dream out of our home in Alpharetta). I was a part of approximately 48% of the state of Georgia (over 1 million of us).
This community approved a $220M bond matter. By the way, that is very, very small. Their elected officials decided to build a stadium with that money. It seems that people are crying over the matter that they build the stadium.
saul good
August 31st, 2012
12:22 pm
And how much did they spend on the science and math departments? School sports should be banished and left to private clubs. When education comes second to sports… you end up with a town full of blowhard losers…
Gina G.
August 31st, 2012
12:31 pm
There’s got to be some kind of loop hole. This sounds outrageous. Imagine being understaffed, not enough teachers, but looking at a $60million eyesore!?
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
12:32 pm
eaglenationrising,
So are you saying that the outcome of every issue you’ve ever voted on has gone your direction? If yes, that’s amazing. If no, did you assimilate or did you stick by your guns? I guess because Obama won in 2008 we should all be happy because the people voted for it.
From TX now in GA
August 31st, 2012
12:33 pm
For those that dont understand, as big as football is in Ga, it is bigger in Tx and Im a high school football coach and teacher. The revenue that this will not only bring the school through football and soccer games(LAX?), but the local business’ will benefit greatly as well from playoff games, all star games, etc being played out of such a stadium. My guess is that they’ll even rent out the facility for concerts, youth events on Saturday’s. Soccer is huge in Tx, I can see outside sources renting the stadium in the off season of football on weekends for tournaments, etc. the list is endless for generating dollars with this type of first class stadium. I say good for them!
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
12:36 pm
“Our intention is not to recoup the money it cost to build the stadium,” school district spokesman Tim Carroll told the AP. “It’s not practical to say we’ll get that money back. [But] the revenue we receive from the stadium will far exceed the cost of operating it.”
Did all of you who have pipe dreams of some grand revenue stream miss this important part of the article?
Dariel Daniel
August 31st, 2012
12:36 pm
Having taught and coached at Allen, i can tell you first hand that Allen HS is better than ANY Georgia has to offer. With 5,000 students (9-12) and a graduation rate of 99%, hundreds in athletics, the stadium and Performing Arts Center only added to the quality of the system and the community.
I had only one discipline problem in 4 years. The campus and city are BEAUTIFUL.
Allen also has CCCC (Collin County Community College) in the school where students can take dual credit classes and receive HS and college credit simultaneously. This eases the financial burden of college for parents. BTW, the credits are guaranteed to be accepted by EVERY college and university in Texas.
Regarding football, all playoff games are played on NEUTRAL SITES so the stadium will be used throughout the playoffs every year. Because the graduation class is always so large (1200+), graduation has been held on the UNT (University of North Texas Campus). The stadium will solve this issue.
With so many students involved in extracurricular activities, I’m sure you’ll agree the stadium and PAC are lots better than building a new prison.
Now in Texas
August 31st, 2012
12:38 pm
We moved to Texas from Alpharetta two years ago and my son’s high school football team played the Allen Eagles that season. My son’s school had around 3500 students–Allen had over 6k students…many of these Texas powerhouse teams, like Southlake Carroll, Allen,etc. only have one school in the district and breakup the kids into a high school (9 & 10th grades) and a senior high school (11 & 12th graders).When Allen routed our team–i mean routed, they brought their 700 member marching band–which barely fit on the field for halftime. BTW, my son’s stadium capacity was around 14k and it was nice and new. Bottom line for me is that it is Texas high school football. The stadium is what defines the school. Since high schools recruit, block new schools from being built and place supreme worship on the Friday Night Lights, I’m sure another we will read another story about a stadium like this in near future. BTW, Georgia teams can hang with Texas teams any day of the week.
GATiger
August 31st, 2012
12:41 pm
Unbelievable! I might be able to understand this sort of boondoggle if it was a private school. What really gets me is the comment about the funds not being available for the schools – as if the voters who approved this couldn’t have done something similar for school facilities, payroll, etc.
Devil's Advocate
August 31st, 2012
12:44 pm
I’m just wondering that with such enthusiasm and large numbers from the community, why can’t the revenue be generated without a tax. There’s a big difference between a community needing a new school (with all the facilities that come with it) and simply needing a new stadium when it comes to the funding source.
eaglenationrising
August 31st, 2012
12:47 pm
@ DevilsAdv.: I just told you that my first election, I was on the wrong side of the lottery debate. I supported voting down the lottery. I have lived in a more affluent community that uses bond matters for local issues. Warner Robins, GA has the one of the highest per capita incomes and household incomes in the state of Georgia. When our community votes for bond issues, it is a local matter. The same is applicable to Allen, Texas.
