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Baldwin County Board of Education approves contracts, personnel items and the 2026–27 calendar; buys “Magic School AI”
Summary
At its Oct. 23 meeting the Baldwin County Board of Education approved multiple contracts and personnel actions, granted an easement to the City of Foley, approved an MOU with juvenile court, and adopted the 2026–27 school calendar on a 6–1 vote; the board also approved the purchase of a product described in the agenda as “Magic School AI.”
Baldwin County Board of Education members on Oct. 23 approved a slate of contracts, personnel actions and the 2026–27 school calendar, and voted to enter executive session to discuss real estate.
The board adopted the 2026–27 school calendar (Option D) on a recorded vote of 6 to 1 after the superintendent recommended that option. The chair announced the tally as "6 to 1." No further detail on the calendar options or the dissenting member's reason was recorded in the public minutes.
During the meeting the board approved several vendor and service agreements listed in the agenda exhibits. Actions included approval of low bidders and bid extensions for goods and services; a one‑year professional services agreement with Engineered Cooling Services (ECS Controls) to begin 11/01/2025 for direct digital control preventative maintenance and remote access for building control systems; a contract with Brain Spring (Phonics First) for professional development; purchase of Renaissance (DNA) for the 2025–26 school year; and a district purchase described in the agenda as "Magic School AI." The superintendent presented each recommendation and the board approved them by motion and voice vote as listed in the agenda exhibits.
The board also approved personnel actions provided under separate cover, including leaves of absence, retirements and resignations, intent to transfer staff, rescission of employment, new hires, and extra work assignments for extended periods. The board approved team teacher contracts and authorized the superintendent to take necessary actions to implement those contracts. A staff member credited Dr. Jonathan Crawford with managing the teams contracts and said the district is allotted 154 math and 154 science team contracts and expects to use nearly all allotments.
Other approved items included a memorandum of understanding between the juvenile court of Baldwin County and the Baldwin County Public School System and authorization for an easement to the utilities board of the City of Foley for property at Central Bowen Middle School. The board selected representatives to serve as voting delegates at the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB) 2025 convention; three board members volunteered and were certified by voice vote after several members said they would not attend.
Before adjourning into executive session for real estate discussions, a board member read a written statement for the record cautioning members of the public to correctly identify "the board" (the seven elected members) versus system employees when commenting on social media.
What happens next: The board moved into a 30‑minute executive session to discuss real estate possibilities. The meeting minutes state the board did not expect to take action immediately after the executive session, but they also recorded that the board would not reconvene the public meeting that night.
