2008 January/February Alabama School Boards Magazine

• Aho Architects LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoover, AL 205/313-6345

• Alabama Beverage Association . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/263-6621

• Alabama Gas Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/326-8425

• Alabama Supercomputer Authority . Montgomery, AL 334/832-2405

• American Fidelity Assurance . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/987-0950

or 800/365-3714

• Barganier Davis Sims Architects . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/834-2038

• BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama . . . Birmingham, AL 205/220-5771

• Christian Testing Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/264-4422

• Council of Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/841-2653

Coca-Cola Bottlers, Inc.

• Davis Architects Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/322-7482

• Dome Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Idaho Falls, ID 208/529-0833

• Exford Architects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/314-3411

• Fuqua & Partners Architects PC . . . . . . . . Huntsville, AL 256/534-3516

• Fibrebond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minden, LA 318/377-1030

• Gallet & Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/942-1289

• Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. . . . Montgomery,AL 334/271-3200

Birmingham, AL 205/879-4462

Mobile, AL 251/460-4006

Huntsville, AL 256/533-1484

• Hoar Program Management . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/803-2121

• Jenkins Munroe Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anniston, AL 256/820-6844

Architecture

• JH Partners Architecture/Interiors . . . . . Huntsville, AL 256/539-0764

• Kelly Services, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dothan, AL 334/673-7136

• KHAFRA Engineers, Architects . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/252-8353

and Construction Managers

• KPS Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/458-3245

• Paul B. Krebs & Associates, Inc. . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/987-7411

• Lathan Associates Architects PC . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/879-9110

• McCauley Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/969-0303

• McKee & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/834-9933

Architecture and Design

• Payne & Associates Architects . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/272-2180

• PH&J Architects Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/265-8781

• Rosser International, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/244-7484

• Sain Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Birmingham, AL 205/940-6420

• Scientific Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tallahassee, FL 850/228-8882

• Sherlock Smith & Adams Inc. . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/263-6481

• Southland International Bus Sales . . Birmingham, AL 888/844-1821

• 2WR/Holmes Wilkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery, AL 334/263-6400

Acrhitects Inc.

• TAC Energy Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/970-6132

• Transportation South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pelham, AL 205/663-2287

• Evan Terry Associates PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, AL 205/972-9100

• Volkert & Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile, AL 251/432-6735

Alabama Association of School Boards

Professional Sustaining Members

APartnershipThat Works!AASB appreciates these professional members for supporting association activities and you all year long.

FEATURES

6 DO YOU BELIEVE?AASB President Sue Helms

launches campaign to build

confidence in public schools

7 LEADING LEADERSImmediate Past President

Jim Methvin reflects on AASB’s

goals and statewide mission

10 FACE TO FACELaura Casey sits down with

Sen. Hinton Mitchem

12 CONVENTIONA roundup of news from

the 2007 AASB Convention

22 10 QUESTIONSLegislative Fiscal Office Director

Dr. Joyce Bigbee and State

Finance Director Jim Main

27 GRADUATIONNew proposals from state

Board of Education workshops

IN EVERY ISSUE

3 UP FRONT

8 EDUCATION & THE LAW

27 HELP

28 PEOPLE & SCHOOLS

31 AT THE TABLE

31 CALENDAR

ON THE COVER: Alabama Flag©istockPhoto.com

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

Sue Helms

Madison City

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Florence Bellamy

Phenix City

VICE PRESIDENT

Steve Foster

Lowndes County

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Jim Methvin

Alabama School of Fine Arts

STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sally Brewer Howell, J.D.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Ken Roberts, C.P.A.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Denise L. Berkhalter

DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

Lissa Astilla Tucker

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Tammy Wright

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS

Debora Hendricks

Donna Norris

BOOKKEEPER

Kay Shaw

RECEPTIONIST

Lashana Summerlin

CLERICAL ASSISTANT

Kristi Martin

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DISTRICT 1

Patsy Black

Monroe County

DISTRICT 2

Bill Minor

Dallas County

DISTRICT 3

Jeff Bailey

Covington County

DISTRICT 4

Katy S. Campbell

Macon County

DISTRICT 5

Jennifer Parsons

Jefferson County

DISTRICT 6

Sue Jones

Jacksonville

DISTRICT 7

Susan Harris

Winfield

DISTRICT 8

Pam Doyle

Muscle Shoals

DISTRICT 9

Laura Casey

Albertville

STATE BOARD

Sandra Ray

Tuscaloosa

Alabama S chool Boards • Januar y l Februar y 2008 3

PUBLICATION POLICYAlabama School Boards is published by theAlabama Association of School Boards as aservice to its members. The articles pub-lished in each issue represent the ideas orbeliefs of the writers and are not necessarilythe views of the Alabama Association ofSchool Boards. Subscriptions sent to mem-bers of school boards are included in mem-bership dues, and complimentary copies aresent to public school principals throughout thestate. Additional subscriptions can be obtained by contacting AASB.

Entered as third-class mail at Montgomery, AL. Permit No. 34.

Alabama School Boards is designed by J. Durham Design, L.L.C., Montgomery, AL.

Address all editorial and advertising inquiries to: Alabama School Boards, Editor, P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery, AL36123-0488. Phone: 334/277-9700 ore-mail [email protected].

JANUARY l FEBRUARY 2008 Vol. 29, No. 1

www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

InsideInside

20NEW RULES FOR

FUND RAISERS

20

16INSIDER ‘08

The Legislative session is

under way. Here’s a look

at the governor’s

proposed budget

and AASB’s

stance on key

issues.

