$147 million school in Atlanta

CY22

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2008
815
387
63
IA
When I first read the title, I thought it was a new college or something. But flippin' high school!?!?! I'm sorry, but just looking at it that is a lot of tax dollars wasted. I know they probably saved some money by using an old IBM building to do it, but some of the areas within that high school look like they're better than some colleges. Put that with a low graduation rate in the area, it just doesn't make sense. Just seems like they could've gotten by with less glam and used some of that other money on textbooks or even toward hiring better teachers if their grad rate sucks that bad.

/rant
 

CostaDelMar

Member
Jun 21, 2013
155
5
18
Atlanta, GA
Buckhead is the hoity toity part of Atlanta. There is a decent amount of economic diversity, but it is upper middle class for the most part. I imagine it is built to entice move ins and improve the grad rate, ie "If you build it, they will come."

This does not surprise me at all.
 

Judoka

Well-Known Member
Jun 16, 2010
17,542
2,645
113
Timbuktu
It's also 11 stories, so I wonder how big the student population is. $147 million for a school that serves like 8k kids wouldn't really be that bad. None of the pictures showed anything that popped out as unreasonable extravagance.
 

canker2323

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2006
1,581
333
83
46
What Cheer, IA
The school is big and new and in the nice part of town. I don't see anything too outrageous about this.

I agree and the voters approved it. BUT, spending money on books and paying/retaining good teachers would be a better use of money in my opinion.
 

CostaDelMar

Member
Jun 21, 2013
155
5
18
Atlanta, GA
Text books are mostly digital now. Atlanta and the metro area are very progressive about schooling. Teachers would be great, but they're inevitably underappreciated. I wonder how other schools will suffer as a result of this being built... plus, that area is already very congested.
 

canker2323

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2006
1,581
333
83
46
What Cheer, IA
Text books are mostly digital now. Atlanta and the metro area are very progressive about schooling. Teachers would be great, but they're inevitably underappreciated. I wonder how other schools will suffer as a result of this being built... plus, that area is already very congested.

Fine, spend money on teachers and teaching materials rather than cafeterias/food courts. I don't get the rest of your post.
 

CostaDelMar

Member
Jun 21, 2013
155
5
18
Atlanta, GA
Fine, spend money on teachers and teaching materials rather than cafeterias/food courts. I don't get the rest of your post.


Not really sure what you're trying to criticize? As someone who attended a metro Atlanta high school within the last 5 years, and has two family members working in public schools in the area, I think I'm qualified to say that 1) Hiring new teachers is not something the state is doing much of right now 2) Current teachers are already getting furloughed as a result of cuts 3) Numerous schools do not even utilize text books anymore 3) The Common Core has dumbed down the need to have teachers that are exceptional beyond preparing their students for anything other than a standardized test, and 4) The Georgia Legislature made a committment to improve their educational system a few decades ago in an effort to entice people to move there (Metro Atlanta), and it has worked. The rest of the state, particularly the southern part, struggles to get high test scores because the resources are not there. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
 
Last edited:

Stumbles

Well-Known Member
Feb 17, 2012
842
484
63
Cleveland Heights, OH
I'd be willing to bet my rickety old parochial high school has a better graduation rate, nay, a better "attend college and complete a 4 year degree rate" than that high school, at a much less per pupil expenditure.
 

ISUCyclones2015

Doesn't wipe standing up
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 19, 2010
13,927
9,348
113
Chicago, IL
I'd be willing to bet my rickety old parochial high school has a better graduation rate, nay, a better "attend college and complete a 4 year degree rate" than that high school, at a much less per pupil expenditure.

North Atlanta = West Des Moines
 

alarson

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Mar 15, 2006
54,121
62,347
113
Ankeny
It looks nice, but depending on the student population it might not be that out of line. For instance, all of waukee high school's combined cost from initial build through all of their additions and the 9th grade building probably add up to a pretty large number too. Its pretty insane on the inside really especially the new fieldhouse and media center