School Funding In Mountain Brook: Local Support Fills The Gap

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Alabama is, unfortunately, known nationwide for its poor education funding, ranking last or close to last in every funding category. This has left many individual school systems to take up the slack, as Mountain Brook has done, and is aiming to do with an upcoming tax vote.

Alabama increased its K-12 formula funding by 1 percent per student last year. But that funding is still far below pre-recession levels: 15 percent less per student after adjusting for inflation.

Alabama was 45th nationally in spending per student at $9,636 in 2018. The Education Trust Fund is funded primarily through taxes, the largest of which are the individual and corporate income tax, sales tax, utility tax, and use tax.

The state divvies up tax dollars through a formula, mainly based on the number of students and schools, but then deducts the equivalent of 10 mills of property tax. That's a big deduction in wealthy areas, where property values are high, and a small deduction in rural areas. It's meant to help poorer systems.

This means that when the economy is hurting, so are Alabama's schools. To make up for budget shortfalls, local school systems have to raise local property taxes to help fund their schools.

Funding Sources

Here is how funding in Mountain Brook Schools breaks down, according to the Alabama Department of Education:

The September Tax Vote

Mountain Brook voters will get a chance to decide on raising their property taxes this fall, an increase that will go toward the school system. The vote is set for September 24.

Mountain Brook's millage rate is already at 99 mills, and the proposed increase would add $6 million to the school system every year, which would go toward capital projects and improvements in school safety, mental health services and professional development opportunities.

If residents approve the millage increase, residents would begin paying higher property taxes in 2020. The funds would enable Mountain Brook Schools to make about $60 million in improvements over the next 16 to 20 years.

The last property tax increase in Mountain Brook was approved in 1991.

Superintendent Dicky Barlow said improvements include adding school resource officers, increasing focus on student mental health issues, ensuring that schools are well-staffed and offering professional development opportunities for faculty.

"This isn’t just for the near future," Barlow said. "This is for the next 20 years, 30 years of our school system."