Wow, look at those diamonds sparkle.

I thought it might be interesting, and I’m sure quite refreshing for some of our readers, for us to talk about some reasons to vote “yes” on Tuesday. We have already established the following in previous posts:

1. The high school is not falling apart.
2. There is no evidence buildings improve student outcomes.
3. The current facility has deficiencies, but they don’t necessitate complete demolition and reconstruction.
4. There is a case to be made for economic development, but any positive effects will be much diminished by the necessary tax increase.

So why would you vote “yes” on Tuesday? To put it simply, because we like new, shiny, big things.  My choice of language here is a little provocative, but I don’t mean it to be derogatory.  All of us make investment/consumption decisions on a daily basis which are based, almost entirely, on our preference for nice things. We like our houses to be comfortable and to look nice, reflecting both our wealth and commitment to upkeep.  We like having the latest and greatest gadgets like the iPhone (I love mine) or a big flat panel TV.  We attend football games in Razorback Stadium with 75 to 80 thousand others, and we all look at the ginormous jumbotron for the replay. We like adorning ourselves and our children in fashionable – good looking clothing. None of these things are a matter of necessity, but we chose to invest in them because they are important to us, and because we have the ability to do so.

In contrast, the current Fayetteville High School campus is ugly. The walls are not falling down, but they are not attractive either. Most of the common spaces are not large enough to be useful, and when they are used…well, crowded may not fully capture the scene. The campus is a mishmash of architectural styles resulting from several renovations. It, in many ways, does not fit our community’s image, or at least the image we would like to portray.

Let’s be honest, we don’t have to spend $115.825 million to fix the current campus’ deficiencies. The proposed high school goes far beyond adequacy and approaches the realm of extravagance. If the voters approve the millage, we will have the nicest and most expensive school in the state.  It will be a monument both to our wealth and the value we place on education.  It will be a source of pride. And there is something to be said for going big and engaging in activities which celebrate the best attributes of our society. But do not be mistaken, a new building will not lead (directly) to better educational outcomes and it will not be the economic development silver bullet.  No matter how much technology we stuff inside the walls, the building will still not be able to teach our kids. The quality of our teachers and principals will still be the biggest deciding factor in our childrens’ education. We must guard against stretching our resources (financially and politically) to the point that we no longer adequately invest in the things that really matter.