The $62 Million High School Stadium That Sparked a National Debate

When I tweeted about Buford High School in Georgia opening its new $62 million football stadium earlier this week, the reaction was polarizing…to say the least.

The stadium itself is incredible. Complete with 10,000 seats, a two-story fieldhouse with locker rooms, 15 climate-controlled luxury suites, and a 3,500-square-foot video board, it’s instantly one of the nicest high school football stadiums in the Southeast.

But my tweet didn’t get 12 million impressions and thousands of comments because the stadium’s amenities blew people away. The tweet was so polarizing because it sparked a larger conversation about spending priorities in education.

If you read through the comments, it only takes a second to find someone asking what the school’s library looks like or how much the teachers get paid. If a high school is spending $62 million on a stadium, their test scores must be off the charts, right?

Well, the uncomfortable truth is that Buford isn’t the only school doing this. The state of Texas now has at least a dozen high school football stadiums that cost $40 million to $80 million to build. Some of these schools have even added indoor practice facilities and expansive weight rooms that rival Division I colleges. The men who coach these football teams often make 2-3 times more than the average teacher.

So today I want to explain why this is happening and, more importantly, how it is happening. How are schools financing these projects? Why are taxpayers ok with their hard-earned money going towards athletic teams that their children might not even play for? Who actually owns the stadium? And who stands to benefit from ticket sales and potential naming rights deals? We’ll use Buford High School as an example, but everyone should care about this because it might soon happen in your town too.