and pools. and come fall will keep a brand-new school in california from opening. the story tonight from nbc's tom llamas. >> reporter: at the foot of the lake hills in southern california sits a new school and a new problem. there's enough money to build hillcrest high, but not enough to staff it or run it. >> just on the other side of this building is a six-classroom building that is designed for flex technology labs. >> reporter: four years ago, voters approved construction. then came the recession which crippled education funding. now this $100 million state of the art school in a district with overcrowded classrooms could stay empty for two years. >> it's not a case of a mistake. it's not a case of somebody to blame. if you want to blame something, then you look to the economy. >> reporter: the school district says they're going to save $3 million by not opening the school. but it's still going to cost them $1 million to maintain the facilities like this football field. >> when...