CORRECTION: In the following article, it was reported that the city of Fairhope is exploring a city schools option. This is incorrect. The city isn’t exploring a city schools option. We were happy to correct the mistake, and will make a correction in next week’s paper.

The Atmore Citizens for Change (ACC) held a public meeting Feb. 15 to discuss ways to form a city school system.

Recently, Escambia County High School was placed on the failing schools list by the Alabama Accountability Act of 2015. To be classified as a failing school, students’ standardized test scores on reading and math falls in the bottom 6 percentile of standardized test scores. The test, the ACT Aspire, is used to measure achievement in the 10th grade.

A short time after the failing schools list was released, the ACC sent notice to Mayor Jim Staff and Escambia County Schools Superintendent John Knott of their intent to explore a separation from the county school system.

During the public meeting, three speakers — ACC President Loumeek White, Retired State of Alabama Department of Education Representative Eddie Hill and Former Superintendent Kem Staley (Mississippi) — spoke about ways to form a city school system and funding.

White said a big issue is that a large number of students from Atmore are attending Northview, Escambia Academy and Flomaton.

“Why do we have to make them travel so far to go to school?” White, whose children attended Flomaton schools three years ago, said. “I graduated from here, my wife graduated from here. Why can’t my kids graduate from here? We need to figure out a way to bring our kids back home.”

White said Fairhope is starting its own city school system, and Saraland is as well. According to officials, the city of Fairhope isn’t exploring an option to start a city school system.

White said there’s a multi-step plan that needs to be followed in order for a city school system to be established in Atmore. The steps include creating a vision for the community and businesses to get behind; presenting a petition to the city council and asking for a feasibility study for the formation of a city school system; establish leadership in regard to a board of education; develop a separation plan from ECSS and get it approved by the county and state; secure buildings for the schools; hire a staff; and begin school year. According to the ACC, one plan has the city school system in place by August 2020.

Hill said if Atmore is going to start its own city school system, the city government has to buy into the plan.

“Gulf Shores recently broke away from the Baldwin County Schools System,” Hill said.

Hill spoke about the importance of making sure the city hires the right staff, and added that the state has a foundation, which aids in teacher pay.

A big part of the meeting centered around funding for the city school system, if established.

According to the ACC, the ECSS receives 60 percent of state funding, 27 percent of federal funding and 27 percent of local funding. The local funding is made up of sales taxes (Atmore is at 10 percent), ad valorem and other taxes.

“We tried to look at a city school system four years ago,” Staff said. “It was $60,000 to do the study. We looked at the and it wasn’t feasible.”

Staff added that the graduation rate has increased from 67 percent to 93 percent at ECHS, and the school increased its grade from an F to a C on the school report card.

“The school system has come a long way,” he said.

During an answer-question period, a citizen asked of the 93 percent that graduated, how many were college and career ready, and if whether the city would sit down with representatives to discuss forming a city school system, Staff said they would.

Calls and emails in regard to funding specifics weren’t answered as of press time Tuesday.