Baldwin School Could Close

Alabama Economy 47 million dollar budget deficit could force school officials in Baldwin County to close Vaughn Elementary

by Pat Peterson

Published: Thu, March 12, 2009 - 5:48 pm CST Last Updated: Thu, March 12, 2009 - 6:53 pm CST

In an effort to off-set a major budget shortfall, the Baldwin County Board of Education could close Vaughn Elementary School.

"It's a heart-breaker anytime that we have to look at perhaps closing a school but when you're faced with a 47 million dollar budget shortfall in two years, it requires difficult decisions and difficult choices," says Terry Wilhite, Director of Communications for the Baldwin County Board of Education.

Wilhite says closing Vaughn would save the school system millions of dollars.

"These are tough times in the education world and tough times demand tough decisions."

Vaughn is Baldwin County's smallest school, in fact, with only 120 students, the school doesn't meet state requirements to stay open. Alabama law requires elementary schools to have at least 140 students to be classified as an "approved" learning center. Another reason school officials are considering closing the campus.

"Closing this school would be a mistake," says Cynthia Morrissette who's been teaching at Vaughn for three years. "It's not about the money, it's about the children and giving them and education. The children here get a lot of one-on-one time."

If Vaughn closes, students would be bused to Bay Minette...tenured teachers would be transferred to other schools within the district. The Baldwin County Board of Education could make its decision as early as next week.

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jlambert Says:

Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 7:59 am

Vaughn Elementary is an awesome school. The staff is excellent and the learning environment for the students. In order to cut the budget the Board wants to close a school, devestate a community and cause even more economic hardship for parents of the students who attend Vaughn Elementary. The county line doesn’t end at Stockton, it extends all the way to Little River - we have obviously forgotten that education is the key factor here. A new school in Foley was constructed this year in the amount of $23 million and the Board has been facing a deficit of $47 million for how long? Parents of Vaughn Elementary are fighting against this and are very upset that the Board proposed this in their budget as a way to “trim the budget”. There are other ways - cut out of state travel, decrease in state travel, freeze funding for unnecessary programs, cut administrator salaries. Why does a secretary need a secretary? Education is the key, not funding for a beach house or a dream car.