FAIRHOPE — Members of the city’s Education Advisory Committee say that local public schools are in far worse shape financially than they expected, and that adding two teachers per school is just the beginning of the community support that’s needed.
Committee members made a lengthy presentation to the City Council this week in support of their recommendation that the council commit $750,000 to pay for salaries and associated expenses of putting two teachers in each of the five schools. Some 150 people packed the council chambers to hear the findings.
In the last five years, Fairhope schools have gained nearly 250 students, but the number of certified staff — teachers, principals, assistant principals and library workers — dropped from about 321 to 260, or about 19 percent, according to the committee’s presentation. The result is larger class sizes and the elimination or reduction of various programs.
"The resource they need right now the most is classroom teachers," said Gretchen Schapker, a committee member who was Florida’s principal of the year in 1999 and is past president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
For example, students at Fairhope High can take only two years of Spanish unless they are in the International Baccalaureate program or take the third and fourth years online, Schapker said. But many top colleges require four years of a foreign language for admission, she said.
Fairhope Intermediate School has lost its science lab program, Schapker noted. And middle and elementary school teachers said that the large class sizes make it difficult to address problems of particular students.
Julia Summerlin, former president of the Baldwin County school board, described herself as "shocked, surprised, ashamed and dismayed" at the deterioration of Fairhope schools in the last five years. Committee members were quick to praise the teachers and administrators at each school, and said that the problems stemmed from lack of money.
Bob Riggs, former president of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., detailed the reductions in local sales and property tax collections because of the recession, major cuts in state funding and proration totaling 20.5 percent. The result shows that the Baldwin County school system has lost about $63.4 million during the last five years.
Federal stimulus money and the three-year penny sales tax helped make up some of the difference, but the stimulus money has run out and the penny tax expires May 31 of next year, Riggs said. The tax could be extended if voters approve it in November.
In addition, no Fairhope school is eligible for federal Title 1 funds that go to public schools with a large number of students considered at-risk, Riggs said. None of the schools meet the qualifying criteria of having at least 40 percent of the students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
"Baldwin County is the most wealthy school district in the state of Alabama," Riggs said. But in local spending on public schools, the county ranks 111th out of 200.
Council members agreed that more local investment is needed, but weren’t ready to commit to paying for the extra teachers or to future funding. The request will be part of budget process over the few months for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
"Now we’ve got to identify what we can do to help," said Council President Lonnie Mixon.