Health officials in Mobile County reported a sharp increase in whooping cough cases this fall, with at least 104 confirmed and probable pertussis cases logged by Dec. 1 — more than 12 times the eight cases reported in all of 2013. The spike has raised concern among school administrators, particularly given how many students in Mobile and Baldwin county schools are not up to date on required immunizations.
School nurses and district health coordinators have been working to identify students with lapsed vaccination records, though officials have not said how many children across the two counties fall into that category. Pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory illness also known as whooping cough, spreads easily in classroom settings and can be particularly dangerous for infants and young children who have not completed their full vaccination series.
Meanwhile, the Baldwin County Board of Education is moving ahead with a major funding push for school construction. The Baldwin County Commission has approved a March 31 referendum asking voters to approve an 8-mill property tax increase dedicated to capital improvements across the fast-growing district, which has struggled in recent years to keep pace with enrollment growth along the Interstate 10 and Highway 59 corridors.
The funding request comes as the district also transitions to new leadership. The Baldwin County school board voted unanimously in late November to hire Robbie Owen as its next superintendent. “I love Baldwin County … I want to do whatever I can to make this a better place,” Owen said after the vote. Owen inherits a district facing both rapid growth and aging facilities, making the outcome of the spring tax referendum a significant early test for his tenure.
Farther north in Mobile County, students and teachers are preparing to move into the new Calcedeaver Elementary School when classes resume after the holiday break. The $10.5 million campus is one of Mobile County’s Blue Ribbon schools recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and its design reflects the heritage of the MOWA Choctaw Indian tribe, from which most of its students come.
Both districts continue to grapple with the practical effects of federal immigration policy changes on their classrooms as well. Mobile County alone reported nearly 19,750 students designated as English as a Second Language learners in 2013, out of roughly 746,000 students statewide, though school officials note federal law bars them from asking about a student’s immigration status, making the long-term local impact of any policy shift difficult to measure.
Baldwin County’s school board meets regularly at its central office on North Hand Avenue in Bay Minette, while the Mobile County school board convenes at its central office near the corner of Schillinger and Howells Ferry roads, giving parents in both counties ongoing opportunities to weigh in on the issues shaping their children’s schools.