Haggling over a Measly Half-Million for CCSD's Lucy Beckham HS Arts Center

Many questions remain since the Charleston County School District asked the town of Mount Pleasant for $400,000 in "upgrades" to the performing arts center at the new Lucy Beckham High School slated to open in 2020. These are  upgrades CCSD has in mind that the school district itself cannot afford. 😲

Can't afford? You must be joking! Judging by the millions slated for football stadiums, this half a million seems like peanuts!

So the problem is that the taxpayers will swallow millions squandered on glorious football stadiums but not half a million spent on the performing arts? Sounds about right. We can see where the CCSD School Board's priorities lie.

According to the Moultrie News, these are the upgrades:

the primary focus would be to upgrade the audio, visual and acoustics beyond the basic things in a traditional school auditorium. She said they would like to look at adding band shells and clouds to make a richer acoustical environment for professional arts groups. In addition, some nicer finishes could be added to make the facility more professional.
There are electronic improvement options that could take the place of manual equipment. The PAC will be a small, 500-seat venue in an intimate setting. 

On the other hand, a Mount Pleasant group of arts lovers has bigger plans, dreaming of a destination performing arts center in the town that would become nationally known. Given the population of the town, that will happen--someday.

Meanwhile, why can't the district pay for its own upgrades? Mysterious. Most likely trying to find justification for fancy touches not provided at other CCSD schools. Stay tuned.