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Who Represents Your School District? You Oughta Know

State legislators are already talking about actions that might affect public education they plan to put on the table in the 2016 Regular Session, which begins February 2, 2016. State legislators have repeatedly said they really appreciate hearing from the folks back home when it...
Posted On Oct 04 2015
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2014 Legislative Session Wrapup

Yes, the session ended months ago. A number of these laws go into effect tomorrow, July 1. Most folks concerned with education haven’t had the time to really dig in to what new laws the Alabama legislature laid down during this year’s session. So here’s your...
Posted On Jun 30 2014
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We Don’t Need No Federal Dollars for Education! Or Do We?

So goes the battle cry. Particularly now that it’s election season. Candidates opine about the good old days before the United States Department of Education (USDOE) existed. Candidates enlighten us with how we Alabamians would be so much better off if we could just...
Posted On Jun 24 2014
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After the Primary, Who Is Heading to Montgomery?

After the primary, we now know who 63 of our 105 state House representatives and 16 of our 35 state Senators are for the next four years. The primary election was held on June 3. Twenty-five winning candidates (23 House and 2 Senate) are heading to Montgomery since they face no...
Posted On Jun 09 2014
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Who Are You Sending to Montgomery to Represent You? VOTE Today

Yeah, it’s June. Yeah, you’re probably not really thinking about who you will send to Montgomery to the State House for the 2015 Legislative Session. But in 32 of the 62 state legislative primary races (27 House and 5 Senate) across Alabama, the winner of the primary...
Posted On Jun 03 2014
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Which Candidates Have Indicated Their Opposition to the Common Core?

You asked for it. So here you go. Based on indicators detailed below, I have compiled a list of candidates running in the primary on Tuesday, June 3, who have indicated their opposition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) through one or more of three indicators detailed...
Posted On Jun 01 2014
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The June 3rd Primary Matters – VOTE!

Most folks don’t pay much attention to primaries. They believe the real race is run in November. But in Alabama, in many places, the real race is the primary, particularly where one party dominates the district. This is particularly true in three of the four State Board of...
Posted On May 22 2014
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The New Education-Related Laws from the 2014 Session

Click the link, read the synopsis. Check out the Current Legislation page for the final status of all education-related bills. Here’s the FY15 ETF budget, with only the items specific to K-12. (Here’s the spreadsheet.) Here’s the full FY15 ETF budget. Further...
Posted On Apr 15 2014
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Education Budget for FY15 – FINAL VERSION

UPDATE APRIL 12 – 10:00 p.m. – The Governor signed this version yesterday (April 11). This is the final version. UPDATE APRIL 3 – 8:00 p.m. – The House concurred and this budget now goes to the Governor. No pay raise was included in the legislature’s...
Posted On Apr 02 2014
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How Big of a Budgetary Priority Are Our Public Schools?

States are responsible for funding public education, right? And states fund public education by passing a budget through which monies are allocated to public schools, right? A budget is a policy tool. A budget delineates and clarifies priorities. Every year, about this time...
Posted On Mar 31 2014
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Paying to Learn: The Hidden Cost of Public Education, Part 2

Paying to learn has become a generally-accepted principle in Alabama’s public schools. As taxpayers have refused to increase funding for public education and as the state legislature continues to carve up the Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget among agencies other than...
Posted On Mar 30 2014
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Six Legislative Days Left: What’s Been Done So Far

Day 25 begins on Tuesday, March 18.  Six legislative days left. What’s been done? What’s still to come? Check out the Current Legislation page for the latest updates. The table has been modified to allow it to be sorted by where the bill is in the process of becoming...
Posted On Mar 16 2014
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Remediation Rates by District and School – Class of 2012

All this talk of College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) made me stop to remember why somebody decided creating new standards was necessary in the first place. Every source consulted agrees that one reason was to produce high school...
Posted On Mar 12 2014
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So Who Is Sponsoring the Senate Takeover of K-12 Public Education?

Three bills have been introduced to usurp the power granted to the State Board of Education (SBOE) and State Superintendent: SB380 – Provides for termination of English Language Arts and Math courses of study and revert to prior courses of study. SB438 – Calls for...
Posted On Mar 09 2014
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Senate’s Attempt to Takeover K-12 Education: Public Hearing Tuesday, March 11

Thirteen members of the Alabama Senate have come together to attempt what can only be called a takeover of K-12 public education. They all are sponsors of SB443. A public hearing has been called for Tuesday, March 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Montgomery in Room 304 (which does not have...
Posted On Mar 06 2014
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Senator Beason’s SB438: Elected State Superintendent?

UPDATE 3/15/14: Senate Education Committee has carried over this bill. Senator Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, has filed a bill calling for a Constitutional Amendment to change the State Superintendent of Education from an appointed to an elected position. SB438 would provide for the...
Posted On Mar 06 2014
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Crowdfunding: Raising Money for Our Public Schools

What is crowdfunding? It’s where you ask folks through the internet or other online means to help fund whatever it is you need or want to buy. [I used it last year to help fund this web site.] What you may not know is that our public school teachers are reaching out through...
Posted On Mar 04 2014
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Sovereign Immunity and a Student’s Bill of Rights

Sovereign immunity, simply stated, is a doctrine preventing the government or its agents from being sued. Case law currently exists protecting teachers and other public school employees from civil lawsuits when the alleged wrongdoing (the reason for the lawsuit) was done while...
Posted On Feb 18 2014
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Cyber and Virtual Schools Bills in the Pipeline

A trio of bills, HB456, HB479, and SB345 aim to create more choice for Alabama’s public school students. The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Information Technology – HB456 The first, HB456, creates the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Information...
Posted On Feb 18 2014
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Sovereign Immunity Bill – Public Hearing – Wednesday, February 12 – 1:00 p.m.

[UPDATE: I was unable to testify at the hearing. Just as I arrived in Montgomery, friends from Birmingham began urging me to return home due to impending sleet and snow. I left the meeting at 2:20. Senator Ward later told me that the bill received a favorable report from the...
Posted On Feb 12 2014
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The Hidden Cost of Public Education – Part 1: Dues and Fees

Families with children enrolled in Alabama’s K-12 public schools are footing more of the cost of public education than they were in 2007. Until now, the numbers showing exactly how much more have evaded public view. Over the next few weeks, Alabama’s state legislators...
Posted On Feb 06 2014
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The Governor’s Proposed FY15 Education Trust Fund Budget – Just the Numbers

Last week, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley unveiled his budget proposals for both the Education Trust Fund (ETF) and State General Fund (SGF) budgets. Open up the PDFs available from the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) to be dazzled and amazed. The numbers might look big, but...
Posted On Jan 23 2014
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Sovereign Immunity Bill Sails Through Committee Without the Public Ever Seeing It

HB64 received a favorable report from the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. It comes before the full House on Thursday, January 16. Sounds pretty ordinary, right? This one is different. Here’s why: HB64 was prefiled on December 18. One columnist wrote a piece about a...
Posted On Jan 15 2014
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Budget Hearings for FY15 Set for TODAY – Tuesday, January 14 – Montgomery

The Legislative Fiscal Office posted the schedule for FY15 budget hearings for the State General and Education Trust Fund budgets. The hearings will be held in the Capitol Auditorium in Montgomery. Click here for directions. Here’s the schedule for the Education Trust Fund...
Posted On Jan 14 2014
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Two Education Bills Up for Public Hearing Already!

And we’re off…..two education-related bills are already scheduled for public hearing: one this Wednesday, one on the following Wednesday. Details of where and exactly when are at the end of this post. The bill giving sovereign immunity to all education officials...
Posted On Jan 13 2014
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