State Board Approves Contract For New Superintendent Michael Sentance
Alabama’s new school superintendent Michael Sentance starts work Monday with annual salary and benefits of about $240,000. But the vote to approve his contract came with controversy over how the search was handled.
A majority of the board members, including Gov. Robert Bentley, favored the contract Thursday for Michael Sentance, a consultant and former secretary of education in Massachusetts. Sentance sat through the debate over the search process and his qualifications, then thanked the board for its vote.
“I know there’s a great deal of work I have to do in this state to earn the respect and trust of the educators,” Sentence said. “My goal here is to raise the achievement of students in Alabama, so that whatever people think about Alabama, they know that their schools are good and improving.”
Board members Ella Bell and Jeff Newman questioned hiring Sentance because he withdrew his name from consideration in June and resubmitted it after the deadline for applications.
“Of all the hiring I’ve ever done, once you jump off the train, you’re off the train,” said Newman, a former local school superintendent. “Is it legal for us to do this?”
Gov. Bentley, who is board chairman by virtue of his position, said the board condoned the search process by going ahead and nominating Sentance at a meeting earlier this summer.
Sentence replaces Dr. Tommy Bice who resigned in March.
Trump will toss TikTok another lifeline, pushing back its sell-by date for a third time
Last year, Congress banned the app in the U.S., citing national security concerns and demanding it spin off from its Chinese owner, ByteDance. Trump said he'll once again pause enforcement of the ban.
‘I literally grew up in prison’: Juvenile lifers share struggles, pleasures of coming home
Accounts of reentry are notable as juvenile cases continue to undergo review. Attorneys and advocates say progress on reviews is halting in some states.
Social Security benefits face big cuts in 2033, unless Congress acts
Trustees of the Social Security trust fund predict the fund will be exhausted in eight years. Unless Congress acts, Social Security payments will automatically drop by 23% at that time.
Democratic lawmakers press USDA for answers on sensitive data collection
35 House members said they are troubled by the Agriculture Department's plans to collect personal data from people who applied for federal food assistance, and urged the effort to "immediately cease."
Greetings from Shenyang, China, where workers sort AI data in ‘Severance’-like ways
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.
Looking for summertime suspense? Turn up the heat with these 4 mystery novels
Maureen Corrigan recommends four great reads: El Dorado Drive, by Megan Abbott; The House on Buzzards Bay, by Dwyer Murphy; King of Ashes, by S.A. Cosby; and Murder Takes a Vacation, by Laura Lippman.