Whether it is BusinessWeek magazine, ING Best Communities in the US or a myriad of other media outlets, Warner Robins is a place that has had many local bond matters. Some of the money went to a local stadium. Some of the money went to a Performing Arts Center on the campus of Northside HS that annually host the state One Act Championships (it is the nicest on a Georgia high school campus, by far, because it used local government funds).
I am simply saying that to suggest that a community bond money is designed to create a verifiable financial return is absurb. You do not build a bridge or fortify a road with a meter that counts how much money the community gets back. This is a very nice stadium. The school seems very nice. The community wants the stadium. The community paid for it. Why are you crying about it in Georgia?
As for our leaders, I would prefer to rid ourselves of all of them. The second term of Bill Clinton was a joke. George W. Bush is, in my view, one of the dumbest US Presidents ever (and I voted for him in 2000). Finally, Barack Obama’s excuse making makes me sick. We have had a decade and a half of pathetic leadership. I have voted for some of them and against them. At the end of the day, it does not matter…not does your crying about a bond issue in Allen, Texas.
eaglenationrising
August 31st, 2012
12:54 pm
@ Devil’sAdv: If you are driving in North Georgia, take a drive by Jefferson High School. There is a track and field facility that annually host the GHSA Track & Field meet. The only track ever built in this state that is nicer was at the Olympic Stadium in 1996. It was a local bond initiative that brings more tourism/event revenue to the Jefferson, GA community than any event.
As for big time high school football, I know a little about it being raised in Warner Robins. The community in Allen, Texas will get more than their mileage out of their stadium. My guess is the community has savvy leadership. I gave the example of Warner Robins hosting the Georgia State Special Olympics (a cash cow), one of the South’s largest Fourth of July events (cash cow) and other community events like the GHSA One Act Championship. Meet a person from Jefferson, GA and they will tell you that the GHSA State Track & Field event is a BIG DEAL there. These are events that bring civic pride along with outside revenue that would otherwise NEVER come to those communities.
People have been writing about this stadium in Allen, Texas for over two years. They are getting great mileage out of the stadium and it is not even open. Do you think people do not read about this stadium and think about the Allen, TX community when moving to the Dallas area? If I were moving, I would certainly look at Allen, TX. The attention alone has surely resulted in an extra home or two being built in the community, which drive employement, tax revenue, etc. There are communities, like Allen, TX that get it. Then, there is metro Atlanta that is laughable and will not improve our city for any reason. What a joke!
Melinda O'Brien - Allen Resident
August 31st, 2012
12:57 pm
Our schools in Allen are not understaffed, and classes are not overloaded. We operate without a deficit and we are still hiring teachers when many districts have been laying teachers off. If we need higher taxes to pay our teachers, we vote for them and they pass. Lack of educational funds is not the problem. An old dilapidated football stadium that wasn’t even located at the high school was. (it was located at the old high school building)
shocked
August 31st, 2012
12:59 pm
Bear Bryant said it best, “I’ve never seen anybody rally around a math class”
SGT CHRIS
August 31st, 2012
1:09 pm
They will be using the stadium to help in the recruiting process!!! Just Kidding Just Kidding!!!
Jef
August 31st, 2012
1:32 pm
I wonder when the teachers in that district received their last raise.
Sick and Tired
August 31st, 2012
1:35 pm
Who makes the rule that funds can’t be transferred? Duh, the same people who voted for this bond, so hid behind “It’s the rule” all you want. It is absolutely disgusting that there are school systems suffering to the point of oppression while this one spends $60 MILLION on a football stadium. When will we as a nation get some freaking sense? We are not at all a UNITED States of America. This is yet another example of people out for themselves. Why not work to change the rules so that funds can be transferred to another fund, or even better yet, shared with a less “affluent” school system so that the poor don’t keep getting poorer? The same attitude that has gotten our nation in the mess it’s in now. Call it socialism or whatever you want; I just call it community, or lack there of.
papa pink
August 31st, 2012
1:38 pm
This is a shame. The money should have been used to raise the educational standards.
