Next year's Baldwin County Public Schools calendar was approved at the school board's monthly meeting that also saw approval for renovations to City of Bay Minette soccer fields, art lessons for after-school students and educational resources to the county's juvenile detention center.

After School Care Program art lessons
The board approved a contract with Coastal Makers LLC, a Mobile based art studio, to provide art lessons to students enrolled in the county's after school care program at Florence B. Mathis, Loxley, Stapleton and Stonebridge elementary schools.
The sessions will cost the board $300 each, ranging from Nov. 1 to May 24, 2024, totaling approximately $13,500.
According to the school system's website, the after school child care program is offered at all elementary and some intermediate schools in the county, serving students beginning at the pre-K level. The program runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m., and tuition ranges from $25 to $38 weekly depending on the school.

City of Bay Minette soccer field renovations
The city of Bay Minette is finalizing a $1 million project to renovate the soccer fields at the Bay Minette Sports Complex. Because the fields are located behind Baldwin County High School, the city asked if the board would participate in a contribution of up to $215,000 in exchange for the city allowing the board to use the fields during school hours. The board voted to approve the motion and will be contributing $210,000 to the city for the project.

Partnership with the Baldwin County Juvenile Detention Center
The board has previously provided one teacher to provide children in the detention center with an education. However, at the meeting the board approved a motion to send a special education teacher and clerk in addition to the usual teacher.
"The clerk position will be used to enroll students in PowerSchool at the center in order to make sure State ADM funds are accurately tracked and managed," a document presented at the meeting stated. "Our curriculum department has developed an educational program for the students in the center to complete online. We have provided them with 30 Chromebooks, each of which is loaded with the appropriate software needed."
According to the documents, the program offers a traditional high school diploma and middle and elementary school education in a traditional school format [9 month schedule]. The funds allocated for the program amount to approximately $199,422.

2024-25 school calendar
The board voted to approve the 2024-25 school calendar. According to presented documents, four calendar options were presented to the board, and school system employees voted on their preferred choice. Because the majority of employees voted for option B [1,224 votes], that calendar option was approved at the meeting and will disseminate to the local schools and organizations within the county.

The next Baldwin County Board of Education meeting will be on Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public.