The controversy over a portion of a tax going to the Baldwin County Board of Education heated up on Friday afternoon.
Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler sent a letter to parents about State Sen. Chris Elliott's (R-Josephine) efforts to change the tax distribution to ensure all public school systems, including the two new city systems in the county, get a share.
Elliott responded with a strong statement:
“I’m very concerned about the superintendent’s leadership and to whom he’s choosing to listen,” Elliott stated. “How a superintendent speaks to children, parents and those with whom he disagrees matters. We should be able to deal with taxes, budgets and all manner of differences with reasonable debate and mutual respect. I have a long record of being and continue to be a huge advocate for all of public education in all of Baldwin County. “
In the letter, Tyler said Elliott's legislation goes too far and would remove millions of dollars from the school system.
"I want to lay out the facts here. The beach cities chose to leave the Baldwin County Public School System of their own free will. No one forced them to leave or accept a deal, and they had every opportunity to refuse," Tyler said. "When they did leave, they knew full well what tax money was theirs and how much they would get."
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach want their share of 40% of the tax for education capital.
The special tax is only to be used for capital projects and construction. The county school system receives roughly $24 million annually from the tax,
Tyler admitted the school system and the Gulf Shores City School system agreed to revisit the special tax issue at a later date when the parties were negotiating the separation. That later date came in March 2021 during a meeting in Robertsdale, Tyler said.
"After this meeting, I presented the information to our board, but they were unable to reach an agreement," he explained. "I shared that outcome with Gulf Shores and offered to meet again in the future with the hope of finding a better result. Instead of agreeing to come back to the table, Gulf Shores chose to sue Baldwin County Public Schools. Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled in our favor, dismissing the Gulf Shores action."
Gulf Shores City School officials provided emails showing the school system was in agreement with letting the courts decide how the tax would be distributed. However, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled the issue would have to be settled in the legislature and not in court.
Elliott says the tax takes a "Robinhood approach," especially since he said a large percentage of taxes are generated from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
After a second committee meeting on the matter in Montgomery, Tyler claims Elliott, the chairman of the committee, ruled the bill passed even though he "heard a roomful of senators on the committee vote 'NO' on the bill."
"Senator Elliott represents 100,000 voters across the Eastern Shore, South, and Central Baldwin, where his efforts to take away millions in funding would be especially harmful," Tyler stated. "I am saddened by his disregard for your children and our growing school system—the tens of thousands of students in his district—as he focuses his efforts ONLY on those children at the beach."
"Everyone throws around the word 'fair.' I think 'fair' means knowing that the beach communities knew exactly what their deal was when they made it," the superintendent continued. "I also think 'fair' means demanding a revenue replacement if Senator Elliott is going to take money away from your children that they are otherwise entitled to under the law."
"Folks, I'd be worried—except that most of the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation has our back!" he added. "These great folks have stood against Senator Elliott, refuting all the false information and hate he has been spreading."
Tyler named State Sens. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) and Vivian Figures (D-Mobile); and State Reps. Alan Baker (R-Brewton), Brett Easterbrook (R-Fruitdale), Jennifer Fidler (R-Silverhill), Donna Givens (R-Loxley), Matt Simpson (R-Daphne), and Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle), thanking them for opposing the bill.
"We should also be honored that our County Commissioners, mayors, and other elected officials across Baldwin County have written and spoken against his [Elliott's] tactics and efforts," Tyler said. "Folks, you should be #BaldwinProud of the support these leaders have shown for your school system."
Tyler said the county school system will not relinquish the money and will fight to protect funding.
"We will continue to take the high road and maintain our position, regardless of the threats and accusations Senator Elliott continues to make against what I continue to believe is one of the best school systems in the state of Alabama, if not the country," he said.
Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft previously told 1819 News that the amount of money that would be taken from the county and given to municipalities is only 0.005% of the Baldwin County Public Schools budget. He said claims that sharing the tax would make the county school system financially unstable are false.
"Instead of treating all public school students in our county fairly and teaching our kids the value of sharing, Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler says children in Gulf Shores don't deserve to benefit from this revenue because they are 'wealthy," Craft said.
You can read the full letter below.
Tyler Letter to Parents by Erica Thomas on Scribd
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