Education Trust Fund budget
Inflation, insurance costs expected to take bigger portion of Alabama higher ed budget
Inflationary and insurance costs will consume a larger portion of Alabama’s higher education budget than in years past. The Alabama Commission on Higher Education Friday approved a $156 million consolidated budget request for fiscal year 2025, scheduled to start on Oct. 1 of next year. Due to changes in the law last year, ACHE tried […]
Alabama commission finalizes language for constitutional amendment; vote set for March
The Alabama Fair Ballot Commission Tuesday voted to approve language for a constitutional amendment that could make it easier for the Alabama Legislature to enact local legislation. The amendment, which will be on the ballot in March’s primary election, would address a legislative procedure known as the budget isolation resolution (BIR). Under a 1984 constitutional […]
Report: One Alabama budget up, one stable at the end of fiscal year 2023
One of Alabama’s budgets is floating on the breeze, while the other is coming back down to Earth, according to a new report from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA). The report said that the state’s General Fund budget was up by 16.6% in fiscal year 2023, which ended on Sept. 30. The […]
Alabama Department of Education wants to boost literacy in later grades
Having spent years focusing on reading skills for early elementary school students, the Alabama State Board of Education is seeking funds to boost literacy after third grade. The State Board of Education on Oct. 12 approved a budget request for “struggling readers beyond grade 3” for $22 million. Last year, the Board had requested $3 […]
Further reductions in Alabama grocery tax might face political headwinds
A group that helped lead efforts to reduce Alabama’s grocery tax this fall plans to renew the fight in the next legislative session. But it may be harder to achieve this time. Alabama Arise, a nonprofit working on issues for low income people, put elimination of the state’s 3% tax on groceries on its priority […]
Alabama State Department of Education mulls additional literacy funding, loss of federal dollars
The Alabama State Department of Education could ask for money from lawmakers next year for reading support beyond third grade, to help with achievement and address an upcoming loss of federal funding. Members of the State Board of Education said during a presentation on the fiscal year 2025 budget Thursday that the department should be […]
Alabama state grocery tax drops 1%
Grocery shopping is slightly cheaper in Alabama. A law cutting the state’s sales tax on groceries eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) went into effect on Friday, the first reduction in the levy since the state sales tax was introduced in 1939. Under a law signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in June, the […]
Why Alabama can’t control college tuition costs
States have varying degrees of control over the tuition price of their public higher education institutions. Alabama has none. Under Alabama law, higher education institutions set tuition and fees for students. The state government cannot control those increases, and one of the Legislature’s education budget chairs says moving in that direction would require an overhaul […]
Alabama’s higher education costs rise like the nation’s, but not always for the same reasons
College tuition has gotten more expensive throughout the United States over the last two decades. Alabama is no exception. According to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), in-state tuition at Alabama’s public colleges and universities rose 28.2% over the last ten years. In that same time period, out-of-state tuition rose by 30.4%. According to […]
Alabama approves payment of $18.5 million in education debt
State officials approved the payment of a decade-old debt at a meeting of the Alabama Public School and College Authority meeting on Monday. State Superintendent Eric Mackey and Department of Finance Assistant Director John Montgomery approved the redemption of two bonds issued in 2012. . Montgomery was at the meeting on behalf of Bill Poole, […]
How a good intention made the Alabama Legislature less democratic
Alabama government has many features aimed at thwarting popular will. There’s gerrymandering. And the centralized nature of state government. With most state power concentrated around Goat Hill, it’s much easier for entrenched interests to influence policy. But few of these features are so on-the-nose with their anti-democratic nature as a unique part of the Alabama […]
Alabama program aims to put more STEM teachers in state classrooms
A program that allows college students to finish STEM degrees and earn teacher certification at the same time aims to address an ongoing shortage of educators in the state. UTeach Alabama, part of a program based out of the University of Texas, allows college students to earn a STEM degree and a teacher certification at […]