2 + 2 is on my mind*

For almost 30 years, I have been intrigued by the costs of sprawl without even knowing that's what it was called at the time. I remember the Bloomfield School District closing Eastover Elementary (across the border from Troy Michigan, about one mile from my house) while the Troy School District had a major construction program going on. Meanwhile, cities like Washington, DC close schools while school districts in the suburbs continue to build new schools to accommodate growth.

From "School building costs rev up: Land, materials add up to an 'astronomical' price tag for growing areas, aging campuses," in the Sacramento Bee:

Amid the commercial and residential construction dust, education leaders in El Dorado and eastern Sacramento counties are experiencing sticker shock -- costs are skyrocketing to build new schools. With the price of materials, labor and real estate rising dramatically, building new schools -- or even upgrading existing campuses -- is a daunting proposition.

"Astronomical," Vicki Barber, superintendent of El Dorado County schools, said of the price tag to build a high school. ...

"The longer you wait, the more you'll pay," he said.

* Also the title of a Vietnam era anti-war song by the Bob Seger System.

Index Keywords: education; sprawl