An independent review of academic performance across the schools that feed into Fairhope High School found the district is within striking distance of ranking among the top 10 school systems in Alabama, but would need additional funding and staffing to get there, according to findings presented to city education leaders.
The Akribos Consulting Group was hired by the Fairhope City Council for $49,000 to study the performance of the five schools in the Fairhope High School feeder pattern, all of which operate under the Baldwin County Public School System. The firm built its own set of criteria to identify the state’s top-performing school systems, then measured Fairhope’s schools against that benchmark.
Akribos based its rankings on ACT Aspire scores, ACT College Readiness benchmarks, Advanced Placement participation and results, student demographics and per-student core expenditures. Using that formula, the consulting group placed Fairhope’s feeder pattern in the “second 10” of school systems statewide, just outside the top tier.
“You all are doing a great job, we have no doubt that you could get to being a top 10 school in Alabama,” said Dr. Ruth Ash, a member of the Akribos study team, in presenting the results.
To close the gap, Akribos laid out five broad paths that will now go before the full Fairhope City Council for consideration. One option would keep the city’s current funding arrangement in place, continuing the roughly $350,000 the city allocates annually to the Fairhope Education Advisory Committee, which is divided equally among the feeder pattern schools.
Other options presented were more far-reaching. Akribos suggested the city could pursue a special tax district that would direct additional millage revenue specifically to Fairhope’s schools, or seek a “school flexibility contract” with the Alabama State Board of Education that would give local leaders more control over curriculum and operations. The consulting group also raised the possibility of chartering a new school or breaking away entirely to form an independent, city-run school system separate from Baldwin County’s district.
Beyond the structural options, Akribos attached specific dollar figures to staffing and training investments it says would help push the feeder pattern into the state’s top tier. The recommendations included roughly $600,000 for additional personnel, among them a curriculum and instruction director and extra substitute teachers, along with about $80,000 earmarked for expanded professional development for teachers across the feeder pattern.
“You are doing very well in your schools, but I don’t think there are any principals here who would say you can’t always do better,” Ash said. “We think you are ready to be there, and we think our recommendations will help you get there.”
Kerry Flowers, chairman of the Fairhope Education Advisory Committee, said the findings will be presented to the full City Council, with Akribos expected to return for a question-and-answer session with council members. Council President Jack Burrell was the only council member in attendance at the presentation, though all members had been invited. Flowers said a public meeting will be scheduled soon to gather feedback and ideas from Fairhope residents about the study’s findings.
Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant said the report gives the city a clear starting point as it works with newly seated leadership on both the local school board and in the superintendent’s office.
“I believe our principals and our teachers do an outstanding job,” Kant said. “We have a new school board and a new superintendent, and this is a starting point so we can move forward. We always want to push to be better, and I want to make sure the public really has an understanding of a report card of where we are.”
City officials have not set a timeline for deciding among the options, and any structural change, such as pursuing an independent school system or a new tax district, would likely require additional public input and possibly a public vote before moving forward.