With just over two weeks remaining before a pivotal vote, Saraland City Schools Superintendent Aaron Milner is making his case directly to voters. Milner planned a third public presentation on the district’s capital improvement plan, part of an ongoing push to build support ahead of a Jan. 27 property tax referendum.
Registered voters in Saraland will decide whether to approve a 7.5-mill property tax increase intended to fund a roughly $20 million package of upgrades across the school system. The informational meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Saraland Civic Center on Mae Street, giving residents a chance to ask questions before heading to the polls.
“So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response,” Milner said in the days leading up to the meeting. “We know we’re in the home stretch.”
If approved, the tax increase would be earmarked specifically for capital improvements, technology and transportation costs, according to district officials. Milner said the first priority, should voters approve the measure, would be adding a new classroom wing and a welding facility at Saraland High School. The broader plan also calls for expanding the high school, building a new early education center for kindergarten and first grade students, purchasing new buses and upgrading technology systemwide.
District leaders say the proposed classroom expansion responds directly to community feedback. When Saraland officials sought public input while developing their strategic plan, one of the most frequent requests was to grow the district’s career and technical education offerings. The high school’s new health science program has already drawn 75 students, and the system recently added robotics programs at both the middle and high school levels.
The referendum comes as Saraland schools have been highlighting academic achievements alongside the funding push. The district recently recognized more than a dozen Advanced Placement scholars, along with teachers honored for their work at the elementary, middle and high school levels, underscoring the case that further investment could build on recent momentum.
School officials are encouraging Saraland residents to attend the informational session and to review the capital plan online through the district’s website before casting their ballots on Jan. 27.