BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Board of Education unanimously passed a funding proposal allocating $1.5 million for the Spanish Fort High School football stadium project.

Each year the school board gives the feeder patterns an enhancement fund for special projects. It does not jeopardize regular operations, school board spokesman Terry Wilhite said.

“It’s not taken from the fund that pays teachers’ salaries or to build buildings,” he added.

The funds are proportioned equally based upon the average daily attendance in each feeder pattern zone.

ADM refers to the average daily attendance of each school.

Enhancement funds for the school district are generated through property tax revenue.

“It’s unexpected tax and revenue windfalls that take place,” Wilhite said.

By March, the school board is notified of the surplus tax revenue they will receive.

Due to the thousands of property tax appeals the authorization of surplus revenue may not be available until March or April, finance director Jean McCutcheon said.

“Without any growth, then at a minimum they (feeder patterns) would still receive about $153,000,” McCutcheon said of the funds.

Over a period of about 10 years, the Spanish Fort zone would receive the $1.5 million allocation needed for the stadium, McCutcheon said.

The school board will instead, advance the funds to the Spanish Fort zone. Spanish Fort will not receive additional funds until the advance has been “repaid,” according to Wilhite.

The other six zones will still “earn” their first allocations but will be unable to use it until the second allocations.

The board will have an opportunity twice a year to allocate money, Wilhite said.

The most obvious is at the end of the year. If any money is left over the board can put it toward the enhancement funds. The second time is mid-year when the state may send out revenue from taxes, Wilhite said.

This past year the board had a $6 million windfall and gave about $1 million to the enhancement funds for each feeder pattern, Wilhite said.

“The whole idea is to equitably spread enhancement throughout the county,” he added.

If the feeder patterns received more than one allocation a year, Spanish Fort could “repay” their allocation of $1.5 million before 10 years, Wilhite said.

The other six zones will not lose any of the allocations due to the advancement that the Spanish Fort zone will receive.

Board Member Tracy Roberts thanked the board members for “working outside of the box to get the basic facilities” for a new school and their willingness to consider the project.