Alabama Accountability Act
Major bills cross the finish line with one day left in legislative session
Gov. Kay Ivey signed both budgets and supplemental spending packages Thursday. A plan to reduce the state sales tax on food is on the way to her desk as well.
Budgets head to the governor after early morning vote
Alabama lawmakers gave final passage to an $8.8 billion education budget and $3 billion general fund budget early Friday morning. That doesn’t count supplemental spending plans.
Birmingham School Superintendent Receives 3.55 out of 5 in Evaluation
Birmingham’s school superintendent has “met expectations and goals for improvement” according to an evaluation presented at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Most Birmingham-Area Schools Improve From Last Year in Latest Report Card, But Work Still Needed
Two Birmingham-area school systems scored better than last year on the 2018-2019 annual Education Report Card issued by the Alabama State Department of Education.
One-Third of Alabama’s Failing Schools Are in the Birmingham Metro Area
The Alabama State Department of Education has posted its list of the state’s failing public schools, and 25 Birmingham metro-area public schools are on it. Statewide, 76 public schools are on the list.
Alabama School Report Card Shows Mostly Improvements, and Some Big Leaps, by Birmingham-Area Schools
Several schools in the Birmingham metro area show significant improvements in achievement in this year’s Alabama State Report Card, which grades the performance of public schools.
Education Activists Seek to Rescind Hire of Ala. Superintendent
About three dozen people organized by education advocate Larry Lee have signed on to be plaintiffs in pending legal action intended to rescind the hiring of Alabama Superintendent Michael Sentance.
Trisha Powell Crain on Top Education Stories of 2015
This year has been extremely busy on the Alabama education beat: a study commissioned by the state education department itself called school funding inadequate and unequal; state Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh floated a draft bill that could, among other seismic shifts, tie teacher pay to student test results; and, as Alabama School Connection’s Trisha […]
Trisha Powell Crain Talks Money, Politics, and More in Alabama Education
There's never a shortage of stories coming from Alabama's schools. But before WBHM's and the Southern Education Desk's "Issues and Ales" education forum Thursday evening, we wanted to shed as much light as possible on the big picture behind the headlines. For better or worse, that backdrop always includes money and therefore politics. So our education reporter Dan Carsen sat down with Alabama School Connection founder and BirminghamWatch contributor Trisha Powell Crain to talk about that and more.
Senate Passes Prison Reform Bill,Draft General Fund Budget “Bleak”
Prison reform and the General Fund budget were at the top of the agenda for Alabama legislators this week. Thursday, the Alabama senate passed a comprehensive bill aimed at relieving Alabama’s overcrowded prison system. Earlier this week, state lawmakers got a sneak peek at what the budget could look like next fiscal year if the state pulls in no new revenue.
