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Fairhope Middle School credits 3‑mill funding for test score gains and attendance initiatives
Summary
School leaders told the council that local 3‑mill funds support intervention teachers, an in‑school 'Pirate Boost' catch‑up class, and full‑time ESL instruction. They reported improvement in ELA and math benchmarks and a drop in chronic absenteeism to under 10% trending.
Fairhope — Principal Angie Hall and Assistant Principal Katie Sheret presented a yearend overview on May 11 explaining how local 3‑mill tax funding supports Fairhope Middle School programs and student success.
The presentation highlighted classroom interventions funded by local dollars: full‑time intervention teachers, instructional aides, a mentor program for students trending toward chronic absenteeism, and the Pirate Boost program that assigns facilitators to help students make up missed coursework. The school also supports a full‑time ESL teacher, Stella Cooper, who uses a push‑in inclusion model and pull‑out instruction.
School staff said state and district assessments show growth: ELA proficiency increased from about 51% at the beginning of the year to 56% at yearend, and math proficiency grew from about 29% to 44%. Staff also emphasized the school’s high overall rating (a state report card score of 93) and external recognition, noting a high state ranking for the school.
On attendance, the school reported chronic absenteeism at roughly 11.59% last year and said incentives and mentoring have trended that number below 10% this year.
Council members thanked staff and emphasized the local voter support for the 3‑mill funding that enables sustained intervention positions and program continuity.
What happens next: School and district staff will provide comparative assessment reporting once district benchmark windows are synchronized for the new LL system so year‑to‑year comparisons are available at the start of the next school year.
