Budget cuts within the Baldwin County school system have claimed another casualty.
Spanish Fort High School will not launch a Ninth-Grade Academy this fall, postponing it for at least a year. The Eastern Shore campus will be the only one of Baldwin’s seven high schools without the program, designed to acclimate freshmen to high school life.
Here’s what happened: When the school system learned it will receive $12.4 million less in state funding than it received last year, officials decided to cut about 85 teaching slots to make up for the shortfall.
“If it’s a program worthy of having, we should have it in every school,” said school board member Tracy Roberts, whose daughter will be a freshman at Spanish Fort High when school begins Aug. 11. “I understand delaying it for a year, but what about the ninth-graders that are at Spanish Fort High this year? They don’t get the benefits.”
8 comments ↓
Ms. Roberts have you considered that some of your past actions may have contributed to not having sufficient funds for Spanish Fort and the rest of the county for teacher units. You pushed the school system into funding the Spanish Fort athletic fields with money that could have been used for teacher units. How many millions of $$$ were used for the athletic fields in Spanish Fort and the rest of the county. This translates into how many lost teacher units. No wonder teacher moral is so low in the county. Spend, spend, spend on athletics and not acadamics. Now all the students and teachers in the county will suffer because of your actions. Voters in your district need to take this into consideration during the next elections.
There are restrictions on what money can be used for what purposes. In other words, capital funds could not necessarily pay for teacher units – you should check before making the comment.
While you are correct, budgets can always be amended to move local funds included in capital funds back to operational funds. I understand capital funds that are borrowed cannot be used for operational purposes. So real concern is that local funds were lost for operational (teacher units and salaries, repairs, maintenance, busses, etc) purposes to supplement the capital funds for these athletic facilities. Let’s trace the money.
You whiney people in Spanish Fort. Everytime you don’t get something you want you go completely crybaby. You should suffer the crap the north end of the county has suffered. The zoning changes will make us the Vigor of Baldwin County. Thanks Bob.
Based on average income the two wealthest cities in BC are Spanish Fort and Daphne, so if they want to have a nice city hall or a better sports field. I don’t see why they shouldn’t.
two pints down… two to go
Beer Man I agree. But let the cities pay for it, not the school board.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE ACADEMIES ANYWAY??? ALL THEY DO IS JUST SEPARATE 9TH FROM 10-12 . DO U PEOPLE NOT KNOW THAT 9TH GRADE CLASSMATES ACT JUST AS BAD AS 10TH GRADERS???–
TRACEY ROBERTS IS JUST LOOKING OUT FOR HER OWN INTERESTS NOT THE BOARD
Please for the love of God, hit your “Caps Lock”… As for the 9th grade academy, It has documented success in aclimating students to high school rigors and curriculum. You’re right though, it is merely a separation of 9th grade from 10-12th grades. Same buildings, greater success… I don’t see the issue.
If you want a swig, let me know!
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