16

24HELP CULTIVATE21st CENTURY CITIZENS

24

4 Alabama S chool Boards • Januar y l Februar y 2008

PRE-KPRE-K CONFERENCE CONFERENCE APRILAPRIL 3-4 3-4Transitioning from

preschool to

kindergarten is

no easy task for

Alabama’s

youngest students. Find out what public

schools can do to ease that transition

at the third annual Alabama Pre-K

Conference themed the “Building Blocks

for a Better Tomorrow.”The April 3-4 event

will be at the newly constructed Renais-

sance Montgomery Hotel & Spa

at the Convention Center in the capital

city. Call the state Office of School

Readiness at 334/223-0522 or visit

www.dca.state.al.us/OSR.

ADOLESCENT LITERACY DATA

The challenges and successes of the Alabama Reading

Initiative Project for Adolescent Literacy in 14 pilot

schools are summarized in the report “The ARI-PAL Maiden

Voyage: The Alabama Reading Initiative Sails Toward a New Horizon.” Results

show ARI-PAL schools (except grade 7) made greater gains in reading compre-

hension on the Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition and in reading on the

Alabama Reading and Math Test. Download the report at www.alsde.edu.

DID YOU KNOW?Alabama ranked 12th in the nation in 2007 for its 226 national board certified teachers, which brings the total to 1,329.

NSBA EVENTSDon’t forget to register for the National School Boards Association’s

T+L Conference on technology, Oct. 28-30 in Seattle, and the

Council of Urban Boards of Education Annual Conference & Award

Ceremony, Sept. 25-28 in Las Vegas. More at www.NSBA.org.

HONOR THY BESTTEACHERSNominate your

exemplary

teachers for the 2008

American Star of Teaching Awards by

March 31. Choose nominees who use innova-

tive methods to boost student achievement,

involve parents in education and to motivate

the hardest to reach youngsters. Learn more

at www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative. GROW YOUROWN TEACHERSA staffing trend for rural and small

school systems is creating a home-

grown teaching force of locals

interested in making a difference

in their communities (See

http://www.ericdigests.org/

2000-4/rural.htm). Encourage your

college-bound seniors to consider

the teaching profession. Alabama offers state-funded scholarships totaling more than $2 million

in teaching scholarships to 100 high school seniors and professionals seeking an alternative

degree in teaching. The Alabama Teacher Recruitment Incentive Program scholarships will go

to future math, special education, general science and English teachers who plan to enroll in

college this fall. Find out more at www.atrip.alabama.gov before the March 31 deadline.

&Trends,&Research DatesUPFRONT

If you haven’t registered for AASB’s

March 14-15 academy course on

Leadership for Developing a Highly Effective

Staff, it’s not too late.

Don’t miss your opportunity to work toward

another level in AASB’s School Board Member

Academy and to learn how to support your

governance teams’ efforts to motivate

employees, drive employee performance

and effectively evaluate it.

Speakers include Air University Commander Lt.

Gen. Stephen Lorenz on creating a culture of

high expectations; Eric Hirsch

of the New Teacher Center on the Teach-

ing

& Learning Conditions Survey; and Dr. John

Draper, Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools

executive director, on getting the right people

in the right positions.

Interested in learning more about

Connecting with 21st Century Learners?

Then arrive early March 14 for a 1 to 3

p.m. pre-conference workshop featuring

Dr. Melinda Maddox, the state Department of

Education’s director of technology initiatives.

Member registration is $65 for the early bird

workshop and $125 for the conference in

advance. Late registration carries a $10 fee. The

Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover is the host hotel.

Accommodations go fast, so call 800/996-3739

or 205/987-1600. Go to www.AlabamaSchool-

Boards.org to register

or call AASB at 800/562-0601.

READY FOR SOUTHERNREGION?July 20-22New Orleans

Mark your calendar for

the July 20-22 NSBA/

Southern Region

Conference hosted

by the Louisiana

School Boards Associa-

tion

at the Astor Crowne

Plaza Hotel in New

Orleans. Book rooms at

888/696-4806 and reg-

ister for the conference

at www.LSBA.com


AASB Needs YourSnapshots of Success

At AASB’s annual convention, the

association launched its “I Believe”

campaign. AASB President Sue Helms asked all

school boards to send in photographs that tell a

positive story about public schools to display during

convention. Please label each photograph with

the board’s name, school’s name and a caption

indicating the success and send by e-mail to

info@AlabamaSchool Boards.org or by mail to

Denise L. Berkhalter, Attention: Snapshots of Success,

P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488.

REGISTER NOW FOR MARCH 14-15

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Know a High School Student Who Wants to Make a Difference?The deadline for recommending

high school students for Alabama

Possible youth camp is March 31.

Motivated students could qualify

for $150 scholarships to cover the

cost of the June 29-July 2 camp

at Huntingdon College in Mont-

gomery. The camp is sponsored

by the Alabama Poverty Project,

an education and research

organization. To recommend a

motivated youngster, contact

Executive Director Nick Foster

at 205/939-1408 or

visit www.alabama

poverty.org.


PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

By Sue Helms, AASB President

believe every individual has a right to an exemplaryeducation in a safe environment with highly qualified,dedicated teachers.I believe individuals learn in unique ways and high

expectations increase student learning and performance.I believe education requires the collaboration of com-

munities, families and schools.I believe in public education!We know the challenges facing America’s schools are

unprecedented and complicated. These challenges arecompounded by government interference, funding short-falls, state and national mandated tests, high profilecelebrities with talk shows and political agendas, and inac-curate media reports that erode public confidence at atime when we need it most. But I believe these chal-lenges, though great, can be met with support from allstakeholders. I believe collaboration and teamwork arethe keys to changing our nation’s perception of publiceducation. I believe it is about nurturing relationships thatencompass patience and virtue.

Today, I ask you to also believe in public education.During my tenure as president, I would like us to focusour efforts on re-establishing confidence in public educa-tion because I know we can make a difference. We needto spotlight the positive accomplishments of our studentsand schools within our communities.

Why is it important for us to highlight our success sto-ries? The public should always be made aware of ourefforts to provide the best possible public edu-cation for our students.

Who can tell our story better than us? Ifwe don’t believe in our success, who will?Together we will work hard, but I also knowthat together we can, and will, succeed.

As we start our mission, I ask that youtake snapshots of success and pass these pic-tures along to our AASB staff. We are goingto collect your photos and share them withour members. The greatest part of this jour-ney will be the lessons we learn from sharingour successes with each other. Whether it is students

engaged in learning, leadership skills displayed by a principal, the actions of a committed teacher or staff mem-ber or just students having fun, we want you to capture iton film.

In July, I am sure we will be amazed at all our snap-shots of success. Throughout my tenure we will send you reminders about our mission and evidence of our successes. I am excited, and I look forward to serving you as president.

I believe in public education, and I know each of youdo, too!

Sue Helms began serving as AASB president at the close of the December 2007

convention and is the association’s former president-elect. She is a member of

the Madison city school board.

I Believe in Public Education

I

I BelieveSend your snapshots of success to

[email protected] (for high

resolution digital photos) or mail prints to

Denise Berkhalter/Snapshots of Success,

P.O. Drawer 230488,

Montgomery, AL

36123-0488.


A RETROSPECTIVE

By Jim Methvin, AASB Immediate Past President

he mission of the Alabama Association of SchoolBoards is advocacy for public school students; lead-ership development and training; and providing

resources for education governance. AASB is leading theeducation leaders in our state to successfully fulfill thismission. The success of our mission is directly related, Ibelieve, to the success of school boards across Alabama.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and the Social Sectors, states that a great organization is one that deliverssuperior performance — through its mission — andmakes a distinctive impact over a long period of time. This is true for our association as well as local boards of education. Local boards’ performance can also beassessed relative to their mission.

AASB is a school board’s prime resource in terms ofbeing a conduit for educational and governance informa-tion through its publications, the School Board MemberAcademy conferences, leadership conferences, district

meetings and other activities.

In the last two years, AASB has provided training con-ferences on understanding our leadership traits, financialaccountability, student achievement, school climate,school board members’ roles and responsibilities andmany targeted work sessions on such topics as makingcultural diversity work and building successful readingprograms. Attendance at these Academy conferences andthe annual convention continues to increase. The AASBBoard of Directors appreciates and recognizes schoolboard members’ commitment to increasing your knowl-edge and skills and your support of AASB’s programs andactivities.

I challenge each school board member to initiate discussions with your superintendents and fellow schoolboard members following the AASB conferences andmeetings.

To me, a prime responsibility of school board membersis to keep your superintendent engaged in discussions ofcurrent and future educational issues that could impact theschool system — what you learn from AASB — as well ascontinuing to share your community’s needs and expecta-tions. Communicating with our fellow school board mem-bers about these same education issues is essential.

A school board member’s internal compass is his or herinterest and commitment for public education. It is thispassion that we need to share with our colleagues in orderto build momentum to accomplish our mission. It is thispassion that clearly sends a message to our communi-ties that we are continually working toward greatnessin our school systems. Demonstrating our commitmentand voicing our school systems’ accomplishments leadto greater support of public education.

AASB leads the leaders in our communities. Theassociation’s work promotes success for school

boards, and, in turn, successes for the school children we represent and serve.

Jim Methvin served as AASB president from 2005 to 2007 and is now the

association’s immediate past president. He is a member of the Alabama School

of Fine Arts board.

Leading the Leaders

T


Review the status of probationary

and contract principals.

The Teacher Accountability Act, found in Ala. CodeSection 16-24B-1 through 8, basically allows a school systemto employ new principals as probationary principals for onefull contract year or two years if the person has never served as principal. The school board, upon the superintendent’srecommendation, can terminate the probationary principalat the end of the probationary period for any reason or with-out a stated reason.

It’s important to understand that absent the superinten-dent’s written recommendation to cancel or not renew andthe board’s majority vote to accept that recommendation,the board enters into a new contract with the contract prin-cipal for a period of not less than three years. So, if you havea probationary principal,you need to decide prior to the endof the probationary contract term whether to nonrenew intime to have the superintendent recommend, the board voteand the principal notified.

Review whether to nonrenew

a contract principal.

Ala. Code Section 16-24B-3(c) requires the superin-tendent to make a recommendation and a majority boardvote not to offer a new, renewed or extended contract to acontract principal.The board’s vote must be made at least 90days before the end of the contract. The recommendationshould contain written notice of the superintendent’s deci-sion and reasons for not renewing.The superintendent andemploying board’s decision may be based on any reason that

is not personal or political. The contract principal must benotified either by personal service or by certified mail (returnreceipt requested) mailed to his or her last known address.

