With a decisive school funding referendum just days away, supporters of a proposed property tax increase gathered outside Gulf Shores Elementary School to make their case, pointing to rows of portable classrooms as evidence of a system stretched thin by growth.
The rally, organized by the “Build Baldwin Now” coalition alongside school administrators, took place on a stormy Thursday morning against the backdrop of five portable buildings nicknamed the “Cottages” outside the elementary school. Organizers said the county currently relies on 100 portable classrooms scattered across its schools, and warned that number could grow by roughly 400 more if voters reject the referendum.
One student who joined the rally, a Foley High School junior aspiring to earn a doctorate in veterinary science, described attending classes inside a cramped trailer her classmates call the “Ag Shack.” She said the space holds 30 desks, makes it hard to see the board, and sometimes leaves latecomers sitting on the floor.
Baldwin County School Superintendent Robbie Owen pushed back on the idea that portable classrooms are an adequate long-term solution, pointing to Elsanor, where roughly a third of the school operates out of portables, and Robertsdale, where cafeteria space is too small to seat all students indoors.
County commissioners at the event framed the issue as an economic development concern as well as an educational one. One commissioner argued that failing to invest in schools undermines the county’s ability to attract new industry, noting that auto manufacturing and aerospace companies evaluating the area routinely ask about school conditions. Another commissioner said the visible presence of portable classrooms during site visits has left prospective employers unimpressed.
A second rally supporting the referendum was held later the same day in Bay Minette, where a new elementary school would be built if voters approve the tax increase. Both sides of the debate were expected to keep campaigning through the weekend, including at the Elberta Sausage Festival.
Opposition groups, including “Educate Baldwin Now” and the Common Sense Campaign, argue the crowding problem stems from years of inadequate planning by the school system rather than a lack of funding, noting the district has added more than 6,000 students over the past decade. Critics have also raised concerns about the district’s finances and its Digital Renaissance technology program, which put Apple computers into the hands of most Baldwin County students at a cost of $24 million.
Supporters of the referendum, including the Baldwin County Education Coalition, have defended the district’s spending record, citing an independent study that found the system operating at a high level of financial and operational efficiency.
Voters were set to decide on adding 8 mills to fund a 10-year, $350 million school building campaign, along with renewing seven existing mills through separate ballot questions. If the renewals failed, the county’s property tax rate would fall below the state’s constitutional floor for school funding, triggering an automatic commission vote to restore it. For the owner of a median-priced Baldwin County home, the new millage would add roughly $150 a year in property taxes.