Mr. Riley
August 31st, 2012
1:41 pm
This is pure foolishness…and we wonder why this country is in the state of despair that it is in…
JB
August 31st, 2012
1:46 pm
You didn’t build that. Somebody else built that…………
Bob
August 31st, 2012
1:54 pm
It is certainly their prerogatve to build, but it is unquestionably misplaced priority.
tim
August 31st, 2012
2:09 pm
It seems the school system in Dallas is as dumb as the Cobb County school system.
thunder
August 31st, 2012
2:36 pm
Hey football is more important than education in texas
HUH?
August 31st, 2012
3:24 pm
What Recession??
Talk about messed up values
August 31st, 2012
3:27 pm
The people in the community have every right to do what they want, they voted for it and they get to pay for it. Just as I have the right to look at what they do and say “talk about messed up values and priorities.”
GwinnettDad
August 31st, 2012
3:45 pm
I knew it was Texas before I ever read. Some of the bed-wetting whiners here despise freedom. I’d recommend that they go sit on the potty until their infantile temper tantrum passes. Then, next time, they might actually be grateful that we live in a country of the free. That does not require the approval on ninnies and boobs that have their sense of fairness violated, which causes them to soil their panties and scream about “fairness.” Get a grip and embrace freedom and get off the damn liberal plantation.
Gatekeeper
August 31st, 2012
3:48 pm
@ Melinda O’Brien What kind of practice field does the marching band have? How does it compare to the practice field(s) and stadium that the football team gets to use? Sharing practice fields with other sports and organizations is a sore subject in some counties around metro Atlanta. The football boosters like to think they own the stadium and practice fields and often the principals go along with that line of thinking. One county voted for a local option sales tax that included building or renovating playing and practice fields. Those were paid for with sales taxes and as such the fields should be shared with the soccer team, lacrosse team, marching band, ROTC, and others based on that fact alone. It seems they get minimal access.
Will
August 31st, 2012
3:48 pm
Football is KING in redneck America, duh.
Rob
August 31st, 2012
3:58 pm
Well everything is bigger in Texas Even the people that oppose the decision will eventually be there. Football is a huge sport over there so a lot of money is put into the sports program. It is unfortunate but you hope that at the same time education in that area is just as important and the money finds its way into that category as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuYNP5xrwMI&feature=share
Old-fashioned Prof
August 31st, 2012
3:59 pm
To Athletic Supporter: “the money couldn’t have went”? Where did you learn English? This illustrates precisely why the money would be better spent on education so that people would know how to write.
For Education
August 31st, 2012
4:03 pm
I agree with Old Fashioned Prof. A little more education would go a long way.
Old-fashioned Prof
August 31st, 2012
4:15 pm
I like to go on the internet and puff up my ego by putting people down for their poor grammar. I simply don’t understand that the internet isn’t a term paper.
Doodaddy
August 31st, 2012
4:22 pm
Absolutely obscene. Easy to see where the priorities are in Texas, and where those administrators’ have their heads.
WeAreAllen
August 31st, 2012
4:36 pm
I live, work, and send a child to school in Allen. There are so many things wrong with most of the comments.
Funding: The voters of the Allen ISD voted overwhelming 2-to-1 to build this. All the money comes from bonded indebtedness which is in Texas the only legal way to pay for facilities. We in Allen have an average annual income of nearly $100k. We have plenty of money. No money from outside sources was used.
How? In Texas we do not have a state income tax, very few unions and we have wisely avoided electing any democrats to high state office since the 1990s. It is illegal for the State to run at a deficit or borrow money to operate. If we don’t have the money, we don’t do it. Texas has had more job created than the other 49 states combined. Housing prices, wages, and opportunity are all going up.
Spending that much money: Since all the raw materials needed to build this stadium are already on the planet, we essentially spent $60 million on wages. Most of the jobs, and there were more than 1500 man/years of labor involved, went to jobs for working class citizens. We lavishly spent our money on people who mostly live outside of town and even outside of Texas. We hired many hundreds, and they in turn built a stadium for us.
Ethical questions: The cure for poverty is jobs and not welfare. Why do some people think that giving away hundreds of dollars is morally superior to creating jobs that pay thousands of dollars is beyond my comprehension. We did not waste a penny. We spent it on people.
