BY STEVEN STIEFEL

FOR THE OBSERVER

LEE COUNTY — At its November meeting, the Lee County Board of Education approved an option for realigning Smiths Station elementary schools to account for funding shortages blamed on dwindling enrollment over the past decade.

For the 2026 school year, the student population for the four Smiths Station Elementary schools is projected to be about 2,018 students. The funding for teacher units comes from state foundation or local funds. The funding for buildings comes from capital outlay funding, such as state issued funding or board-acquired bonds, and those funds cannot be used for salaries.

“State Foundation Units” are Alabama’s way of deciding how much money each school gets for instruction, grouping students into “units.” Basically, schools get more

See Full Page