Mid-Riffs, a blog started by a bunch of my friends, is off to a great start with several posts on the high school millage in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I don’t, but they are always fun to read.
The election is today, so be sure to check out their excellent information and analysis. In particular, they have argued:
But Mid-Riffs did make a case for why we might want to spend $116 million to tear-down the currently functional building for a brand new one — we like shiny new things. We don’t need to buy diamond engagement rings, but people like to have them. We don’t need a new building, but we might still want to have one.
It’s not a very compelling argument, but it is no worse of a reason than your reason for buying that new Lexus.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
it is no worse of a reason than your reason for buying that new Lexus.
That depends on the person. I know several people who own luxury cars for much better reasons. One spends a lot of time traveling in the car because of his job, so the improved performance and comfort of a luxury car are very valuable to him. Another is a person whose wife has some mobility issues and greatly values the increased comfort while riding in the car.
So I guess the question is, does the shiny new high school come with comfy leather seats?
Definitely. And it comes with 21st-century, 7-essential-skill, surround-sound. It’s awesome.
Oh, well, if it’s as cool as that, then I think the Fayetteville School Board will be a shoo-in for our Humanitarian of the Year award for 2009.
[…] I opposed the previous millage effort, but I did so because it seemed extravagant and wasteful. Much of the current high school is adequate and there was no need to demolish it entirely and replace it with a new Taj Mahal. Besides, there is no evidence that fancy buildings improve education. Buildings don’t teach kids, people do. […]