Doing without: Our teachers are paid well, our class sizes are small, we have been hiring teachers and not a single student in the Allen ISD has to go without any of the tools of instruction and education. Operating funds are separate from bonded indebtedness. Not a penny was taken from instruction. No one goes hungry. We are affluent and we decided to spend our money on a stadium and not rims.
Down economy? Not here. We created jobs and those jobs supported a huge number of families. Again, it is foolish to think that giving a man money is superior to giving him a job. If you are a kid whose dad is employed you don’t have to stand in line for that annual backpack full of freebies. Your dad gladly bought them for you.
Why the hatred? Envy. Because we husband our money, protect our children, and watch out for our neighbors, we had the resources to build exactly what we wanted. Twenty years from now that stadium will still be serving Allen and neighboring communities. It will still look good, too. She’s a beaut! Texas is not a rust-belt state where jobs and people are leaving because of high taxation, increasing debt, crippling unions and most important too many Dems. Liberalism kills jobs. We are conservatives. We want as many people to work as possible. Working beats welfare.
The Final Analysis: We have it and many people who don’t are mad it isn’t them. Here’s a hint, stop wasting your money on government, unions, and Democrats. All three will lead you to penury. I offer not just the struggling northern states, but all of Europe. They ran their countries as liberals and now they are worse than broke.
We didn’t build it to recoup our costs. We paid for it up front. Do you recoupl the cost of your Starbuck’s? No. But do you still do it because you want to? Yes. Instead of peeing away our money, we built the finest high school football stadium in the country, until someone outdoes us. And when the do we will applaud them. Because our stadium is a monument to good fiscal management, craftmanship, and civic excellence.
Heck, even Forbes Managine says it’s a brilliant move. Allen has branded itself as not just another ‘burb, but rather a place for people to move to, invest, and send their kids to school. We never turn a kid away. We educate all comers.
And we have plenty of money left over because we are conservatives.
Lib in Cobb
August 31st, 2012
4:40 pm
Much more important than education, of course it’s Texas.
M Brad
August 31st, 2012
4:53 pm
Has the Super Bowl Date been set??? You would think the the money could be better spent elsewhere, unless now , maybe the Pros may use it for a practice facility!!! High schools still only play 10 games a year, not counting playoffs.. What will they do with this stadiumfor the remaining 9 months…
MUSTANG100
August 31st, 2012
5:00 pm
HEY!!!!!!!!!!! Texans are SERIOUS about their football!!!!!!!!!! Some of their high school head coaches make more than most 1A head coaches. The democratic system at work here: “If we pay for it, they will build it”.
RG
August 31st, 2012
5:03 pm
We Are Allen, you win! Very well stated! What you have there will never happen here metro Atlanta. The rims comment was a classic! Congrats on the stadium, fine arts facility, and the band (I teach a student who moved to us from that program, he and his family are a class act).
Trotter
August 31st, 2012
5:27 pm
60M for a HS stadium? Really….Seriously?
BobInTexas
August 31st, 2012
5:27 pm
What many of you don’t seem to understand is that the education system in Allen, TX, from pre-kindergarten through High School is exemplary and far above the national average in every possible category. We have one high school for a town of roughly 100,000 people. The high school campus is gorgeous and rivals many major universities. The graduation rate is almost 100% and the vast majority of the kids here go on to college. Allen is one of the safest communities of its size in the country and is routinely ranked as one of the best places to live.
Did you know we also have a multi-million dollar aquatic center? The same bond that brought us the stadium also brought the high school a performing arts center that is better than most you will find in large cities, where our 5 orchestras, including our Grammy award winning symphony perform. It also includes a world-class restaurant and food services program that also exceeds what most colleges provide their students to learn in.
Our kids have the best facilities, best class rooms, best teachers, and yes, best stadium that our tax dollars can give them. So, before you say we’re wasting money we could have spent on something else… you should come live here and see why Allen is one of the best places to live in the country.
And by the way, the game sold out. That’s 18,000 seats and 3,500 standing room only… 21,500 attendees at a high school game.
Aquagirl
August 31st, 2012
5:43 pm
We are affluent and we decided to spend our money on a stadium and not rims.
The people with rims spent maybe $1000 to look obnoxiously stupid and wasteful, you could have saved yourself $59,999,000 or so, honey. And we’d be equally impressed.
