Arrowhead Union High School’s Board of Education has approved placing a facilities referendum on the November 5th, 2024, ballot which would authorize $261,200,000 to be spent on building a new high school. Arrowhead claimed on their website that constructing a new high school would have less of a negative impact on student learning rather than renovating the existing one.
According to Horst Construction, construction noise can disrupt both student and teacher attention spans. Construction crews can also interfere with traffic due to the increased amount of vehicles in the area for construction purposes.
However, numerous other sources, such as the California Policy Lab and The National Library of Medicine, report that a new school building has a profoundly positive impact on students. The National Library of Medicine claims that poor building conditions can increase absenteeism, and both come to the conclusion that new school buildings increase test scores overall, and make students more excited to come to school.
“I don’t think a new school would really change my perspective on anything,” Evelia Gonzalez, Arrowhead Sophomore, said. She further shared that she believes the school’s issues run deeper than a facilities upgrade. “I think that improved teaching methods and a less stressful grading system would be more effective.”
Students also have concerns about the tax implications of the referendum. “It would impact me in a bad way… taxes in Hartland are going to be so much higher,” Coda Stuart, Arrowhead Sophomore, said. She did admit that the school needs to be updated, but believes that building a new school is unnecessary.
The construction would likely have minimal impact on student life, other than minor, temporary traffic issues, but not every student has faith that it will be anything more than just a step in the right direction.
