A stronger summer tourist season on Pleasure Island offered a potential source of relief for Baldwin County schools in 2009 as the system faced a major budget shortfall.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Tourism and Visitor’s Bureau reported a roughly 2 percent increase in tourist expenditures for June. Local sales-tax revenue tied to visitor spending could eventually help the school system, officials said.
Schools faced significant financial pressure
Baldwin County schools were confronting a reported $56 million budget shortfall and had announced a reduction-in-force policy. Nearly 200 school support employees could lose their jobs by the end of August.
School spokesman Terry Wilhite said more than 90 percent of district revenue came from state and local sources. He noted that sales revenue takes time to reach school coffers but welcomed the increase in spending.
Historical economic snapshot
This article records the 2009 outlook and does not state the later effect of tourism receipts, whether the layoffs occurred or the district’s subsequent budget actions.