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Friday, September 24, 2010

As Highland Park facility shows, school funding equalization doesn't include booster clubs | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

As Highland Park facility shows, school funding equalization doesn't include booster clubs | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

As Highland Park facility shows, school funding equalization doesn't include booster clubs

01:02 PM CDT on Friday, September 24, 2010

By MARK DENT / The Dallas Morning News
mdent@dallasnews.com

The $4.47 million indoor athletic structure stands on the north side of the leafy Highland Park campus, a vaulted ceiling sitting atop its brick exterior.

JIM MAHONEY/DMN
JIM MAHONEY/DMN
Highland Park High School sophomore running back Mickey Landen hauls in a pass during an afternoon team practice in the school's indoor training facility.

Inside, field turf marked with white yard lines stretches 90 yards down and 70 yards across. "HP" and Scots logos adorn the white walls, and fans hum overhead as Highland Park wraps up a Friday football practice. A man watching compares it to a college facility.

Though the building's presence and amenities alone are impressive, what's really striking is the source of much of the money for its construction. Highland Park's new multiuse athletic structure was built after a $1 million contribution from