[Loudoun County] HHMI contributes to biotechnology schools program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, currently building a $500 million research facility on their Janelia Farm property, intends to donate $1 million every year to Loudoun County Public Schools to establish a biotechnology magnet program for high school students and improve science education countywide.
This compensates the county, in part, for the $6 million annual tax break approved for HHMI late last year. On its own, this is insufficient, but we'll have to see, over time, what other revenue is generated for Loudoun County both directly by the Institute and indirectly through their mere presence and other activities in the area.
I'll be open-minded, but we're going to need to get much more than the $6 million we gave up in tax revenue to make it worthwhile. Through donations such as this, we're still getting the money, but we lose some control over how it's spent. That's why we need to get back more than we gave up.