Factor in plenty time for the superintendent and theboard to consider whether a contract principal should beretained, for the superintendent to make his recommenda-tion — along with the reason — and for the board to voteand notify the contract principal at least 90 days before theend of the contract. For example, if the contract expires onJune 30, the contract principal must be notified no later thanApril 1. The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in Gartman v.Limestone County Board of Education has ruled that the 90-day notice does not apply to probationary principals.

Make sure all contract principals

are properly evaluated each year.

Ala. Code Section 16-24B-3(i)(1) provides:“The chief executive officer (superintendent) orhis or her designee shall at least annually eval-uate the performance of each contract principal.The evaluation shall be performed in a mannerprescribed by the state Board of Education.”

Failure to evaluate a contract principal as required by thissection shall extend his or her contract “one additional con-tract year for each contract year not evaluated up to threeyears” (See Ala. Code Section 16-24B-3(m)). A probationaryprincipal is not eligible for a contract extension due to theboard’s failure to evaluate, according to Holmes v. MaconCounty Board of Education. However, if a contract principalis not properly evaluated,his or her contract will be extended.

EDUCATION & THE LAW

By Burgin H. Kent, Attorney, Bishop, Colvin, Johnson & Kent LLP

1

2

3

elow are eight bright ideas

for superintendents and school board

members to consider this year.B


Review your system’s policy manual.

You should review your school system’s policy man-ual prior to the end of the school year. Why?

• To make sure that the policies in effect are being followed.• If you are not following a current policy, it needs to be

changed or rescinded. • To make sure that your policy manual contains certain

mandatory policies.It is not unusual to have a situation, such as a lawsuit, arise

and for no one to know, when an inquiry is made, whetherthere is a policy in effect that addresses that issue. Usually, thequestion arises when the board’s attorney asks it. Sometimes,the opposing party asks the question during the course of thecase, either in a deposition, when documents are requested oreven at trial. Needless to say, a system can be placed in anembarrassing situation if its superintendent, board member orrepresentative does not even know if a policy exists.

A board may not be required to follow any set procedure in handling a matter. However, if it has adopted a policy, it “isbound to follow it” (See Belcher v. Jefferson County Board ofEducation). A board’s policy that is not followed may create aliability. But, how can you follow a policy if you don’t knowwhether one exists?

Modify or rescind policies that are

obsolete or are not followed.

Oftentimes, a school system will have policies in effectthat have not been followed for many years. This may be as aresult of updated technology or a change in the law. An examplemight be a policy that sets out the qualifications to be a bus driveror even to serve as school superintendent. These policies may setout the minimum requirements that existed at the time the policywas adopted. If the school system does not change its policyevery time the law changes, it will have a policy on its books that could be in conflict with present-day legal requirements. I recommend that a board not adopt a policy that simply restatesminimum requirements set forth in the Alabama Code. The boardis subject to the law, so why would it make such a law policy,particularly if it is not going to be diligent in amending, modify-ing or rescinding policies when there is a change in the law?

Likewise, if a school system has found it difficult to follow itsexisting policy — such as self-imposed timelines to respond tocomplaints, disciplinary appeals or grievances — the boardshould modify the policy by either extending the time period or,if necessary, eliminating a specific time period and replacing itwith language such as “within a reasonable time.” Such modifi-cations can help prevent a system from violating its own policy.

Make sure your system has up-to-date equal

employment and nondiscrimination policies.

As a general rule, the fewer policies, the better. Why?The courts have long recognized that the power to administerand supervise school systems is vested in the school board, andthe courts will not seek to control the broad discretion, grantedby the Legislature, that is exercised by school boards (SeeClark v. Jefferson County Board of Education). Stated differ-

ently, a school board is not required to have a specific policyin effect in order to operate the school system.

However, every school board should make sure that it has up-to-date equal employment opportunity and nondiscriminationpolicies. The equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimina-tion policies should set forth affirmatively that students shall notbe excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or sub-ject to unlawful discrimination in any program or activity on thebasis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national original, disabil-ity, immigration status, non-English speaking ability, homelessstatus, migrant status or any other legally protected status.

The board should also make sure that its equal employmentopportunity policy provides that applicants or employees willnot be unlawfully discriminated against based upon sex, race,religion, creed, national origin, disability, age, color or anyother legally protected status.

These policies are necessary in the event a charge or suit isfiled alleging discrimination.

Make certain your system’s up-to-date sexual

harassment policy has been distributed to all

students, parents, faculty and staff.

Each school system should have adopted a sexual harass-ment policy that contains the procedure for reporting, investi-gating and providing penalties for violations and addressesboth student and employee complaints. The sexual harassmentpolicy should be distributed to all students, parents, faculty andstaff, and each of them should sign for the policy.

You should have each employee sign a receipt that they havereceived and reviewed the board’s sexual harassment policy and place the receipt in their personnel file.

One way to distribute the policy to students and parents is toinclude it in the Code of Student Conduct and require each stu-dent and the parent or guardian to sign a statement that they havereceived a copy. Maintain copies of the signed statements and acopy of the Code of Student Conduct. When defending suchcases, it is extremely helpful to show the student and parent orguardian were aware of the policy if they deny knowing it wastheir responsibility to report sexual harassment claims.

