Recapping important State Board of Education policy decisions for you
Here are our key takeaways from the October 8th State Board of Education board meeting and work session. Governor Ivey and all board members were present at the board meeting. Click here to see the agenda for the full meeting and work session.
Next month, the board will recognize and honor A+ College Ready Schools of Distinction, Excellence, and Achievement.
This month, the board wore red for Dyslexia Awareness Month. Towards the end of the meeting, Dr. Mackey acknowledged and thanked the Alabama Reading Initiative staff, support, advocates, and everyone in the state who works in reading and literacy instruction, and shared that “reading is the foundation of everything we do.”
Top 5 Takeaways
Public School Enrollment Decline
During the work session, Dr. Mackey shared preliminary student enrollment information with the board. He stated that the ALSDE estimates a 12,000-student decline compared to last year. This number includes public school, public charter school, and public virtual school students. It does not include private school or homeschool students. This is the largest decline in Alabama’s history. The final enrollment numbers will be published by the end of next week.
Dr. Mackey shared that the ALSDE is looking into why the state is experiencing this decline. Students who are not enrolled in Alabama schools this year who were enrolled last year may have transitioned to private schools or homeschools, and are taking advantage of the CHOOSE Act. Some students may have enrolled in other states. They may still be in Alabama, or they may have moved elsewhere and not enrolled in school. There are also fewer students entering kindergarten, a trend that follows a national decline in birth rates. Dr. Mackey said that he would share more when they have more information.
These numbers are not finalized yet, but a decline in enrollment this large will have profound impacts on schools. Dr. Mackey estimated that the 12,000-student decline could result in about 800 full-time teacher units being cut and a large decrease in the Foundation Program budget through the Education Trust Fund. This is because the Foundation Program, our resource-based funding model, calculates teacher units and school resources based on student enrollment.
Alabama Numeracy Act Math Course Sequence Approval for Educator Preparation Programs
During the meeting, the board unanimously voted to approve the Numeracy Course Sequence changes to Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs). This approval follows a presentation in September on the updates to the math course sequence for educator preparation programs. Prior to the Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA), early childhood, elementary, and K-6 special education math course requirements for prospective teachers included four math courses from the math department and one math methods course. ANA changed these requirements to four courses that integrate elementary math content and pedagogy. This change ensures that teachers are prepared to actually teach the math their students are learning based on the Alabama Math Course of Study, rather than learning more advanced math that is less relevant to elementary students. Every college in Alabama that prepares math teachers has made this change.
For more information on the Alabama Numeracy Act, check out our explainer, and for more information on this change, read September’s Across the Board.
Fiscal Year 2028 Education Trust Fund Budget Request
During the meeting, the board unanimously approved the ALSDE’s FY 2028 budget request. The board discussed the ALSDE’s budget request line-by-line in August and September. Today, they voted to approve the budget and send it to the governor’s office. Governor Ivey’s finance team will create a “skeleton budget” using the departmental requests and share it with the incoming governor when he takes office. The incoming governor will then have until the second Tuesday in February to finalize his budget and submit it to the legislature.
Dr. Mackey shared that the budget prioritized adolescent literacy and the need to support students as they leave third grade so they can stay on or above grade level as they prepare for high school.
For more information about what is in the ALSDE’s budget request, check out September’s Across the Board.
Summer and Afterschool Learning Updates
During the work session, the board heard from Bonnie Short of the Alabama Reading Initiative and Jeff Norris of the Office of Extended Learning on summer and afterschool programs. This office facilitates the summer camps required by the Alabama Literacy Act (ALA) and Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA), as well as before and afterschool programs, tutoring, enrichment, and credit recovery or advancement programs. These programs are funded by many sources that have increased significantly over the last several years, including $25 million from the Education Trust Fund, $30 million from the Supplemental Appropriation, Alabama Reading Initiative Program Grants, and federal ASAP Grants. This summer, 29,633 students attended K-3 Reading Camps, and 8,809 students attended the 4th and 5th-grade Reading Camps.
Public Education Employee Injury Compensation Program
During the work session, the board approved a resolution for the Public Education Employee Injury Compensation Program. Dr. Mackey shared that the new workers’ compensation fund for public education employees takes effect this month. Until now, public education employees have not been covered by workers’ compensation. Legislation was passed and signed by Governor Ivey in 2025, and superintendents will receive the resolution’s guidance next month. Dr. Mackey thanked the Legislature and Governor Ivey and noted that this follows last year’s creation of paid parental leave as part of an effort to align educator benefits with the private sector.
The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 10 am at the auditorium in the Gordon Persons building in Montgomery, Alabama. The work session will be held at the same location at 11 a.m. or immediately following the State Board Meeting.
