Prattville weighs funding pledge for Autauga County schools, new high school

Prattville leaders spent more than two hours Monday weighing whether the city should make a clearer financial commitment to Autauga County schools and how much road work a new high school could force onto Old Ridge Road. The Prattville City Council had set the work session to address the Autauga County Board of Education’s funding request, and Council President Michael Whaley said the city was looking for a firmer answer for Superintendent Lyman Woodfin so school leaders can decide what is feasible.

The discussion centered on a proposed Prattville High School campus near Central Alabama Community College, a project Woodfin pitched as part of a broader district repair and construction strategy. In a March proposal, Woodfin asked Prattville and the Autauga County Commission to contribute between $5 million and $6 million each year toward a $150 million school project, while the school board would add $2 million to $3 million annually. Woodfin said the project could break ground in January 2027 and open for the 2029 school year if financing comes together.

The site plan carries a transportation bill as well as an education one. Scott Cauthen of Skipper Consulting told the council that the school site, combined with nearby residential growth and activity from Central Alabama Community College, could add about 5,400 vehicle trips per day to the Old Ridge Road corridor. By 2030, traffic there could approach 18,000 vehicles daily, a volume Cauthen said would move the road close to the point where additional lanes would likely be needed.

City officials have already discussed a transportation planning phase that could include traffic counts, roadway capacities, traffic signal needs, utility relocation, alternate routes and preliminary engineering for the school. The recommended fixes include widening portions of Old Ridge Road, changing roundabouts and adding turn lanes. The city estimated the work could cost between $7 million and $8 million, not including possible improvements at the Highway 31 intersection.

John Chambers said Old Ridge Road already serves as the main outlet for nearby neighborhoods and the interstate, making the corridor especially vulnerable if the school goes forward. The city commissioned the traffic study after residents raised questions about the location.

Woodfin has spent more than a year pressing local governments for a funding agreement, arguing that Autauga County schools cannot move ahead on long-delayed repairs and construction without local participation. He has also pointed to deteriorating facilities, rising competition from private and charter schools and financial pressure on the district. The proposed campus on the Central Alabama Community College campus would pair career and technical education with a military-preparedness wing, a pitch aimed in part at military families connected to Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Air Force Base. Autauga County Schools already supports military-connected students through Purple Star-related services and military family life counselors.

The district also raised the new high school at its State of Schools presentation on May 6.