Critics say it's inappropriate when teachers are being laid off and programs are being cut.
View full sizeThe Robert F. Kennedy Learning Center in Los Angeles, California.The nation's most expensive public school ever built is opening next month in downtown Los Angeles.
The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a K-12 complex built on 23 acres of land, cost $578 million to build. Considering the school will house about 4,200 students, construction cost about $130,000 per pupil.
So, what exactly is included in that hefty price tag? An auditorium modeled after the famous Coconut Grove nightclub, a state-of-the-art swimming pool, and a marble memorial for Robert Kennedy, just to name a few of the school's upscale features.
"The poorest children in this school system, the most congested area in this school system, the most diverse in this school system are going to have one of the most beautiful learning environments to engage," Ramon Cortines, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, told NBC News.
But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the new school. With the district laying off almost 3,000 teachers over the past two years and cutting academic programs in an effort to close a $640 million budget gap, critics say the amount of money spent on the new school was inappropriate.
"New buildings are nice, but when they're run by the same people who've given us a 50 percent dropout rate, they're a big waste of taxpayer money," Ben Austin, executive director of Parent Revolution and California Board of Education member, told the AP. "Parents aren't fooled."
Los Angeles is also home to two more of the five most expensive public schools in the country - the $377 million Edward R. Roybal Learning Center opened in 2008, featuring a dance studio with a cushioned floor, and the $232 million Visual and Performing Arts High School opened in 2009, which includes an outdoor atrium for Japanese raku pottery.
Officials in LA say the new schools were planned before the economic crisis hit, and are funded by $20 billion in voter-approved bonds that do not impact the educational budget.
» AP: LA unveils $578M school, costliest in the nation
» Today Show: Inside LA's controversial $578 million school 
» AOL News: Half-Billion High: America's 5 Most Expensive Public Schools
» Atlantic Journal: Give me a state-of-the-art teacher over a state-of-the-art building