Beach cities want to keep sales tax for their own schools

Beach cities want to keep sales tax for their own schools
Baldwin Superintendent vows to take fight to keep funds to Supreme Court

By Fran Thompson
The usually reserved Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft pulled no punches with his statement following a public hearing about legislation that would allow Gulf Shores to keep the portion of a one cent sales tax levied throughout Baldwin County to support his city’s school system instead of the Baldwin County School System.
In short, 40 percent of a one cent sales tax collected in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores is allocated to the Baldwin County School System instead of the cities’ own school systems. It’s been that way since Mayor Craft willed his city’s school system into existence back in 2019.
“Our position is simple: The money should follow the students,’’ Mayor Craft said in his statement. “However, once again, we must endure a deliberate misinformation campaign from the Baldwin County Public Schools machine.
“Instead of standing behind their word and doing what we all agreed to six years ago, they are resorting to the same misinformation and scare tactics they used during our attempt to separate and form Gulf Shores City Schools. They are more concerned about preserving their $750 million per year education bureaucracy than doing what is fair and equitable for all public school children in Baldwin County.’’
Mayor Craft also took exception to Baldwin County Public Schools CSFO John Wilson stating that the school system might default on their debt obligations if they were not able to collect sales tax from the only two Baldwin County cities with their own schools.
“The amount of money Gulf Shores students would see under this proposal is less than 0.005% of the Baldwin County Public School budget,’’ Mayor Craft said. “Mr. Wilson’s claims that this legislation will cause them financial instability are absolutely false.
“Instead of treating all public school students in our county fairly and teaching our kids the value of sharing, Superintendent Eddie Tyler says children in Gulf Shores don’t deserve to benefit from this revenue because they are “wealthy.” His statements ignore that all Gulf Shores schools are Title I eligible, meaning over 40% of our students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program.’’
Unfortunately for the city and neighboring Orange Beach, which split from BCSS three years after Gulf Shores, the Alabama Supreme Court dismissed a suit in December of 2023 that Gulf Shores filed in 2021 challenging the current distribution method.
The Supreme Court ruled that it is up to state lawmakers to rewrite the tax law to include the municipal school systems.
BCSS Superintendent Tyler thanked South Alabama Senators Greg Albritton and Vivian Davis Figures, and Representatives Alan Baker, Brett Easterbrook, Jennifer Fidler, Donna Givens, Matt Simpson, and Shane Stringer for opposing the bill.
But the Senate County and Municipal Government committee, chaired by Senator Chris Elliott, approved the bill on a voice vote and it now heads to the Senate.
“The beach cities chose to leave the Baldwin County Public School System of their own free will,” Superintendent Tyler wrote in a statement. “(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. 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.”
“We will continue to take the high road and maintain our position, regardless of the threats and accusations 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,” Superintendent Tyler wrote.
“I’m very concerned about the superintendent’s leadership and to whom he’s choosing to listen. How a superintendent speaks to children, parents and those with whom he disagrees matters,” Senator Elliott wrote in his own statement.
“We should be able to deal with taxes, budgets and all manner of political 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.
“This has been a very divisive issue for us locally. I am the only one that gets to represent all of these folks. At the end of the day, I want to make sure that we fix this issue for other municipalities and other counties and other systems in the future,” Senator Elliott added.
“We do not believe this bill is going anywhere, but if it does, we will go to the Supreme Court to ensure this unconstitutional action by Senator Elliott does not harm public schools across Baldwin County,” Superintendent Tyler stated.
Superintendent Tyler was, of course, referencing the benefits the tax provides to his system’s students, as there is no way it benefits children educated in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores schools.
Senator Elliott and Mayor Craft stepped in to broker the terms of Gulf Shores’ split from Baldwin County after 18 months of lawsuits and accusations, but little progress.
Baldwin County School officials say there was no formal agreement reached about the one cent sales tax distribution during those talks.
“We never said nor expected that we would just give it away with nothing in return,” Wilson told al.com. “We negotiated for years with Gulf Shores, and this tax was always a point of contention.”
“I don’t take kindly to men who go back on their word. Superintendent Tyler has gone back on his word and he is the cause of this schism,’’ Senator Elliott said.
“I’ve been the biggest advocate for all public schools in Baldwin County but I’ve lost faith in Superintendent Tyler and can no longer take him at his word. Perhaps it’s time for him to retire.”
His actions are dividing Baldwin County when we should be advocating for all of Baldwin’s children and not one bureaucracy over the other,” Senator Elliott said.

“Would you support a sales tax to be collected in your area for the benefit of public schools that does not support the public schools in your area?’
No names, no cities, no rhetoric, just one simple question. I am confident the results would be a resounding ‘No,’’’ stated GSCS board member Kevin Corcoran on facebook.
But the answer would probably be a resounding yes, if citizens were asked if they would support their own district receiving funds collected from cities.