Comply with the “meet and confer” statute when

adopting, amending or rescinding a policy

A school system must comply with Ala. Code Section16-1-30, known as the “meet and confer” statute, in order toadopt, modify or rescind a policy. Prior to adopting a policy,there must be a written recommendation from the superin-tendent, and the board or the superintendent must consult withthe local professional organization. The professional organiza-tion does not have to agree with the policy — and often doesnot — but it must be consulted. All written policies should bemade available to all board employees affected. Any amend-ments to the policies must be furnished to the affected boardemployees within 20 days after adoption.

4

5

7

8

6

This is a brief summary of contracts and policies that should be reviewed annually. You should

always consult with your board attorney when you have any questions concerning the status

of probationary or contract principals or when adopting, amending or rescinding a policy.


his face-to-face interview with Senate President Pro Tempore

Hinton Mitchem is the latest installment in a series of features

recapping one-on-one conversations between members of the

Alabama Association of School Boards’ grassroots Leader to Leader

program and key state leaders in government and education. Here’s a

recap of AASB District 9 Director and Albertville school board member

Laura Casey’s discussion with Mitchem earlier this year.

◆ Casey: Sen. Mitchem, thank you for taking time this after-noon to visit with me about state-level school board issues.How did you come into public service?

▲Mitchem: How did I get into politics itself? You’ll get a kickout of this. Well, I was in the Jaycees, and we got upset aboutsomething the city was doing. And so, they drafted me to runfor city council. So, I ran for city council and won. I was justa young kid, and I did not spend one dime. The Jaycees justwent house-to-house and got me elected to the city council in1968. I decided in 1970 that I would get into state politics. Iran for the House and got beat. That’s when we ran with Cull-man County and got more votes, but I lost. In 1974, I ran forthe House again and got elected in the House. So, I’ve beenin the Legislature now since 1974 — almost 33-34 years.

◆ Casey: Tell me a little bit about being the president pro temof the Senate.

▲Mitchem: That’s probably the highest honor that I’ve everbeen able to be involved in. I’m just very appreciative. Thereare 35 senators, and you have to be nominated and then theyvote. I won by a landslide vote of 18-17 (laughs). If I get toococky, then I’ll have to look back and remember that I justwon by one vote.

The last year was probably the hardest year that I’ve everhad since the 35 that I’ve been in Montgomery, because itwas so divisive. I did get elected. It was all straightparty lines — Republicans and the Democrats. Ihaven’t been a party person as much as I havebeen a person that supported and worked witheverybody. That’s what I’m doing right now. Wethink we’ve got an agreement from Jim Folsom.I have worked real close with the lieutenant gov-ernor.

Pro tem is a constitutional office, eventhough we’re elected by the other Senate

members. If something happens to the governor and the lieu-tenant governor, then the pro tem steps in as governor. So,I’m really two heart beats away from the governorship — ofcourse you hope and pray nothing like that will ever happen.

◆ Casey: That was a rocky year last year.▲ Mitchem: Oh, you know they had the fight the last night of

the session, which was devastating. I mean, it was the worstpolitical thing. That was the punch that was seen all over theworld. We got phone calls from all over the world. Evenwhen I’m someplace now — I could be in California or NewYork — if they find out that I’m in the Alabama Senate, that’sthe first thing they bring up.

◆ Casey: There has been some discussion that the presidentpro tem would change after two years. Do you see that hap-pening?

▲Mitchem: I will serve another year until January of next year.I would suspect that’s something we’re going to have to workthrough after this session. But, I don’t want to do anything tokeep this session from being successful. The way the wholemechanism works is I would either have to resign or either ittakes a three-fifths vote, which I believe is 24 out of 35, tovote a pro tem out. So, I don’t know. Like I said, I’m justgoing to do the best job I can for the next year, and then wewill look at that issue at a later time.

◆ Casey: What do you see as thebiggest challenge facing education in theLegislature this year?▲ Mitchem: The education budgetthat we’ll be operating — that’s for K-12,

FACE TO FACE

By Laura Casey

Sen. Hinton Mitchem

T


community colleges and four-year schools — is $6.7 billion.The general fund appropriations for everything else in stategovernment — Medicaid, mental health, conservation andagriculture — are $1.84 billion.

When you look at the $6.7 billion education budget, therewas a projected balance of $398 million at the end of theyear that just ended in September, when in essence, we had$280 million. So, that estimate was overrated by $100 million— not by the Legislature itself but the people who usuallydo an excellent job with those numbers. But, there has beensuch a dramatic change in the economy that they missed thatestimate by what probably is not a very big percent, but it isover $100 million. Also, the growth in the Education TrustFund began to slow down in the late spring. And thenreceipts in the Education Trust Fund finished about $120 mil-lion less than projected. So, you see that’s another $120 mil-lion down. And overall — private corporate income tax was$84 million less than projected, sales tax was $26 million lessthan projected and the use tax, $15 million — the four grewat 6.5 percent, and that was probably about 5 percent less.So, 5 percent of $6 million is over $300 million.