Q
August 31st, 2012
5:45 pm
I find it intersting that people who live way in Texas feel the need to come to a Georgia newspaper site to defend their decision. Are you trolling the internet looking for articles about tthis stadium and worrying about what others are saying?
Why the need to explain yourselves…especially to people who will more than likely never step foot in your city? It’s your vote….stand by it and keep it moving. I’ve always been told that opinions are like a-holes…everybody has one!
The more you try to defend, the more you appear to be unsure of yourselves.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!
rlm
August 31st, 2012
6:11 pm
These people are nuts! What priorities are they showing their children. They must have all gotten hit in the head when they played back in the day. Personally they must all be hoping their children can go on to play in the SEC not in Texas if they want to see real football. We don’t need high school stadiums like this. Our children go on to real lives after high school
One Striking Rattler
August 31st, 2012
6:12 pm
@Ray, amazing that people still believe successful is the same as rich. All rich people are happy people. All rich people live lives they are proud of, right? Not an alcoholic or addict among them. All their kids are are great and their marriages solid. They have money and that alone makes the quality of their lives better than working people with intact families living honorable lives.
Spoken like someone on the outside looking in.
Saintmarks
August 31st, 2012
6:33 pm
I am a Goergia native so I visit the website and comment frequetnly, so Q above, drop the troll charges.
For the last 8 years I have lived in the next town to the north, McKinney, TX. Georgia readers should try to grasp the differences in Texas Independent School Districts to what we have in Georgia. County run systems with a smattering of city run systems. Even though the city of Allen is the location of the Allen ISD, the ISD is not city run. It is truly an Independent School District. The lines are not contiguous with the city limits, in fact a decent portion of the Allen ISD overlaps into my city, McKinney.
Allen is a very prosperous area, I would liken it to Roswell or Alpharetta. It is an upper class suburb, but not entirely a bedroom community, has a decent commercial and business base. Imagine what an independent school district in Roswell or Alpharetta might do with their schools if they weren’t bound to a county system and you might come close to understanding the dynamics here.
I am thankful that those with local knowledge have chimed in, the snarky, uneducated comments from those either envious or ignorant have been set to rest by those with information. Keep in mind this largesse is not the case with the majority of the districts in Texas, so if any of you Georgians that think you know better, IF you move to Texas there are less stellar areas that will be as moribund and incompetent as the school districte you left behind in Georgia.
Abbysenia
August 31st, 2012
6:52 pm
Well… Melinda represented it well a few comments up. However, I’m not too surprised. This is conservative, republic of Texas! They found the money for a football stadium, but will complain about the funds going to help the poor. This is an affluent county with the money available to pay for it…so no problem there. However, looking from the outside in…it’s bizarre to see this type of money spent on extra-curricula-non-academic purposes. I’m sure they would have a fit if they saw the same amount go to keep people off the street, fund public transit or anything else. Like Melinda said, in Texas, football is KING! It’s sad but that’s the America we live in. Plenty of money for our luxuries and non-for our essentials. Don’t raise taxes by a penny…be need it to build multi-million dollar stadiums for one…
Help we were hit by a storm give us money
August 31st, 2012
7:13 pm
I hope Texas never asks for federal money for storms like hurricanes when they can spend this much money on a football stadium. Why do these places beg for money when they get hit by a disaster when they can spend this much money on a place to play a game. When other states suffer they beg on TV to rebuild a million dollar home in the state.
dennis burke
August 31st, 2012
7:35 pm
i can only assume that the peyote plant is prominently featured on the city’s seal
Go Blazers!
August 31st, 2012
7:43 pm
class warfare……….Ill be glad when Obama is out of office!
From Allen
August 31st, 2012
10:14 pm
I live here and am ashamed our claim to fame is a 60 mil football stadium- but what do you expect from a town who thinks they are better than everyone else. Keep living through the kids. Loved the comment “but we needed a new stadium” …. very ashamed.
GwinnettDad
August 31st, 2012
10:19 pm
The whiners continue to bellyache about this being a free country. Let that HS do what it wants, and rest of the bed-wetters can whine all day, all night, and simply wet their pants.
Ed Costley
August 31st, 2012
10:36 pm
Being a Texas native and a secondary administrator, I appreciate a community standing for what they believe in, my guess the stadium will host more than high school football…youth leagues, graduations, practice facility for area teams and 800+ band members wow. They’ll save unlike others who will need to repair fields due to drought and floods 15-20 years down road so many generations will have access. Only if my Missouri colleagues knew what a true spirit of game and community was about. Oh and I read you took care of performing arts facility so you do look after all individuals
hind tit
August 31st, 2012
10:46 pm
And you wonder what’s wrong with America.
