Mobile County school board reviews 2026 budget, tax continuance and 2026 salary schedule

The Mobile County school board reviewed a resolution to continue its special ad valorem tax for capital outlay and a separate 1-mill tax for general purposes, heard a presentation on the districtwide fiscal 2026 annual budget and discussed the proposed 2026 salary schedule.

The budget and tax continuance were listed as action item C1 and C3; the 2026 salary schedule was listed as action item C4 and appeared after two public hearings on the schedule. Superintendent Dr. Crenshaw read the items into the record, including funding sources and that the salary schedule would be posted "under separate cover." Board members requested additional meetings to review pay proposals before a final vote.

Why this matters: the tax continuance and fiscal 2026 budget set the district's revenue and spending plans and determine the funding pool that supports teacher and staff pay, school programs and vendor contracts.

Board discussion focused on the salary schedule's details and next steps. One board member asked for meetings "individually or in pairs to discuss some of the raises and how you are handling those and what your proposals are." Dr. Crenshaw responded that such meetings were at the board members' discretion and noted that "even if it's after Monday and if we vote on the salary schedule, we can always go back and amend the salary schedule."

The transcript shows the items were presented and discussed; no vote or formal adoption of the tax continuance, 2026 annual budget or the salary schedule is recorded in the excerpt.

Additional context from the meeting: the superintendent enumerated other annual renewals (errors-and-omissions and liability insurance) as routine annual action items that accompany the budget process. Several members referenced prior district meetings and budget projections as background for the coming fiscal year.

Next steps noted in the meeting: board members will schedule follow-up conversations with the superintendent to review the salary proposals; the salary schedule may be amended after an initial vote if the board chooses to do so.