Editor:

This past week, the city of Fairhope officially launched a look into its future — a step we feel critical to the lives of some 4,500 students attending Fairhope schools and critical to the quality of life for this community we proudly call home.

Dr. Ira Harvey sat down for the first time with members of our City Council and a committee called to provide data and numbers he’ll need to develop this snapshot into our future. Dr. Harvey is a highly-credentialed consultant who has worked with communities across Alabama in determining whether indeed their tax dollars and dreams for their children are better served by a separate city school system.

Dr. Harvey will spend the next three months putting together an objective and exhaustive analysis of growth projections, demographics, revenue and other data that will tell us whether a city system for Fairhope is a viable option. There is no expectation by anyone of just what Dr. Harvey will find. Our only commitment is to an open, transparent process and to the finest schools possible for Fairhope.

Many questions will be asked about annexation, city boundaries, quality of services and much more. It will no doubt be a healthy and spirited discussion on a topic that has broad implications for our entire community. We welcome that passionate involvement and dialogue.

The current funding crisis is no short-term situation. Even the 1-cent sales tax — while desperately needed — does not change the fact that our state’s current funding mechanism is broken and will never benefit Baldwin County: the largest east of the Mississippi and roughly the size of Rhode Island.

Whether you have children in our system or not, the Fairhope schools are one of the gems that make the Eastern Shore a place the entire nation realizes is a unique place to live. Our schools influence the quality of life we all enjoy. Strong schools mean strong communities, protecting property values, attracting families and business development, creating cultural opportunities and enhancing our overall sense of community.

We owe this look at our future to our children and to our community.

City Council member

Fairhope

Editor’s Note: While we don’t know which county east of the Mississsippi is the largest, we do know that Baldwin County, which is 1,596 square miles in size, is not. Counties east of the Mississippi that are larger than Baldwin include: Coos, N.H., 1,831; Marquette, Mich., 1,821; Palm Beach, Fla., 1,974; Oxford, Maine, 2,078; Washington, Maine, 2,568; St. Lawrence, N.Y., 2,686; Penobscot, Maine, 3,250; Piscataquis, Maine, 3,966; Somerset, Maine, 3,927; and Aroostook, Maine, 6,672.