But we do have a safety guard. We’ve got $428 million inthat proration account, so if we had not put that in there, itwould be big trouble. In addition, there is the constitutionalaccount — money that can be taken out if the governordeclares proration. The other way it can be taken out is if itlooks like it’s getting close and getting bad, but if the gover-nor declares proration, this is the only way this money canbe taken out. And, of course, a big chunk of this money wastaken up in the 7 percent pay raise that the teachers got inthe start of 2008, and each retired teacher, instead of gettinga percent pay raise, got just a regular $600 before taxes. Someof the teachers that taught years ago, 25-30 years ago, are stillin relatively good health and still going strong, and they justdon’t make enough to live off of with their retirement. I’mglad we could help, and I’ve always supported retired teach-ers. But, sometimes that money has to come out of theboards’ pocket, and boards of education are always fightingtrying to keep their heads above water. That’s what we try totake into consideration in every pay raise. But the biggestchallenge facing education is the financial woes. Once youhit that threshold and build it up, it’s hard to ever go back.Thank goodness we did have money set up in these prora-tion accounts, which is going to save us this year. And hope-fully we won’t be in proration. With that Rainy Day Fund,we’ll have enough carryover and all without proration.

◆ Casey: That was going to be one of my questions. Do youanticipate proration this year?

▲Mitchem: Odds are that eventually — if you take that pro-ration prevention account and you do have to use thatmoney — that it will probably be enough. It’s going to beclose. Again, we don’t know when the upturn in the econ-

omy will be. Right now it’s atrocious. When you look ateverything that’s happening with the economy right now,nobody could have anticipated a year ago that we weregoing to be in this recession, and it’s everywhere. Allreceipts are down.

◆ Casey: Local school boards stretch every dollar, but we stillface unfunded state and federal mandates. How would yousuggest school boards manage these?

▲Mitchem: You just have to plan ahead. Try to watch yourbudgets, which you do, and not overspend. Make sure youdo a good job on spending what you’ve got and trying to usethe state Board of Education to help you with projections andto get through a crisis.

◆ Casey: There are attempts at the state level to impose astatewide uniform school calendar and to allow studentswho go to private schools or are homeschooled to partici-pate in public school extracurricular activities. What are youfeelings on these issues?

▲Mitchem: I would personally like to see us — someway,somehow — start school at one time and take the samevacation. I think in the next two or three years, that will hap-pen. I don’t see it happening this year. This year, Laura, theeconomy has really got us in a tight situation. It seems to melike half the people want a uniform start and ending. It does-n’t really bother me to leave it up to the local school board— that’s where it probably ought to be — but I still think itwould really be a little bit helpful if everybody pretty muchstarted within the same week rather than a month apart.

Now, if someone is in a private school or home schooland wants to participate in extracur-ricular activities in the public schools,... well, I’ve never been asked thatquestion, but I would be against that.I would think I would be for makingthem either attend the school and beinvolved in everything or just have todo without.

◆ Casey: What is your top public edu-cation goal for K-12 during yourtenure in the Legislature?

▲Mitchem: It would have to be —everybody would probably say this— getting adequate funding that putsus on the level of some of our otherstates and not to be on the bottomend of the funding. We’ve got to getmore local support because there isnot enough money in Alabama tofund every school — from capitaloutlays to books, teachers and bene-fits. But, I guess just being able to get

About Sen. Hinton Mitchem:

Born in Oconee County, Ga.; has a

bachelor’s degree in education

from the University of Georgia;

father of three children: Todd,

Tonya and Derrick.

What he does: Elected president

pro tempore of the Alabama Sen-

ate Jan. 9, 2007; represents the

state’s 9th District, which includes

Blount, Madison and Marshall

counties; serving his eighth term in

the Senate after serving one term

in the House of Representatives.

Committees: Agriculture, conser-

vation and forestry; commerce,

transportation and utilities; confir-

mations; finance and taxation;

general fund; health; rules; and

veterans and military affairs.

Contact him: 334/242-7876

or 256/582-0619(Continued on page 26)


Executive Director Sally Howell, J.D., expects AASB President Sue Helms to do an outstanding job leading the organization.

“We are fortunate to have someone with her strong leader-ship skills and experience to serve as AASB’s president,” Howellsaid. “Sue understands the challenges facing local school boardsand the pressures they are under to succeed academically andfinancially.”

Helms, also president of the Madison school board, assumed hernew role at the close of the 2007 AASB convention in December.She had completed a full term as president-elect. Officers serve onetwo-year term.

The other AASB officers chosen to lead the organization thatserves more than 800 school board members are President-elect

Consider the Alabama Association of School Boards’

newest cadre of leaders as stars twinkling in the

academic skies, guiding the association toward

stronger boardmanship that supports student suc-

cess.

Modesty may keep them from admitting it, but those

who accept AASB leadership positions bear a great

deal of responsibility for carrying out the association’s

mission.

★ Pam Doyle

★Rev. Preston

Nix

★BillMinor

★Florence Bellamy

★ SteveFoster

★ SueHelms

★ JimMethvin

By Denise L. Berkhalter


A Job Well DoneRep. Paul DeMarco of Homewood presented a joint resolution on behalf of the

Legislature to outgoing Alabama Association of School Boards President Jim

Methvin. The resolution honored Methvin, who is a disability administrator for the state Depart-

ment of Education Disability Determination Service, for his service as president of the association

and his extensive contributions to education in Alabama.

