LeBron James' Highly Touted School Will Actually Cost Taxpayers a Lot of Money
The school that LeBron James is opening in Akron, Ohio, will rely on funding from Akron residents who make far less than the roughly $33 million a year hauled in by the NBA star, according to a new report.
Although James and his foundation are putting in millions for renovations and have promised to invest even more to support its pupils once the school starts operating, the Akron School District will bear the brunt of the annual operating costs, according to Cleveland.com.
The means that although the LeBron James Family Foundation will kick in about $2 million per year for the I Promise School, Akron taxpayers will bear about 75 percent of the costs – estimated to be $8 million.
“The coverage made it look like the whole thing is his. He did a lot, but taxpayers should know it’s their investment too,” Akron schools spokesman Mark Williamson told Cleveland.com.
Taxpayers have a role because the school is not a private charter school, but will be a part of the Akron public school system.
The news that the public gets to pay for the school shocked many on Twitter.
Report says TAXPAYERS in Akron Ohio fund “LeBron’s, I Promise School” to the tune of $8 million a year. Taxpayers didn’t get the applause that James did over this announcement nor did they take a bow like he did. This is called stealing someone’s thunder. https://t.co/t3sPlOXsrj
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) August 8, 2018
Every sports media story I have seen has made it seem as if LeBron is funding the costs for the entire school. That's not remotely close to being true.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 6, 2018
Credit to LeBron James for getting involved in helping public education, but Akron, Ohio taxpayers are paying 75% of the costs for "his" school. https://t.co/2QvDyva0xD
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 6, 2018
Interesting break down of the costs of @KingJames I promise school project. I guess I believed he was paying 100% of the costs 🤔 https://t.co/JMWpBtV5u1 pic.twitter.com/VLYBV4GNkW
— scott huff (@huff_scott) August 5, 2018
The school will eventually house eight grades, when it opens in 2022, the U.K. Daily Mail reported. The school will open with third and fourth grades and grow from there.
James has promised to give bicycles to students who attend, and has also promised college scholarships to students in his I Promise program.
School officials said James still deserves praise.
“This school would not have happened without the partnership with LeBron James,” district Treasurer Ryan Pendleton told Cleveland.com.
Other said it helps to know the full story.
“This shouldn’t undo the praise LeBron has received. A $2 million annual donation is still quite sizable. Just because it doesn’t cover the entire cost of the school doesn’t somehow make LeBron not philanthropic,” wrote Dan Feldman of NBC Sports in a report on Yahoo News. “But, like with most things, it is helpful to understand the entire context.”
The goal of the I Promise School is to help students who are selected through a lottery get extra help that is needed to ensure they graduate from high school.
Students selected for the I Promise School are below average in reading, math and other academic areas, the school district has said.
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