Education News in Alabama

November 1, 2006 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

VOTERS TO DECIDE SCHOOL FUNDING ISSUE
Voters throughout Alabama will decide a school funding issue in the Nov. 7 general election.  Amendment 2 on ballots statewide is a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the match that local school systems must have to receive state funding.

State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton says the change would make school funding in Alabama more equitable. More information from Morton, including system-specific figures, is available at http://www.alsde.edu/general/equity.pdf

The amendment would not change the match’s size. The amount of the match is equal to the money brought in by 10 mills of property tax in that district.

In Alabama, the vast majority of school dollars come from the state. The local match is necessary to receive state funding.

Amendment 2 would change what sources of revenue can be used for the match. At present, most school systems meet the match requirement with property taxes alone.

But some school systems do not have 10 mills of local property taxes for education. The state constitution currently lets those systems make up the difference with other kinds of taxes. Sales taxes are the most popular way to fill the gap.

Under Amendment 2, the match could only be composed of property taxes. That would mean that property taxes would have to increase in some school districts.

Property taxes are more progressive than sales taxes, meaning they don’t weigh more heavily on lower-income taxpayers than higher-income taxpayers. Property tax revenue is also more stable.

The Alabama State Department of Education estimates that at least 30 school systems have fewer than 10 mills of local property taxes for education. But there are technical issues about how to categorize some systems.

According to state officials, no system has fewer than seven mills of property tax. If voters approve the amendment, the necessary three-mill tax increase would cost $30 a year on a $100,000 house. The increase would potentially free up locally generated dollars to spend on extra teachers, additional classes or other local priorities.

For a detailed analysis of the issue, please visit the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, http://parca.samford.edu/Summer2006.pdf

TOP TEACHERS WIN CASH

Two Alabama educators recently received the “Oscars of Teaching” during surprise announcements at their schools. Shannon Brandt, a fourth-grade teacher at Wrights Mill Road Elementary in Auburn, and Lynn McCain, a fifth-grade science and reading teacher at J.E. Turner Elementary in Wilmer, were selected.

As recipients of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards, both teachers will receive checks for $25,000. The money can be spent however they choose. At the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference, winners will engage in professional development and become part of a national network of outstanding educators who are working to improve schools.

Wrights Mill Road Elementary is part of Auburn City Schools, and J.E. Turner Elementary is part of the Mobile County Public School System.

Brandt and Wrights Mill Road are leaders in the Best Practices Center's Powerful Conversations Network. Additionally, she was one of three Wrights Mill Road teachers invited to attend Microsoft's U.S. Innovative Teacher Forum earlier this year.

MADDOX NAMED TECH LEADER OF THE YEAR

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) named Alabama’s own Dr. Melinda Maddox the SETDA Leader of the Year for 2006.

Maddox, who directs the Office of Technology Initiatives for the Alabama State Department of Education, oversaw the successful launch of the state’s comprehensive distance learning program, Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS).

ACCESS makes it possible for high school students to take classes that otherwise would not be available at their school. The most popular classes so far are foreign language and various Advanced Placement courses, which are more rigorous and can lead to college credit.

In its first semester last spring, ACCESS had 650 enrollments (students taking classes, though some students may have taken more than one ACCESS class) at 24 pilot sites. During the summer, three support centers were established for e-teachers and facilitators. Summer enrollment numbered 913, and fall enrollment topped 3,000.

Maddox, who serves on SETDA’s board of directors, was selected by her peers across the country.

SETDA, the principal association representing the state directors for educational technology, works to improve student achievement through technology.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

A new report shows how schools and districts have successfully used longitudinal data – how each child is doing over time – to improve student achievement. The report (http://snipurl.com/10w3w <http://snipurl.com/10w3w> ) comes from the Data Quality Campaign, a national group that monitors state data systems and promotes best practices. Alabama’s State Department of Education has made meaningful progress in this area, meeting six of 10 key criteria. State officials are continuing to work on the others.

BCA PRAISES STATE’S CAREER/TECH PROGRAMS

William J. Canary, president and chief executive officer of the Business Council of Alabama, congratulated the Alabama State Department of Education on the announcement that Career/Technical Education programs had earned international recertification.

“From a business standpoint, its importance can’t be overstated,” Canary said. “Alabama employers will benefit tremendously from access to a work force that has been taught under high-quality, ISO-certified conditions.”

Just a few years ago, the Alabama State Department of Education became the first state education agency to earn certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the world’s largest developer of business and industry standards. The state was recently recertified for three years.

“This certification lets the business community know that the process used to evaluate our career/technical education programs is as thorough as the process they use to evaluate their companies,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph Morton.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

The Alabama State Board of Education met for a K-12 work session Oct. 26. Such meetings are designed to prepare for upcoming meetings, and no votes are taken. All board members were present.

Marc Reynolds, deputy director of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, briefed board members on possible changes to the way the state pays for retiree health insurance. Historically, the state has just paid the cost each year.

But the Governmental Accounting Standards Board is beginning to require states to estimate how much it will cost to pay health insurance premiums for retirees and current employees who will one day need retiree health insurance.

This is what accountants call an unfunded liability, and for Alabama’s retired school employees it amounts to $14.6 billion. This unfunded liability has always been there, but the new reporting requirement will make it more expensive for the state to borrow money.

One solution would be to create a trust fund for the Public Education Employees’ Health Insurance Plan (PEEHIP). Reynolds said that eventually investment income from the trust fund could pay the majority of the cost.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph Morton said he supports creating a new trust fund, calling it a “logical, long-term solution to this issue.”

PEEHIP’s governing board will recommend a solution. The Legislature would have to create a new trust fund when lawmakers convene in March.

Morton said he thinks the revenue projections will allow the state to give all education employees a modest raise and start an employee contribution for retiree health insurance. The salary increase could fully offset the new fee, Morton said.

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The A+ Education Foundation, based in Montgomery, publishes Education News in Alabama twice a month. A+ is a nonprofit organization that advances policies, programs and initiatives in Alabama's K-12 education system that result in high achievement by every child.

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