Baldwin Co. Board Of Education Will Request Sales Tax Increase

Thursday 9:07 a.m.
The Baldwin County Board Of Education approved a resolution Thursday morning to ask County Commissioners for a 1-cent sales tax increase.

Wednesday 5:34 p.m.
High school football fields, basketball courts and band-rooms across Baldwin County could be quiet this school year. The recession could force the board of education to take drastic measures to save money. Teacher layoffs, a hiring freeze, larger class sizes and the elimination of support staff are already an unpleasant reality. Now, extra-curricular activities could be on the economic chopping block.

"We're in one mess financially and we need help," says Baldwin County Board of Education spokesman Terry Wilhite. "We're talking about the school day as we know it drastically changing. No field trips, the possible elimination of athletic events, no band, no art."

The school district is facing a 38 million dollar budget shortfall and is preparing for an additional 13 million dollar deficit because of a decline in local revenue. To help offset the economic crisis, the school board will ask the county commission to approve a one-cent sales tax increase.

"We'll listen to the school board and we'll find it difficult to put on new taxes because we're already getting a lot of calls from people saying they don't want to support this," says David Bishop with the Baldwin County Commission. "I've had people tell me that if any commissioner voted for a tax increase they would not only not vote for them again, they'd tell their family and friends not to."

The one-cent sales tax increase would generate 29 million dollars for the school system.