ROSINTON, Alabama --- About 40 concerned residents attended a meeting Monday to discuss the possible closing of Rosinton School.

Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Alan Lee, along with members of the Baldwin County School Board and other School System personnel, met with concerned family members in the gymnasium at Rosinton School Monday.

Lee told those present that he wanted to address concerns about an amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot which would renew the county’s so-called “Penny Tax.”

“I don’t want to talk politics of what should close and what shouldn’t close,” he said. “I want to know what your objections are to the tax and how we can change your minds so we don’t have to resort to these measures.”

First and foremost, Lee said, he wanted to stress that the tax is not an additional tax, but a renewal of the tax that was passed in 2010 and designed to boost funding for the School System.

The tax is scheduled to end in 2013 and is on the Nov. 6 ballot for renewal. On Oct. 4, Lee announced a plan of proposed cuts should the county lose the estimated $28,250,000 in revenue generated by the tax.

Included in the plan would be the proposed closing of five elementary schools in the area, plus the combining of Bay Minette Elementary and Bay Minette Middle and the closing of South Baldwin Center for Technology in Robertsdale and North Baldwin Center for Technology in Bay Minette.

Among the elementary schools on the proposed list are Rosinton and Elsanor schools in Central Baldwin.

“I want to say first and foremost that there is not one thing on that list that I think is something that needs to be done for our School System,” Lee said. “If I thought that I would have already proposed it to the Board and it would have most likely already been done.”

If the tax doesn’t pass, Lee said, some hard choices would have to be made to balance the School System’s budget in addition to closing schools, including the loss of coaches’ stipends for all sports, the loss of tenured teachers and school assistant principals, office staff and school nurses.

“If you add up all that we’re proposing to do, we’re still going to be $5 million short,” he said. “We’re still going to have to come up with an additional $5 million in cuts and quite frankly I don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

Lee said the proposed closing of the schools on the list has to do mainly with the size of the schools and not with the quality of education provided by the schools.

“If the tax doesn’t pass then I will make recommendations to the Board and it will be up to the Board to decide,” he said. “If the Board doesn’t agree with my proposal then they will have to decide what action needs to be taken. Let’s be clear on this. I don’t want this school to close. I like this school and I think small community schools like this are important to our School System, but hard choices will have to be made if the tax isn’t renewed.”

One concern raised by those in attendance was the funding for the county’s Digital Renaissance, which provides laptop computers for students in public schools.

“You’re talking about 1 percent of our district budget,” he said. “Right now our school system spends $540 per student less than the state average and in my mind you’re getting a pretty good bang for your buck because we have what I consider some of the best schools in the state. The Digital Renaissance system is money that was being spent on central office jobs and paperwork that is now being spent on technology. That money would still be spent, but in other ways and I really don’t see how we could get a better return on our investment.”

The biggest problem, Lee said, is that of the 132 school systems in the state, Baldwin County is one of 10 that have to provide $40 million in funds for the state’s other 122 school systems.

“When you’re talking about 122 versus 10 and we’re one of the 10, then we’re not likely to see that go away any time soon,” he said. “When I first came here I was told that we were required to have $16 million in funds available. At the time we had $750,000, now we have $24 million. That’s $8 million we have to spend, but if we lose $28 million in funding, that money will be depleted within a year and we will be right back where we were two years ago. I can’t let that happen.”

Information was also provided at the meeting about the Digital Renaissance. School System members also handed out buttons and signs in support of the tax and handed out information on a “Vote Yes ’12 March & Rally which will be held Sunday, Oct. 28 from Ivan Jones Stadium to Heritage Park in Foley.

Line up begins at 1:30 p.m. at the stadium on North Oak Street, west of Foley Middle School, with the parade beginning at 2 p.m. Those attending are asked to wear school colors, bring a banner and March with the high school athletes and band.

For more information on the Rally email info@investinprogress.com, visit investinprogress.com on the Internet or like Invest in Progress on Facebook.