Baldwin County, Ala (WKRG) The Baldwin County Board of education is suing the State Department of Education, Gulf Shores City School District, and the Baldwin County Commission. The 40-page lawsuit outlines why the Board does not believe they’re responsible for providing any additional funds for the Gulf Shores School District set to open at the beginning of next school year.
A deadline to finalize a separation agreement came and went on Friday. The lawsuit was filed after Baldwin County School Board members went into executive session and ended their meeting without comment or public discussion. School Board Members have announced a press conference to further explain their legal action on Monday, February 18th.
Ultimately, the State Superintendent believes Gulf Shores is due foundation money as well as state and county tax revenue. However, Baldwin County’s School Board disagrees and are challenging it in court.
For additional information, here’s a previous story on January 17th, 2019.
GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — The Baldwin County Board of Education and the Gulf Shores City Board of Education disagree with the terms outlined in the agreement regarding Gulf Shores’ split from the county school system. That agreement was handed down to both parties Wednesday evening by the State of Alabama Department of Education.
The main point of contention surrounds the requirement of $7 million to be paid to the city by the county for the current school year. Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler believes that is an unfair amount.
“It directs $7 million in Baldwin County revenue from this school year to a school system that has no students enrolled in it,” he said in a news conference Thursday afternoon. To clarify, while there are students currently attending schools in Gulf Shores, the actual Gulf Shores school system – in the sense that it’s annexed from the county – currently has no students, because the split hasn’t officially occurred yet.
Meanwhile, the president for the Gulf Shores City Board of Education believes the funding is fair, and there is no “double dipping,” involved.”
“We thought it was very equitable, what’s being handed out by the state superintendent,” said Kevin Corcoran. “We think there may just be a simple misinterpretation between school year and fiscal year. But any payroll we get, we’ll be paying out, and Baldwin County will not be paying those teachers. So there’s no over-enrichment that I can see in the program.”
In addition, the agreement also states that any students living outside of Gulf Shores city limits that will be sophomores in the fall have to decide before Feb. 1 whether they want to stay at Gulf Shores High School and therefore enter the city school system, or attend the temporary Orange Beach campus and stay in the county school system.
