DAPHNE, Ala. — The public is invited Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Daphne High School's Trojan Hall to discuss a question heard often since passage of the 1 percent sales tax on March 23: "What's next?"

Baldwin County has been hit hard by the oil spill crisis and its imminent threat to state and local tax revenues. 

Supporting Educational Enrichment in Daphne's Schools will hold a series of community conversations over the next six weeks in homes, churches and community sites throughout Daphne to talk with residents about priorities for developing a county-wide education plan.

As a partner with six other local education foundations now working together as the Baldwin County Education Coalition, organizers expect to conduct at least 60 such events in neighborhoods across the county including one public meeting open to all interested citizens in each high school feeder pattern.

The data generated by these discussions will form the basis for a Community Agreement that will suggest areas for improvement within the school district and identify broader local and state problems which community members must work together to pursue.  This  document - representing the ideas and expectations of hundreds of Baldwin County citizens — will be presented to Dr. Alan Lee, superintendent of schools, and the Baldwin County Board of Education later this fall as a foundation for undertaking a co-owned strategic planning process in early 2011.

The Community Conversations concept is based on the Yes We Can model of public engagement for education reform that has been used since 2002 by other Alabama communities including Mobile, Birmingham, Dothan and, most recently, Huntsville and Madison County.

For more information, contact SEEDS at (251) 656-7333 or by  email.