Excerpt:

WHEREAS, a former member of the Homewood Board of Education, he has served the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB)

as director, vice president and member of various committees before ascending to the presidency; he also holds

a position on the board of the Alabama School of Fine Arts; and

WHEREAS, he represents Alabama as delegate and member of various committees in the National School Boards

Association, including the Federal Relations Network; and

WHEREAS, having completed the training requirements of the School Board Member Academy, he has attained

Master School Board Member status numerous times and been named to the AASB Master Honor Roll; and

WHEREAS, beyond AASB activities, he has contributed his knowledge and experience to Science Course of Study Commit-

tees; Science Textbook Committee; Old Schools in a New Century Task Force of the Alabama Historical Commission;

Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce Education Task Force, Public Health Department’s Youth Obesity

Committee; Department of Education’s Student Health Committee; and the Governor’s Commission on Leadership. ...

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, that in anticipation of his

retirement as president of the Alabama Association of School Boards, we are delighted to recognize Mr. Jim Methvin

for his extraordinary service in the field of education, and by copy of this resolution, prepared in tribute, we extend

best wishes for continued success.

Florence Bellamy of the Phenix City Board of Education, whowill automatically assume the presidency when Helms’ termends in 2009 and Vice President Steven T. Foster of the Lown-des County Board of Education. Jim Methvin of the AlabamaSchool of Fine Arts board becomes AASB’s immediate pastpresident.

Two new district directors also began their term followingconvention. AASB District 2 members elected William D. “Bill”Minor Sr. of the Dallas County school board as director, whileDistrict 8 chose Pam Doyle of the Muscle Shoals school board.

Two of the association’s nine district directors — District 4’s KatySmith Campbell and District 6’s Sue Jones — were re-elected tosecond terms.

The remaining directors are District 1’s Patsy Black of Mon-roe County, District 3’s Jeff Bailey of Covington County, District5’s Jennifer Parsons of Jefferson County, District 7’s Susan Har-ris of Winfield and District 9’s Laura Casey of Albertville.

Also during the convention in Hoover, the Alabama Caucus ofBlack School Board Members chose the Rev. Preston Nix of

(Continued on page 14)

AASB’s December Convention featured a 21st Century Education panel discussion. The panel included (left to right) Ted Kennedy, co-founder of

Birmingham-based BE&K, a worldwide engineering, construction and contract maintenance firm; Sen. Vivian Figures, who chairs the Senate Education

Committee; Dr. Neil Lamb of the Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville; and former state Superintendent of Education and former

Auburn University President Dr. Ed Richardson .


Delegate Assembly ActionDelegates are selected by member

school boards to be their voting

representatives at AASB’s annual

business meeting. The following is a

summary of primary action taken by the 2007

Delegate Assembly and reports made by commit-

tees in December. For a complete list of resolutions

and bylaws, go to www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

■ Nominating Committee:The committee recommended Florence Bellamy of

Phenix City to serve as AASB’s president-elect and that

Steve Foster of Lowndes County serve as vice president.

Both recommendations were accepted.

■ Bylaws Committee:Recommended minor editorial revisions to Article III-

Members, Section 2b, Admissions & Qualifications;

Article VI-Board of Directors, Section 5, Duties;

Article VIII-Districts, Section 3, Elections and Section 4,

Term; and Article IX-Committees, Section 1, Standing.

Article provisions made delegate consideration of such

changes unnecessary. To see the revised bylaws, go the

“About AASB” section of www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

■ Resolutions Committee:Among the notable amendments proposed and accepted

were to:

• Add “prohibit unfunded mandates in the ETF budget”

to Section 1: School Finance, SF-1 Education Trust

Fund Budget.

• Add “AASB encourages school boards to effectively

document employee performance to support

appropriate personnel actions and/or to improve

performance” to Section 3: Personnel, P-3 Employee Rela-

tions.

• Change the compulsory school attendance ages

AASB supports from “6 to 16” to “6 to 17” under

Section 4: Student Programs/Services, SPS-2

Compulsory Attendance Age/Kindergarten.

• Add “AASB opposes access to extracurricular activities

to anyone who is not an enrolled public school

student” under Section 4: Student

Programs/Services, SPS-8

Extracurricular Activities.

Congratulations!Several drawings occurred throughout the

convention. Donated prizes go to the school system

of the winner. Sponsor Hoar Construction presented cash

prizes to the boards of Bravell Jackson (on left in top right

photo) of Marion County, and Mary Moncrease (on left

in lower left photo) of Conecuh County. Southland

International Bus Sales presented a prize to

Michael Box (on left in lower right photo) of

Winfield. Other prizes went to Larry Eddins of

Coffee County, Mary Ann McDonald of Elmore

County and Annie C. Hunter of Lowndes County.

Attalla as the group’s president. The cau-cus also chose David M. Tuck of Coosa

County, vice president; Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson of Madison, secretary; BobbyDiggs, president of the Lawrence Countyschool board, treasurer; and Minor of Dal-las County and Willie J. Grissett of Escam-

bia County, members-at-large.

A record-breaking 430 education leaders attended the con-vention themed “Charting a Course for 21st Century Learning.”Speakers included humorist Meagan Johnson and demo-graphics watcher Dr. James Johnson of the University of NorthCarolina.

Attendees learned information vital to modern-day gover-nance teams and heard a high-profile panel discuss 21st cen-tury education in Alabama. ■


Robert A. Lane■ Board: President of the Lowndes County school board and a

member since 1984.■ School Board Member Academy: Master Honor Roll

(achieved Master level 17 times); attended 184 conferences;798 academy hours, the highest total of any board memberin Alabama.

