School funding continues to be an issue across the county, and the Baldwin County Commission is not immune to the discussion.

Terry Burkle, executive director of the Baldwin County Education Coalition, came to speak during the public comments section of Tuesday’s commission meeting to inform people about the “facts” surrounding the Baldwin County School System, as she rebutted some claims made by Commissioner Frank Burt during the April 7 meeting.

“In a desire to inform and engage the citizens, I thought it was best to come and talk with the commission about the facts surrounding our school system,” Burkle said.

Burkle said Burt was right in stating that Baldwin County generated more revenue per student than every system, but said those figures only showed part of the complex picture of school funding.

Burkle cited the Alabama Department of Education’s fiscal year 2013 Report Card to showcase the total amount spent per student.

“While we generate a little over $5,000 per student, we spend $8,046 per student, less than the state average of $9,163 and less than the U.S. average of $11,735,” Burkle said.

Burkle said while Baldwin County’s school system was a great system, it lagged behind others in the state in terms of student spending.

“When you look at the amount we spend per student, we’re ranked 110 out of 134 school systems in the state in per student spending,” Burkle said.

Burt responded by saying that Burkle had missed the point in her comments to the council – to him, the issue was mainly about an increased tax burden on Baldwin County’s citizens.

“The people of Baldwin County already pay more per child than any other county,” Burt said. “I was just attempting to show what the taxpayers of Baldwin County contribute per child.”

Burt said he questioned the funding mechanisms at the state level that seemed to cause the inequity in funding levels for Baldwin County’s schools.

“What you’re leaving out,” Burt said to Burkle, “is why are the children of Baldwin County not getting as much funding from the state and other agencies that provide funding in the other systems.”

Burkle responded that she was there to present the facts.

“I’m not here to debate,” Burkle said. “I’m just here to share the facts.”