November 18, 2005 

MEMO:    Daphne City Council members, Mayor Fred Small, Baldwin County Board of Education members, School Superintendent Faron Hollinger, Downtown Redevelopment Authority

FROM: SEEDS

RE: November 8^th Focus Group Meeting

CC: Principals of Daphne Elementary North, Daphne Elementary South, Daphne East Elementary, Daphne Middle, Daphne High and Christ the King School; Olde Towne Daphne West Association      

Last week SEEDS convened a meeting of representatives of those groups to whom this memo is directly addressed to discuss some of the issues related to the recently approved K-6 school to be built on the south campus of Daphne Elementary. There appear to be many questions about the new school and how it will be impact the City of Daphne. It was our desire to facilitate constructive dialogue among the various groups who are responsible for the school and control its destiny and those whom the changes will affect – both directly and indirectly. 

Those present included: Mayor Fred Small, City of Daphne; Dr. Faron Hollinger, BCPS superintendent; Starke Irvine, Daphne Downtown Redevelopment Authority; Joe Cleveland, school architect and SEEDS member; Mike Keating, BCPS director of building and construction; Tracy Roberts, BCBE member; Denise Schmidt, BCBE president; Bob Wills, BCBE member; Greg Burnham, Daphne City Council president; Ron Scott, Daphne City Council member; Ruth Seawell, SEEDS president; Denise D’Oliveira, SEEDS communication chairperson.

Besides providing a working format for effective communication, the two-hour meeting allowed for issues, questions and ideas to be placed on the table for future consideration and discussion. As a result, the group agreed that each party had a better understanding of the factors influencing others’ viewpoints as these relate to the difficult task of updating existing facilities to address current needs and projected growth.

While logistics and open meeting laws prevented SEEDS from including more representatives in the discussion, we want to share with all of you the issues explored by the group. It is our hope that these topics will continue to be discussed and solutions explored within the various interest groups. We hope you will join us for future town meetings and focus group gatherings. SEEDS will continue to look for opportunities to foster similar discussions between the Daphne community and the Baldwin County Board of Education.

Issues considered:

• Difficulty of acquiring affordable property in Baldwin County’s for future school construction given the current real estate market;
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements driving instructional changes such as movement toward more K-6 configurations;
• Traffic issues on Main Street in Olde Daphne relative to the proposed new Daphne Elementary South campus;
• Appropriate targeted enrollment – current proposed 1,000 vs. a desirable 600;
• Appropriate campus acreage ranging from 15-25 acre;
• The historical significance of the DESS campus;
• Clarification of growth study factors -- Daphne condos, future growth in Lake Forest, private school population;
• Unique school design for Olde Town Daphne community – Italianate style desired;
• Additional future capital needs for Daphne’s schools – i.e., an additional elementary school;
• Transition of students during school construction;
• Communication with teachers and administrators, especially regarding the merging of the two schools;
• Communication with parents and the public.

 Proposed solutions:

• Traffic study (a cooperative study is currently under way between the City of Daphne and the Baldwin County Board of Education);
• Exploration of creative land purchase options within the Daphne school district utilizing local landowners, neighborhood associations and/or developers;
• Changing attendance zones to handle growth and traffic issues;
• Improved communications by the central administration with DESS and DESN principals and teachers during the planning process;
• Use of local funding initiatives to supplement or expedite capital projects;
• Use of an Italianate design consistent with other Old Towne Daphne buildings;
• Preservation of the historical significance of the DESS campus with restoration of the old office building as a possible museum, monument, etc.
• Improvement of the BCBE website for disseminating information on board initiatives and capital projects;
• Relocation of monthly school board meetings to school campuses throughout the county giving the public a better opportunity to participate.

 Immediate Recommended Actions:

• SEEDS will work with the Mayor’s office to contact the Lake Forest Homeowners’ Association to explore land purchase options;
• School board members and BCPS central office officials will follow through with their original commitment to work directly with principals and teachers to solicit their input regarding the proposed new school;
• Daphne City Council members will learn more about local funding initiatives for selected capital projects such as a new sports complex, a third K-6 school, as well as funding for instructional initiatives such as a career technical program in nursing, the International Baccalaureate Program, etc.

Conclusion:

By the conclusion of the meeting it was clear that providing quality education as well as a quality way of life for all of Daphne’s citizens is complicated by the incredible growth of our community and by the constraints and limitations that are inherent as a result of federal mandates and limited funds. However, in light of these difficulties, two clear goals emerged:

• A desire on the part of the BCBE to establish K-6 schools;
• A desire by Daphne’s municipal and civic leaders to have elementary schools that are smaller and more neighborhood-oriented in order to promote a village concept that facilitates walking and reduces traffic.

 A commitment was made by those present to do their best to look for opportunities to achieve both these goals.

Respectfully submitted

Ruth Cardinal Seawell

SEEDS President