LMSD has one of the highest budgets per student in the nation, coming in at approximately $40,000 per student per year. However, despite the immense concentration of wealth and funding within the district, LM is one of only a few high schools with no field lights. Due to a myriad of factors, most of which boil down to neighborhood resistance and lack of board approval, the district continues to hit a wall in the approval process.
Beginning over six years ago, at the end of 2019, LMSD began exploring changing school start times. The installation of lights at Arnold Field became tied to the prospect of moving start times, as later start times would challenge the execution of after-school sports. With the sun setting as early as 4:30 p.m. in the winter, a later start to the school day would push practices beyond sunset, making them unsafe for students to participate in. As conversations of officially shifting the school day ramped up, LMSD began internal analysis and started applying for permits to install lighting.
Quickly, a debate unfolded among families in the community. Local signage was dwindling, and homeowners opposed the idea of drawing attention tothe neighborhood. They worried about school events running later into evenings, parking becoming congested, and noise and light pollution devaluing homes. Yet, as start time discussions continued, the lack of lights on Arnold Field posed a serious conflict for the board. Throughout this period, although planning continued, approval for the lights remained unresolved.
Most recently, a 2024 Settlement Agreement outlined a plan for relocating the field and lights, various buffering strategies, regulations for light usage, and limitations around future expansion. This settlement was passed, noting compromises to appease homeowners. After over a million dollars of taxpayer money spent on legal litigation for the project, it still has not begun construction.
Although a seemingly minor detail of LM’s infrastructure, field lights have the potential to literally illuminate the school community, making a number of athletic and general student activities possible. Currently, LM is unable to host late sports games due to the presumed danger of playing in dim lighting. However, reducing the hours in which the field is functional does more than just hinder the student experience and put strain on athletes; it cuts down the ability to fundraise. Home games are major opportunities to raise money, support small clubs, and engage the student body in spirited events. Extending beyond games and events, general sports practices and the quality of athletics at LM will flourish under the lights. With winter sports mandated to return inside after sundown—only one short hour after practice begins– approval of the project will offer longer practices outside, allowing students to have more time doing the sport they love. For students without access to private clubs or paid facilities, school fields are not a perk; they are essential.
In 2026, it seems that “pending construction” has become a permanent status, an incomplete answer to the intergenerational requests of students andparents. Students continue to pay the price for district indecision, unable to access the facilities that neighboring districts have had for decades. Our school district has paralyzed the initiative, rather than enhance the proposal to help it gain approval. District reluctance should not be where a plan that will alter the high school experience for thousands of students should die. LMSD frequently champions student wellness, equity, and access, yet the continued failure to provide a safe and functional athletic facility after sunset contradicts these very values. Although our district has seemingly given up on lighting up LM, we have not. Half a decade later, local commitment to the project still stands strong. Seeing this injustice, district parent Brett Furber has done a deep investigation as to why nobody has pushed to start construction– especially because it has reached legal compromise. Furber emphasises that there are “no legal hurdles preventing the district from beginning construction,” prompting students to wonder: why did our school district burn a million dollars to pass a project that they have remained stagnant on beginning. Yet, students are not powerless in the matter. Use your voice to fill out the petition at Tinyurl.com/letalllmshine/.