Texas Native
August 31st, 2012
11:07 pm
What I’m seeing here is a lot of jealous comments from small minds who drank the koolaid and think that the almighty government should take care of them from cradle to grave and should play Robin Hood, taking from those who are successful to give to those who refuse to climb out of their situations.
Have you been to some of the new stadiums in Gwinnett County? The ones paid for by the 1 percent sales tax? They are pretty darn elaborate. However, the stadiums at the longer established schools were paid for by fund raising efforts by the people in each individual school’s community. When my children were younger we lived in the Shiloh district and I purchased numerous Kroger gift certificates and helped in other fund raisers so the school could build their stadium. I’m less than thrilled that the new schools got their facilities with so little effort, but that’s just the way things are.
It sounds like this Dallas area school district has done a tremendous thing for the people in their school community. More power to them.
It's over now
August 31st, 2012
11:45 pm
Let me get this straight, a bunch of people in Texas want to spend THEIR money on a football stadium and you folks in Atlanta are getting upset? You died and left you king of anything???
Having relatives in Katy, I know they pay alot in school taxes what they do with tax money is their own business, not yours.
Quit spoiling other people’s joy and get a life – and by the sounds of it get a job too……
Alex
September 1st, 2012
12:10 am
Why does everyone keep focusing on the fact they don’t plan to recoup their money? Of course they don’t, they’re a high school. Do you think they expect to recoup the other 159 million of bond money they spent on the fine arts center and new classrooms, or whatever else the money went to?
Thomas Brown
September 1st, 2012
12:28 am
$ 3,333 per seat to build a 18,000 seat football stadium in Texas for a single high school team, and here we cannot even come up with the monies to build UGA an indoor practice facility, nor a gym which has hosted no tournament games since 1971.
Saintmarks
September 1st, 2012
1:30 am
Does the comment “they could spend the money helping keep kids off the streets” sound as ignorant to any of you as it does to me? This school district has excelled in the classroom, in the fine arts, in the community as well as football. Just because they spent a boat load on a stadium doesn’t mean they haven’t spent money on their whole system.
Football, band, orchestra, school pride, great schools with MULTIPLE avenues for kids to find their niche and excell… this is what keeps kids off the street.
I just don’t get the ignorance, I really don’t…
BubbaDaBaller
September 1st, 2012
7:56 am
It’s Texas and Football…Friday Night Lights baby!
RG Brewer
September 1st, 2012
11:24 am
There have been alot of ignorant comments made here.
This was a bond issue passed by the voters of Allen. It was not forced taxation. The bond was for $119 million which included the stadium, performing arts center and service distribution center. This money could only be used for those projects. This bond was preceded by one several years earlier($219 million) that paid for new schools and technology. Allen continues to add computer and science labs to elementary and middle schools. The high school is state-of-the-art. DO NOT assume that the stadium was built at the expense of education facilities. Allen has done both. Allen students perform extremely well. Graduates are recruited heavily by colleges. I refer to academic scholarships.
Michael
September 1st, 2012
11:46 pm
Drug money.
Shadow
September 2nd, 2012
8:21 pm
Hummm, Gee Dad, Somebody lined their pockets with gold!
www
September 5th, 2012
9:24 am
sure, why should the educational system spend money on educating our citizens when it can spend $60 million on a stadium? texas shows where it’s priorities lie once again.
Bling Bling
September 5th, 2012
2:05 pm
I bet Obama gave it to them. Just added it to his national debt. After all it’s for the CHILDREN.
TrueTexan
September 5th, 2012
3:52 pm
After reading the multiple comments from people outside the state of Texas cracks me up. You morons have no clue. Get off the government tit and embrace capitalism. Allen went from a small country town to one of the nicest up and coming area’s in the state maybe even the country. Fortune 500 companies are moving to Texas because of capitalism and the Texas legislature embraces these companies which in turn allows for stadiums like this to be built. Unfortunately success breeds jealousy. I dont even live in Allen but all I have to say is Texas is better than any other state in the US. So next time you want to complain about what you dont have – just wish you were from TEXAS!!!