Fairhope Investigates Whether To Separate School System

Fairhope officials are launching three public meetings and an online survey to gauge whether community support exists for separating from the Baldwin County School System, AL.com reports. All three meetings will be livestreamed and held in the Fairhope City Council chambers at 5:30 p.m. on August 18 and 23 and September 9. County school officials plan to join the city for the August 18 meeting to answer questions. The public comment period will conclude in late September, and city staff will present a summary of the feedback to the Fairhope City Council on September 28. The effort follows two studies that examined the feasibility of a Fairhope city school system but reached sharply different conclusions. A study commissioned by Birmingham-based Criterion Consulting concluded that a property tax increase would likely be required, while another by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama concluded that it would not.