Principal Patricia Carlton said this week that the Fairhope K-1 Center will be open to students this school year, albeit in a somewhat different role than in the past. The school is currently accepting registrations only for Fairhope kindergarten students, Carlton said. First and second grade classes that were previously taught at the K-1 Center have now been moved to the recently-completed Fairhope Elementary School on Section Street.

As recently as April, the Baldwin County School Board debated whether to shutter the aging building completely and move all its students to the Elementary School. Closing the campus could save the system hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance, personnel and logistics costs.

Last year, the K-1 center enrolled 245 kindergarten students and 220 students in higher grades. This year, 39 teachers will remain on its payroll.

“Having only one grade level will make it easier to focus on instruction and fill the needs of the students,” Carlton said. “We’ve got an exciting year to look forward to.”

School board spokesman Terry Wilhite said yesterday that “all systems are go” for classes at the “K-Center” this year, although its future beyond that is unclear.

“The future of the K-Center was put into the hands of the new superintendent, and he is evaluating its use beyond this year,” Wilhite said.

Dr. Alan T. Lee accepted the role of superintendent last month, and is currently getting familiar with the system’s assets. In place of the relocated first grade, the K-Center will also accommodate several special needs classes this year with students from around the county.

Wilhite said about the changes that the system was trying to find “the best use of the facilities and resources.”