Recapping important State Board of Education policy decisions for you
Here are our key takeaways from the February 13th State Board of Education meeting – and what they mean for Alabama’s students. All board members were present. Click here to see the agenda for the full meeting and work session.
Top 5 Takeaways
1. Top 25 Schools in Academic Achievement and Growth Recognized
During the meeting, Dr. Mackey welcomed and congratulated a large crowd of representatives from the schools honored through the Legislative School Performance Recognition Program. The top 25 high-performing schools and the 25 most improved schools were celebrated today. The schools are listed below:
2. Overview of Revised Regulations for Educator Preparation Programs
During the work session, the board listened to an overview of a new Education Preparation chapter (Chapter 290-3-3), which will replace the Alabama Administrative Code pertaining to educator preparation. The proposed changes are the result of a long process in which the ALSDE has worked alongside educator prep programs to modernize the administrative code that regulates Alabama’s educator prep programs, responding to recent legislative changes. While the chapter has been amended many times, the board has decided to rewrite it for consistency and accuracy.
The revisions will replace the Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation (CIEP) process with a new process titled the Alabama Program Improvement for Educators (AL-PIE). The ALSDE will use this new process to evaluate educator prep programs before SBOE approval. Additional revisions include adding literacy coursework on the science of reading, numeracy standards coursework, and new requirements around computer science. To read through the full proposed revision, click here.
What’s next? These revisions were opened for the 45-day public comment period at the January board meeting and will likely be adopted at the March board meeting.
3. State Interventions for Sumter County and Bessemer City Schools
Dr. Mackey provided the semi-annual intervention report on Sumter County and Bessemer City Schools during the board meeting. The board approved a state intervention for Sumter County in August 2023. Dr. Mackey shared that since the intervention, the county has gained a chief school finance officer and submitted their budget for the 2024-2025 school year. Sumter County is in the process of combining its schools onto one campus, and construction for an elementary school is underway. Dr. Mackey shared that many students have signed up for CTE courses and there has experienced academic growth since the intervention. Overall, ACAP reading scores increased from 20.9% proficiency in 2023 to 28.4% proficiency in 2024, science scores increased from 11.7% to 17.1%, and math scores remained stagnant.
The board approved a state intervention for Bessemer City Schools in August, 2024. Daniel Boyd, Bessemer’s current superintendent, is serving as the chief administrative officer during the intervention. In the past six months, BCS has submitted their 2024-2025 budget, updated their teacher salary schedule, and started repairs on school buildings with maintenance issues.
4. Overview of the CHOOSE Act
Over the last few months, state board members have requested more information about the CHOOSE Act, a new school choice program passed by the legislature in the 2024 legislative session. Cameron Clark from the Department of Revenue joined the board during the work session to give an overview.
Parents will receive an education savings account (ESA) through a digital wallet, which families will use to pay for tuition for participating schools. Families will not directly receive a check or receive reimbursements. Families can apply for:
- $7,000 per participating student in a participating school
- $2,000 per participating student in a home education program
The total amount for the CHOOSE Act program is $100 million for the 2025-2026 school year, and the ESA funds will start being distributed in July 2025. To be eligible for the 2025-2026 school year, the student must be an Alabama citizen in grades K-12 and have a household income that does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level. The Department of Revenue representative shared that 75% of Alabama households would qualify.
Along with the income limits in the first two years, there are two additional eligibility priorities:
- The first 500 ESAs are reserved for students with special needs (IEP or 504 plan), and
- Participating students and siblings who are dependents of active-duty service members.
The application is available and will remain open until April 7, 2025, or until funding is met. Award notifications will go out on May 1, 2025. Priorities are awarded first. To read more about the CHOOSE Act, click here.
5. State Superintendent Updates – Modernizing Alabama’s School Funding Formula and the U.S. Department of Education
Dr. Mackey wrapped up the meeting with two updates. First, he updated the board on the ongoing work to modernize Alabama’s 30-year-old Foundation Program, which funds K-12 schools. A Joint Legislative Commission has been studying whether to update Alabama’s current formula to a more modern, student-weighted funding formula that would provide more money for student needs. A+ has been supporting the work of the Commission, which had its final meeting today and adopted a report that will be delivered to the full Legislature and Governor Ivey. The developing consensus of the Commission is to potentially pursue a “hybrid” model that would keep the existing Foundation Program in place but add weights on top to provide significant funding for student needs, such as poverty, special education, and English learners. Governor Ivey also included $110 million in her budget proposal from a combination of Education Trust Fund budget and reserve funds that would support the effort. Dr. Mackey stated that he supported the hybrid approach.
Finally, Dr. Mackey responded to questions regarding the Trump Administration’s recent funding cuts at the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) and its stated desire to get rid of the department entirely. Dr. Mackey said there was certainly a lot of uncertainty, but he is pleased with some of the administration’s recent Assistant Secretary of Education nominees, including Penny Schwinn (Former Tennessee Commissioner of Education) and Kirsten Baesler (former North Dakota current State Superintendent), both of whom he called friends and “truly great educators.” He said that changes are definitely coming, but that abolishing the USDOE would require Congressional approval. In the interim, he emphasized that the vast majority of K-12 funding is non-discretionary and comes from Congress, while Higher Education grants are more discretionary and could be cut or reallocated more easily.
The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 10 am in the Gordon Persons Building Auditorium. The work session will follow at 12 pm.
The Alabama State Board of Education usually meets on the second Thursday of each month, with the exception of the July meeting, to discuss important policies, procedures, and changes for Alabama’s K-12 public schools. The Board takes official action during their monthly meeting and then follows up with a Work Session to get updates and discuss future action that will be voted on at the next board meeting. You can watch them live and see old meetings here.
Contact Your Board Member:
Have feedback on any of the above items – or anything else? Contact your state school board member using the resources below:
-To contact your State Board of Education Member, click here.
-To find out which district you live and/or teach in, click here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter your address in the “Polling Place Search” box. Once entered, it will take you to a page that shows your polling place and the districts you live in.
-To view a map of the state school board districts, click here.
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