Baldwin County schools ready to settle with BP

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA) - The Baldwin County School System said it must settle with BP this month or possibly lose millions of dollars.

"We're to the point that we're ready to settle and go on about our business, and we've reached this legal snag: Who is responsible for the board's claim?" said Terry Wilhite with the Baldwin County School System.

Superintendent Dr. Alan Lee is asking the Baldwin County Commission to let the school system collect its own claim.

BP has agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle. If the school system does settle, it would also get $2.5 million from the state's emergency fund.

The county has now stepped in, claiming schools lost much more because of the spill. The county has filed its own larger claim, which includes money for schools and has offered to give the school system money ahead of time.

"It's a win-win for the school board. They get the money they want immediately without settling with BP, and we continue to fight for additional money for the school board," said commissioner Tucker Dorsey.

The offer to the school system is an advance of $2.4 million from the county. In return, the commission would be able to continue on with its claim with BP as is, with the school system included. The commission voted to send the proposal to the school system for review.

The county commission's claim with BP is estimated at more than $11 million. One issue facing the school board is tet state money matching the bp claim. If the system does not settle by the end of the month, that money would go back to the state.