B’ham Schools Submit State-Mandated Plan
State schools chief Tommy Bice (center right), Birmingham Mayor William Bell (lower left) and other area leaders look on with concern at a contentious April 2012 board meeting that helped trigger state intervention.
The Birmingham School system today submitted a detailed cost-cutting plan, fulfilling the first part of a
state-mandated deadline.
Though sources said compiling the latest plan, which includes significant administrative staff cuts, was
intensely difficult, an even bigger challenge may await. The local school board — which has been plagued
by infighting on issues far less complicated and emotional than discharging staff — must approve at least
part of the cost-cutting plan at its meeting on Tuesday. If not, the Alabama State Department of
Education will likely take control of the district’s finances.
Deputy State Superintendent Craig Pouncey said Birmingham Superintendent Craig Witherspoon has
been in direct communication with the local board in preparation for Tuesday’s vote. School officials
would not share names on the latest iteration of the cost-cutting plan, at least before Tuesday’s
meeting, which Dr. Ed Richardson will attend. Richardson is the leader of the team investigating
Birmingham schools since April.
Pouncey and other sources said the local board will likely receive a two-part proposal. The one to be
voted on Tuesday includes various cost-cutting measures; the one to be voted on the following week
will include the exact positions to be eliminated from the central office. Complicated contractual and
tenure requirements are one reason for the slower timeline for the second part of the plan.
DHS ends Temporary Protected Status for thousands from Nicaragua and Honduras
Some 76,000 people from Nicaragua and Honduras were covered by TPS, which provides protection from deportation and grants work permits to people from certain nations affected by war or natural disasters.
BRICS nations push back as Trump warns of tariffs
Leaders of the BRICS group of emerging economies meeting for their annual summit had hoped to downplay any differences with the U.S. But even a toned down group proclamation drew the ire of President Trump.
DOJ says no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a ‘client list’ or blackmailed associates
The two-page memo outlines the "exhaustive review" the department conducted of the Epstein files in its possession, and also reiterates that Epstein died by suicide, contrary to some conspiracy theories.
Floods are getting more dangerous around the country, not just in Texas
The deadly floods in Central Texas were caused by extremely heavy rain. Climate change is causing even more rain to fall during the heaviest storms.
Near old Montana mine, special clinic for asbestos-related illness fights to survive
The Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, closed in May after a court judgment. The clinic's federal funding is also threatened. Patients with scarred lungs worry about what's next.
4 things to know about the deadly Texas floods and ongoing search efforts
Search efforts continue for the dozens of people still missing after Friday's floods, as questions swirl over what went wrong. Here's what we know so far.
