Ala. Legislature Passes Ed Budget, Teacher Pay Raise
The Alabama state legislature today approved an education budget and a teacher pay raise. Conference committees approved the measures Thursday afternoon and Governor Robert Bentley has indicated his support. Assuming he signs the legislation, teachers and other educators making less than $75,000 per year, plus all principals and assistant principals, will get a four percent raise in fiscal 2017. Teachers and other educators making more than $75,000 will get a two percent bump.
The $6.3 billion education budget is Alabama’s largest since 2008. Bentley released a statement praising that fact and more.
Some context: Alabama’s school spending per student has dropped more than most other states’ since the recession. Legislators also cut a small bonus for retired educators from the new budget.
U.S. attacks Iranian mine-laying vessels near Hormuz on Day 12 of war
Attacks and counterattacks continued throughout the Middle East Wednesday. Two cargo ships were struck in the Gulf, as some lawmakers in Washington pressed for answers on the war's rationale.
Americans are split on wanting the National Guard to monitor voting, a new poll finds
Nearly half of Americans support the National Guard monitoring November's elections, potentially signaling an openness to the sort of nationalizing of elections that President Trump says he wants.
The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector
The Department of Justice is quietly restarting a decades-dormant program to restore gun rights to felons. One of them was an alleged fake elector in 2020.
Federal oversight protects student borrowers. Some of it has stopped, watchdog says
Without this Education Department oversight, borrowers could "be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts" and more, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says.
2025 saw relatively fewer natural disasters. Will you get a break on home insurance?
Disaster costs fell in the U.S. in 2025. Still, it was the fourth time in five years that extreme weather inflicted more than $100 billion in annual losses. Industry experts say the growing financial toll will make insurers wary of rushing to cut rates.
The shadowy world of merchant cash advances
During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve found a new market: small businesses that desperately need cash to pay tariffs.Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold.Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour. Related episodes: Can I get my tariff money back now? Three ways companies are getting around tariffs For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
