Education
Alabama Legislature gives final approval to education budget, supplemental spending
The Alabama Legislature approved the $8.8 billion Education Trust Fund budget and a $2.7 billion supplemental funding bill on Thursday night, sending them to Gov. Kay Ivey after a marathon day with multiple meetings. The Senate approved a compromise version of the Education Trust Fund on a 31-0 vote on Thursday night. The House approved […]
Expansion of Alabama’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law won’t move this year, says committee chair
A bill that would have expanded Alabama’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill will not move out of committee this year. House Education Policy Committee chair Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said HB 354, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would not come to a vote after a public hearing where members of the LGBTQ+ community said the […]
Alabama House committee approves $8.8 billion education budget
The proposed $8.8 billion Education Trust Fund budget passed an Alabama House committee Wednesday and could be voted on by the full House on Thursday. The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved the ETF and related bills on a series of voice votes. While the budget follows the Senate version, which passed on May […]
Biden student debt relief plan revoked in U.S. House vote
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is currently on hold awaiting a Supreme Court decision expected within weeks. Before the 218-203 vote on the resolution, the the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it, arguing that the U.S. Department of […]
First Grade Readiness bill passes Senate Committee
The Alabama Senate Education Policy committee Wednesday approved a bill that would mandate first-grade readiness. The bill, HB 43, sponsored by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, would require students to show “first-grade readiness” through completion of kindergarten or an assessment. They can also enroll if they transfer from first grade in another state. “I really started […]
Alabama Senate approves changes to Accountability Act
The Alabama Senate Tuesday approved a bill that could significantly expand the reach of the Alabama Accountability Act. SB 263, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, passed the Senate on a 26-7 vote amid concerns from Democrats that the bill would hurt public schools and some criticism from Republicans that it did not go far […]
Alabama House advances bill tightening Literacy Task Force duties
The Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday approved a bill that would give the state’s Literacy Task Force more duties in the content creation for the state’s comprehensive core reading and reading intervention programs. HB 430, sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, passed the chamber on a 94-4 vote. It goes to the Senate. Garrett said […]
How does Alabama choose textbooks? Slowly
Alabama may be a conservative state. But conservative activists still insist the textbooks here are too left-wing. Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved English Language Arts textbooks for kindergarten through third grade after a public hearing where critics suggested the books had too much Black history and multicultural stories. These books had […]
Alabama Legislature approves bill making gunfire on school property a felony
The Alabama Senate Thursday approved a bill that could subject an adult who shoots a gun on school property to prison time. HB 34, sponsored by Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, passed the Senate 31-0. The bill goes to Gov. Kay Ivey. Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, who carried the bill in the Senate, said the […]
Alabama school discipline bill sparks concerns over anonymity, demographics
The House Education Policy Committee held a hearing Wednesday on a bill that would standardize school disciplinary procedures statewide, particularly in cases of long-term suspension and expulsion. The legislation, HB 269, sponsored by committee chair Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, was not voted on this week. Collins told the committee that the bill is focused on […]
U.S. House GOP questions education secretary on transgender athletes, student loans
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Tuesday grilled the secretary of education about student debt cancellation and protections for transgender student athletes during a lengthy hearing on the president’s proposed budget request for the Department of Education. While the subject of the five-hour House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing was the fiscal 2024 budget […]
Senate changes to Accountability Act could more than double designated schools
The chair of the Senate Education Policy committee has filed a bill that would expand the number of households that could claim scholarships under the Alabama Accountability Act and more than double the schools that could fall under it. SB 263, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, would change the “failing school” label in the […]