Opinion | Virginia should use state funds for schools, not sports stadiums

According to the article, they are seeking to play D.C., Maryland and Virginia off each other in search of the highest bidder. As a taxpayer in Virginia, I am hoping the governor and state legislature will nail that political coffin shut here before it is even able to open. I can’t speak for D.C. or Maryland, nor do I care if team owners wish to invest their own mega bucks. But I do care that teachers and first responders get the pay increases they deserve, that affordable housing is available, that Medicaid recipients are not kicked off the program, that families who are homeless have the food supports and shelters they need to survive, that transportation and climate become priority issues, that students get mental health services and college tuition relief, and that Virginia creates jobs that provide a living wage. I really don’t care about billionaires who want taxpayers to subsidize their profits, when the public is often unable to pay the exorbitant ticket and concession prices to attend their events.

Though capital improvements are uppermost in the minds of the new owners, consider this: According to the Virginia Education Department’s 2021 Needs and Conditions of Virginia School Buildings Report, more than half of Virginia’s schools are more than 50 years old and have deferred maintenance costs of approximately $10 billion. Many of those schools are in low-income school districts and communities. Before the big sports lobbyists gang up on our policymakers, let them know that our real investments should be in kids and families — not partially used stadiums and sports arenas that will bring billions in profits to the Lerners and the Snyders as they sell off assets and new owners seeking to divert funds that are much needed to sustain a vibrant and equitable Virginia.

Arnold F. Fege, Annandale