Mobile County school board reviews policy updates, large contracts and a proposed summer four-day work week

The Mobile County Public School Board of Education met in work session on March 18, 2026, reviewing a package of policy updates, dozens of vendor contracts and calendar and personnel items ahead of the next board meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Brackens reviewed a series of policy amendments and compliance items, including C2 (the Seizure Safe Schools Management Plan) and C3 (the comprehensive school emergency operations plan), saying staff had “tweaked some of the language” to adhere to state statutory requirements. Board staff also noted that security plans are protected under the Open Meetings Act and therefore were not posted as PDFs; physical copies were offered to board members for review.

Board members were presented with a slate of procurements and grants. Notable items included C7, a Department of Defense grant for a JROTC Leadership Academy summer residential STEM workforce development intervention totaling $1,735,680; C26, a Theodore High School chiller replacement awarded to the lowest bidder, Donaghey, for $1,193,000 from ANT funds; and C27, a Maryvale maintenance shop fuel-station cost decrease of $35,600, bringing that project to $949,400 from local funds. The superintendent also outlined numerous software and professional-development contracts funded via RAISE Act, Title I and school improvement funds, including Jigsaw Learning subscriptions, Riverside Assessment testing services ($169,217.49) and Follett textbook barcoding ($129,639).

A proposed central-office summer work schedule (C6) would move to a four-day week from Monday, June 1, 2026, through Friday, July 17, 2026, with a return to five days on Monday, July 22, 2026. Staff said the change is listed for board approval.

On school programming and smaller agreements, the agenda included site licenses for Renaissance Learning at several schools, IXL software for Central Mall High School ($8,495) and consultant services including a governmental relations contract at $7,000 per month. The agenda also listed student expulsions (F-1 through F-5) under separate cover and informational items such as monthly financials (G-1) and purchase orders over $5,000 (G-2).

Two items (C28 and C33) were pulled from the agenda for further vetting; staff said one was a duplicate and both require more review before being returned to the board. The board attorney told members that three employment agreements (one delivered 3/5 and two on 3/13) will require action at the full board meeting; members confirmed they had received the documents.

The meeting proceeded through the consent agenda preview (D-1 through D-14) and flow-through item E-1 for private and parochial schools with no questions; the work session concluded after a motion and second to adjourn, and a voice vote in favor was recorded. Specific vote tallies were not provided in the transcript.

“I had an opportunity to go down to the career fair,” one board member said, adding that “prior to the opening we had almost 800 to 1,000 more people than we had the previous year sign up for that,” and praising staff for the event.

Next steps: several items — including the pulled items C28 and C33, the employment agreements and the listed action items — will be taken up for formal action at the next board meeting; staff also offered protected copies of the emergency operations plan for member review.