For the Children? Data Center Strengthens Local School District, Community

Richland Parish, Louisiana is not often the subject of national news. This month has been an exception. The Wall Street Journal, among other high-profile media outlets, reported on “teachers getting $50,000 bonuses thanks to a massive meta data center.” The astonishing numbers don’t stop with the teacher bonuses. The Journal went on to report, “The parish brought in $42.9 million in sales and use tax for the first nine months of the current fiscal year, more than double last year’s total, according to the Northwest Louisiana Finance Authority. Meta also separately made a $22.4 million tax payment to the parish in May, it said.”

This economic boost is no accident. Louisiana has intentionally fostered a pro-business climate, welcoming data centers and all that comes with them—jobs, bonuses, business, and innovation. 

Recent years have marked an influx of data center developments in our state. Each major announcement has been accompanied by multi-billion-dollar price tags. Rural areas of the state are hosting projects from major tech companies, like Meta and Amazon, and reaping the rewards. In our recent blog, we unpacked the data on data center projects, like those in Richland Parish, West Feliciana Parish, Bossier Parish, and beyond. As these centers become more common, the associated GDP and job growth have crystallized and the increase in both jobs and economic activity is undisputable. A study of the economic contributions of data centers reported, “The total number of jobs supported by the industry nationwide increased from 4.7 million in 2023 to 5.5 million in 2024 (17 percent growth). At the national level, each direct job in the data center industry is estimated to support 4.5 additional jobs in the broader U.S. economy in 2024.” The recent news from Richland Parish adds another tangible benefit. Jobs aren’t just being created; existing jobs are being improved. 

There is a vocal, passionate opposition to data centers, albeit less in Louisiana than in some other states. Much of this opposition relies on misconceptions surrounding the real impacts that data centers have on their surrounding areas. The criticism often ignores the realities of water consumption compared to other facilities (like golf courses, farms, etc.) or the evidence about what is actually driving up electricity rates, both matters we also examined in “The Data on Data Centers.” The proposed solution is government intervention, regulating data centers away from the towns and states that could benefit from them.

The same pro-regulatory, anti “big tech” instinct is visible in other areas of tech policy as well. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the App Store Accountability Act (ASAA), two regulatory schemes that include age verification measures and serious risks to both privacy and speech, are back on the table in Congress. These bills are framed as being “for the children” and an investment in the peace of mind of parents and the safety of youth using the internet. Age verification measures and social media bans come with great risks to the user, the Constitution, and the free market instead of focusing on empowering people and states to benefit from technological progress. 

Like data center opposition, government overreach is justified to combat the perceived dangers of a technology. 

The recent news from Richland Parish can offer an alternative to zealous government intervention, as economic activity from data centers results in strengthened schools and increased opportunity, all of which help families succeed. Government efforts to pick winners and losers, whether by blocking certain economic development projects or strenuously regulating online services, rarely produce the outcomes their proponents promise. Lasting progress and real success come from innovation, consumer choice, and strengthened local communities equipped with the tools to take advantage of new opportunities and technologies. 

Links to Learn More:

• The Teachers Getting $50,000 Bonuses Thanks to a Massive Meta Data Center – The Wall Street Journal
• The Data on Data Centers – The Pelican Institute for Public Policy
• Haven’t We Been Here Before? – The Pelican Institute for Public Policy