The Baldwin County Board of Education oversees most public schools in

Baldwin County, Alabama Baldwin County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, on the Gulf coast. It is one of only two counties in Alabama that border the Gulf of Mexico, along with Mobile County. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

, and is based in

Bay Minette, Alabama Bay Minette is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,044. History In the first days of Baldwin County, the town of McIntosh Bluff (now in Mobile County ...

. The Board serves the entire county. Over 30,000 students are within the supervision of the Board. 3,400 employees including 2,100 classroom teachers, serve the students at its campuses. The Board of Education is the largest single employer in Baldwin County.

History

In 2017, Gulf Shores approved a plan create a separate school district and began breaking away from Baldwin County School System. The city of Gulf Shores broke away from the Baldwin County Public Schools system at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. The

Gulf Shores City Schools Gulf Shores City Schools (GSCS), also known as Gulf Shores Board of Education (GSBOE), is a school district headquartered in Gulf Shores, Alabama Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, ...

operate 3 schools, one elementary, one middle, and one high school. On March 15, 2022, Orange Beach voted on a plan to create their own city school district. n breaking away from Baldwin County School System.

Board composition

The board is composed of seven members elected within districts throughout the county. The Superintendent of Education is appointed by the board and is not a member of it.

Board members

*David Cox, District 1 *David Tarwater, District 2 *Tony Myrick, District 3 *Norman Moore, District 4, Board President *Robert Stuart, District 5, *Cecil Christenberry, District 6, *Shannon Cauley, District 7,Board Vice President

Superintendent

The Baldwin County Superintendent of Education is Eddie Tyler who has been with the school system in various positions for several years. Tyler served as a teacher and athletics coach before retiring to his current position. Robbie Owen of Rockwell Elementary in Spanish Fort, AL was temporarily appointed after the mid-year departure of Dr. Alan T. Lee due to misconduct.

Finances

The 2013-2014 budget is $305 million. Economic difficulties confronted the Board beginning in 2008 when local and state tax revenue tanked and were exacerbated by the

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

. Citizens voted twice to approve an emergency one percent sales tax that has kept the system running. Among the innovations is the Digital Renaissance, an initiative that has put Mac Book laptops in the hands of more than 10,000 high school students and 700 high school teachers. Despite tight budgets the school voted to include $2.8 million in the 2014 budget to expand the program to grades 4 - 6. Baldwin County is one of the fastest growing school systems in Alabama but is ranked 110 out of 134 systems in total funding per student. The system has averaged a growth rate of 2% per year and could soon become the second largest system in the state. Compared to 2012 one elementary school experienced a 10% increase in students. In 2015, the Board asked voters to approve an additional 8 mills in ad valorem taxes. Officials were criticized for spending in excess of $150,000 to promote passage of the new taxes. The Alabama State Auditor asked the state

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

to convene a

Grand Jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

to examine the expenditures. In April 2015 voters refused to approve the new taxes and defunded $14 million in taxes which were due for renewal.

High School Academic Rankings

Out of 351 statewide high schools, the Baldwin County high schools received the following rankings for the school year 2014-2015: *11th- Fairhope HS *21st- Spanish Fort HS *61st- Daphne HS *168th- Robertsdale HS *207th- Foley HS *244th- Baldwin County HS

School policies

In May 2011, the board decided to abolish corporal punishment, and this change has been in effect since the 2011-2012 school year. Every student, including kindergarteners, receive some kind of computer or digital device for use in the classroom. The school board is part of the League of Innovative Schools/Digital Promise initiative and terms its local program as the Digital Renaissance. The program began in 2013 with an initial payment of over $15 million paid to

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

. A $9.6 million loan supported the expansion of the program to all students in the 2014-2015 school year. Parents pay $64 per student annually for damage insurance. Since the 2016-2017 school year, the board has used Google Chromebook devices as a cheaper alternative and replacement to Apple's devices.

Schools

Secondary schools

High schools

* Baldwin County High School (

Bay Minette Bay Minette is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,044. History In the first days of Baldwin County, the town of McIntosh Bluff (now in Mobile County ...

) *

Daphne High School Daphne High School is a secondary school located in Daphne, Alabama, United States. The school, which serves grades 9- 12, is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools district. Students who attend the school live in the city of Daphne, its ...

(

Daphne Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ...

) *

Fairhope High School Fairhope High School (FHS) is a public secondary school located in Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope High School is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system. They service grades 9– 12. Clubs and activities A wide variety of clubs some incl ...

(

Fairhope Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2020 Census lists the population of the city as 22,477. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolita ...

) *

Foley High School Foley High School is in Foley, Alabama and is part of the Baldwin County Public Schools System. Foley High School has its own American football, archery, cross-country, baseball, cheerleading, women's/men's soccer, softball, and women's/men's ba ...

( Foley) *

North Baldwin Center for Technology North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

(Bay Minette) (11th & 12th only) *

Robertsdale High School Robertsdale High School is a high school located in Robertsdale, Alabama and it is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools System. The current principal is Mitch Pinkston. Controversies During a school football pep rally for the Robertsdale ...

( Robertsdale) *

South Baldwin Center for Technology South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

(Robertsdale) (11th & 12th only) *

Spanish Fort High School Spanish Fort High School is a high school in Spanish Fort, Alabama, United States that was founded in 2005 and graduated its first class in 2008. The school serves grades 9- 12 and is part of the Baldwin County Public Schools. Campus The cam ...

( Spanish Fort)

Middle schools

* Bay Minette Middle School (Bay Minette) * Central Baldwin Middle School ( Loxley) * Daphne Middle School (Daphne) * Elberta Middle School ( Elberta) * Fairhope Middle School (Fairhope) * Foley Middle School (Foley) * Spanish Fort Middle School (Spanish Fort)

Elementary schools

Former schools

Now in

: *

Gulf Shores High School Gulf Shores High School is a public high school located in Gulf Shores, Alabama, United States. The school serves grades 9- 12 and is part of the Gulf Shores City Schools district. The school is at the center of a plan to build a combination high ...

* Gulf Shores Middle School * Gulf Shores Elementary School * Orange Beach Middle & High School * Orange Beach Elementary School

References

{{reflist

External links

Baldwin County Board of Education
Education in Baldwin County, Alabama School districts in Alabama