South Alabama’s school systems had plenty going on heading into the summer of 2014, from a heated dispute over a proposed independent district in Orange Beach to a new federal program that will put free lunches on every tray in Mobile County classrooms.
Orange Beach independence debate heats up
Baldwin County Superintendent Alan Lee and two members of the county school board pushed back hard against a feasibility study exploring whether Orange Beach should break away and form its own school system. The officials disputed revenue estimates prepared by consultant Ira Harvey, arguing that Orange Beach taxpayers would need to accept at least an additional 7.8 mills in property taxes to match current per-student funding levels. Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon fired back, accusing the county of spreading confusion rather than engaging with the substance of the study.
Free lunches coming for every Mobile County student
The Mobile County school system announced it has qualified for a federal program that will provide free lunches to all students during the 2014-15 school year. The change builds on a free breakfast program the district rolled out the previous fall under the Universal Free Breakfast initiative, another federally funded effort aimed at making sure students start and get through the school day fed.
Students build their own electric cars
Engineering students at Spanish Fort High School’s Torobotics Club and at Mary G. Montgomery High School spent the year designing and building their own electric vehicles, then put them to the test in competition. The hands-on projects gave students real-world experience in mechanical and electrical design.
An alternative road to a diploma
The Mobile Area Education Foundation’s Evening Education Options Program, designed for students who were close to dropping out, notched a strong result this spring: 105 graduates walked with their classmates at the USA Mitchell Center. The night-class model gives at-risk students a flexible path back toward graduation.
McGill-Toolen expansion won’t touch historic theater
Rumors swirled that expansion plans at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School would spell the end of the Mobile Theatre Guild on Lafayette Street, but Monsignor Stephen E. Martin of the Archdiocese of Mobile said the historic theater is safe. The school and archdiocese are moving ahead with a new student center featuring a 400-seat dining hall, a student plaza, a new chapel and additional parking.
Honors and milestones
St. Mary Catholic School principal Debbie Ollis was honored by the Mobile City Council for earning two National Distinguished Principal awards. Fifty-one students graduated from Mobile County’s Star Academy, a program that helps overage eighth-graders catch up on credits. And 20 eighth- and ninth-grade girls completed the third annual Girls Can camp at Bryant Career Technical School in Irvington, learning welding, wiring, carpentry and pipefitting in a program backed by Alabama Power.
Upcoming board meetings
The Mobile County school board was set to meet Thursday, June 19, at its central office at Schillinger and Howells Ferry roads, while the Baldwin County school board planned to convene the same evening at its office on North Hand Avenue in Bay Minette.