SPANISH FORT - Students currently attending Spanish Fort Elementary or Rockwell Elementary may find themselves switching to the new Stonebridge Elementary next school year.
The Baldwin County Public Schools system has announced a public meeting to be held next week concerning the redistricting relating to the new Stonebridge Elementary School. Once approved, the new districts will take effect for the 2022-2023 school year.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 8 beginning at 6 p.m. at Rockwell Elementary School, located at 10183 Highway 31, Spanish Fort. Attendees are asked to enter through the school’s main entrance.
The meeting will begin with a presentation from Superintendent Eddie Tyler and other leadership from the Baldwin County Board of Education. A question-and-answer session will be held at the end of the presentation.
But what does this mean for parents and students in the Spanish Fort area? Simply put, that some students currently attending Spanish Fort Elementary or Rockwell Elementary may fall into the new Stonebridge Elementary’s district come next school year. During the Tuesday presentation, parents can expect to learn more about which of the three schools’ district their child will fall into.
Traditionally with previous school rezoning, the school board has stated it wants to keep the districts as evenly split as possible, meaning all elementary schools will house roughly the same number of students.
“Rezoning is a result of growth,” Tyler said during the rezoning of Foley Elementary and Mathis Elementary. “When all of a sudden an area starts to experience growth because of development, my only tool in my toolbox is to move students.”
Once open, Stonebridge Elementary will be the newest K - sixth elementary school in the school system. Prior to construction of the new school, plans included designating Spanish Fort Middle School as seventh and eighth grade only once the new elementary school was complete.
The school board has previously stated it wants to make all its middle schools seventh and eighth grades, and all elementary schools K - sixth. This will take pressure off the growing Spanish Fort Middle School, and the other two elementary schools in the area, Tyler said when plans for Stonebridge Elementary went public.
After all public meetings have been held on this matter and rezoning plans are finalized, Tyler will present the rezoning request to the Board of Education for final approval.