By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham will hold the first of multiple public hearings on the city’s school system feasibility study on Monday, June 3 at the Pelham Municipal Courthouse.

The public hearing will be held during the Pelham City Council’s meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the courthouse, which is at 32 Philip Davis St.

During the hearing, Dr. Ira Harvey with the Decision Resources firm will present the results of the company’s Pelham school system feasibility study.

“Honestly, I hope we have a huge crowd there that night,” said City Council President Rick Hayes, noting the city will hold at least one more public hearing after the June 3 hearing. “The presentation will take about 30 or 45 minutes, and then the council will have a chance to ask questions. After that, we will open the floor to the public.”

In late March, the council agreed to pay the Decision Resources firm $30,000 to conduct the Pelham city school feasibility study.

According to the resolution passed by the council, the study will “assess the financial resources that would be available to fund a separate school system for the city of Pelham.”

The study will outline funding options for a separate Pelham city school system, and will explain the costs associated with maintaining “the current status of educational operations in the school sites comprising the proposed Pelham city school system” and the costs associated with forming a new school system and implementing new educational programs.

The study will also compare Pelham’s tax base with those of current Alabama school systems similar to Pelham.