Eric Mackey Named State School Superintendent
Eric Mackey is Alabama’s new state superintendent of education. The state Board of Education selected Mackey today after interviewing three finalists. The other two finalists were Craig Pouncey of Jefferson County Schools and Kathy Murphy of Hoover City Schools.
Mackey is executive director of School Superintendents of Alabama, a group that promotes public education in Alabama around the country, according to its website. He began his career in education as a teacher at Saks High School in Anniston in 1993. He was an assistant principal and a principal in Jacksonville City Schools before becoming superintendent of that system in 2002. He left that job in 2010 to work for School Superintendents of Alabama.
“This selection is, without question, the most important decision entrusted to the current board,” Ivey said. “It was imperative that we make the best selection possible, and I think we have done that.”
The state Board of Education voted by ballot instead of using a voice vote as they have in the past. In August 2016, it took several voice votes for the board to decide on Michael Sentance. Before coming to Alabama, Sentance had been an education consultant in Massachusetts. He served as Alabama’s superintendent for about a year before resigning.
Mackey narrowly beat Pouncey for the job. He received five votes, and Pouncey received four. Gov. Kay Ivey cast her ballot for Mackey. Jeff Newman, Mary Scott Hunter, Betty Peters and Cynthia McCarty also voted for Mackey. Board members Yvette Richardson, Ella Bell, Stephanie Bell and Jackie Ziegler voted for Pouncey.
Here’s what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood
What makes rents go down and neighborhood diversity go up? Corporate landlords. But they also make it harder to own for yourself.
Here they are: The best student podcasts in America
For the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, we've listened to nearly 2,000 entries from around the U.S., and narrowed them down to 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists.
Musicians keep leaving Spotify in protest of CEO’s defense investments
In the last few months, bands including Hotline TNT and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have pulled music from Spotify in a new wave of artist-led protests against the platform.
Trump’s Medicaid cuts will hurt children’s hospitals
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
A new Nation’s Report Card shows drops in science, math and reading scores
It's the first Nation's Report Card since the Trump administration began making cuts to the U.S. Education Department. The scores reflect the state of student achievement in early 2024.
Nepal lifts social media ban following protests where police killed 19 people
Nepal's government lifted its ban on social media platforms Tuesday a day after police killed opened fire on mass street protests against the ban, killing 19 people.
