Phil Hammonds on Bold Goals for Alabama Education’s Future
Former Jefferson County School Superintendent Phil Hammonds knows a lot about public education. Before his retirement, he worked in Alabama schools and school systems for 40 years. Hammonds is now co-chair of the Bold Goals Coalition for education. It’s a group of more than 200 organizations in central Alabama collaborating to improve education and quality of life. In advance of WBHM’s and the Southern Education Desk’s “Issues and Ales” education forum this evening, Hammonds joined WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley to talk about his prescriptions for improving Alabama’s schools and what Bold Goals Education aims to do.
Dr. Phil Hammonds
Communication is Key
“Part of what Bold Goals is is bringing all these agencies, all these non-profits, all these school districts, together to say ‘Let’s begin. Let’s foster that conversation. What’s a best practice that worked within your school system, within your individual school, that we could emulate in our school system?’ Communication is at the very forefront of what we’re doing.”
Successes So Far
“School systems in Fairfield, Midfield and Bessemer recently came together and they have formed their own pre-K program. There was a school in Fairfield that was going to basically be abandoned…So rather than that building sitting there, those three communities, superintendents, and school boards came together to say ‘What is it that we could do in this building.’ Individually it might have been very difficult for any of those three systems to provide a quality, first-class pre-K program.”
Three Things Every School System Should Do
Number One: “Asking ‘What are we doing instructionally for your students?’ If a child has to work during the day, find a way where he or she can go to school at night. Should buildings be empty on Saturdays? How are we offering a sound instructional program? Solid instruction is the bedrock of what Bold Goals is about.”
Number Two: “Communicate with the community or the communities you serve. Be sure that parents, civic leaders, and government leaders know the status of where we are and where we want to be.”
Number Three: “Always be very cognizant of funding levels. Someone may say throwing money at something doesn’t solve it. Well, is the converse of that, taking money away, going to solve a challenge? How do we move forward that the resources that we had pre-2008 aren’t quite what they are now? We can’t use that as a reason we cannot, or should not, move forward. We have to find ways we can and be creative in that.”
States and cities beef up security to prepare for potential election-related violence
Washington state's governor activated the National Guard to stand by to help local law enforcement as needed. Meanwhile, extra security is in place at locations across Washington, D.C.
When will mail-in and absentee ballots be counted?
Various state rules regarding when election officials can process and count mail ballots means it will likely take some time after Election Day before the results from these ballots are fully known.
When do polls close in every state? Here’s a timeline
The Associated Press can't call any races until polls close in their respective state. Here's a breakdown of when that will happen.
How has the Electoral College survived, despite being perennially unpopular?
Despite its substantial-sounding name, the Electoral College isn’t a permanent body: It’s more of a process. For decades, a majority of Americans have wanted it to be changed.
Thousands of Pennsylvania voters have had their mail ballot applications challenged
Thousands of last-minute challenges to voters’ mail ballot applications, along with baseless claims by former President Donald Trump, are adding pressure on Pennsylvania county officials.
No more fluoride in the water? RFK Jr. wants that and Trump says it ‘sounds OK’
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s claims about fluoride in the drinking water are linked to Cold War conspiracy theories about the substance.
