Dallas Stars poised to take $250M from struggling schools in new arena racket

The Plano Independent School District (PISD) voted Monday to allocate $250 million from its own funds toward construction of a new Dallas Stars hockey arena in Plano, Texas. The move follows Plano’s earlier decision to set aside $700 million in taxpayer money for the project, bringing total public funding to $950 million. The overall arena is valued at $1 billion, with the Stars contributing only a smaller portion on the back end, according to the article. PISD says the arrangement is justified because the district can host graduations and other events at the arena, and because it expects $438 million in revenue over 25 years. The piece cites the district’s projected $44.8 million deficit and questions the revenue estimate.