A couple of weeks after schools let out for the summer in rural Richland Parish, Louisiana, teachers there got the biggest year-end bonuses they had ever seen.
The money was tied to a spike in sales tax revenue generated by an enormous Meta data center under construction near Rayville, the parish seat. This year, many teachers got a deposit of nearly $51,000 — more than most of them make in annual salary.
“It really feels like something that happens to people in movies,” said Lauren Yates, 32, who teaches first grade at an elementary school in Start, a small community just west of Rayville.
Data centers, many powering artificial intelligence, often come to underserved rural areas with promises of revitalization, a meeting of the superhot tech economy and the flagging agricultural sector. The Richland Parish windfall is one of the most striking examples.
But while local officials are delighted, critics say this is not a panacea.