■ AASB Service: AASB president, vice president, and District 2director; served on the multicultural, bylaws, nominating,executive/legislative, summer conference planning, legisla-tive, resolutions, All-State School Board, school board recog-nition and convention planning committees.

■ National School Boards Association Service: NSBA Boardof Directors; served on the nominating and Federal RelationsNetwork committees.

■ Civic Service: Governor’s Task Force on School Violenceand on the boards of the Alabama Association of Govern-mental Organizations, Council of Substance Abuse andLowndes County Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-School Youngsters.

“Mr. Lane has a great history of support for our children andour administration. He sets high standards and supportsefforts to meet those standards. I believe he is a modelboard member worthy of recognition and emulation.”— Steve Foster, Lowndes County board member

Sheila Kretzchmar■ Board: A Cullman County school board member since 1995

and former president and vice president.■ School Board Member Academy: Achieved Master level in

2007; attended 59 conferences; 278 total academy hours.■ AASB Service: Has advocated for K-12 schools as a member

of AASB’s grassroots network.

■ Civic Service: Has represented her board on several localcommittees and task forces; created and established an outdoorclassroom; and a member of the Garden City Historical Society,Hanceville Lions Club and Cullman Chamber of Commerce.

“Her flexibility in working with students, teachers and thepublic has earned her an enviable reputation as an excel-lent board member who really cares about education andthe community.”— Wendy Crider, Cullman County board president

Willene J. Whatley■ Board: Vice-chairman of the Conecuh County school board,

and a member since 1986.■ School Board Member Academy: Achieved the Master level

four times; has attended 81 conferences; 307 academy hours. ■ AASB Service: District 1 director (1996-2000); Alabama Risk

Management for Schools Trustee; has lobbied the Legislatureon K-12 school funding issues; and served on academyassessment, executive/legislative, bylaws (chairman), andbudget & finance (chairman and vice chairman) committees.

■ Civic Service: Author of five local history books; member ofthe Kiwanis Club, Children’s Policy Council and local Cham-ber of Commerce (former president and vice president); andhas served on the Evergreen Planning and Zoning Committee.

“Mrs. Whatley attends all professional development activi-

ties and reports to the other board members and con-

stantly updates the board on current events that affect

education and other roles as board members.”— Ronnie Brogden, Conecuh County superintendent

T. Brett Whitehead■ Board: Vice president of the Tuscaloosa County school

board and a member since 2004.■ School Board Member Academy: Achieved Level 3■ AASB Service: Attended 20 conferences; 90 academy hours;

member of AASB Leader to Leader Network■ Civic Service: Owns Whitehead and Associates; chairs

Tuscaloosa Home Builders Association’s education commit-tee; and member of the Children’s Hands on Museum Board,N. Joyce Sellers Foundation for Educational Excellence andthe West Alabama Chamber of Commerce.

“Oftentimes, individuals’ actions do not complement thepolitical rhetoric, but Mr. Whitehead has been an exampleof being there where the rubber meets the road by making donations to several schools in our system.”— Dr. Frank Costanzo, Tuscaloosa County Superintendent ■

2007 All-State School Board Members

AASB congratulates the 2007 All-State Board Members. Pictured are (left to right) Sue Helms,

AASB President; T. Brett Whitehead, Tuscaloosa County; Willene Whatley, Conecuh County; Sheila

Kretzchmar, Cullman County; Robert A. Lane, Lowndes County; and Jim Methvin, AASB Immedi-

ate Past President.


K-12 a Priority in Governor’sProposed ’09 Budget

n April, lawmakers are expected to tackle the budget — an unenviabletask considering Alabama expects between 400 million and 600 millionfewer dollars than in 2008. Because current levels of spending can’t be

sustained, the governor proposed a budget that makes K-12 a priority.The proposal would give 69 percent of the Education Trust Fund to kinder-

garten through 12th grade public education, while 27 percent would go to highereducation and 4 percent to other education-related state programs and agencies.

The Alabama Association of School Boards has commended the governor forthe proposed “split” and is urging lawmakers to preserve that allocation.AASB believes the split is only appropriate because K-12 serves 77 percentof Alabama’s students. Other K-12 advocates also argue that the distributionshould more closely reflect percentages of student enrollment.

K-12 and higher education have a very different capacity to serve students.By law, Alabama’s students must attend school from age 7 to 16. K-12 publicschools serve some 740,000 students. Universities serve about 141,000. Before alocal school system can receive the first dollar of state education funding, it mustraise a 10-mill match to be eligible. The statewide K-12 match required in 2009is $458.6 million, according to the state Department of Education. There is norequired match for higher education or any other entity to receive state dollars.

The percentage of ETF funding for K-12 has varied over the years and lostground. The allocation needle has moved since 2001 with a higher percentagegoing to higher education. In 2008, the more than 2 percent shift translates to a

They Said It ...

“It literally breaks my heart to think we have the premier reading

initiative in the nation and have results to show for it, and we are

in position where we may have to reduce funding. We’re talking

about cutting the futures of the children of this state.”

— State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton (after presenting to legislators

a request for a $245 million in K-12 education funding over last year’s

$4.5 billion budget), The Associated Press

I



■ Public Education: “Nothing is more exciting or moreimportant as the gains we are making in education. The U.S.Secretary of Education said this progress is, quote — ‘phe-nomenal’ — and that no other state has done more thanAlabama to improve education. The reforms we’ve put inplace are working. Since we last met, all states have receivedtheir grades on the nation’s report card. And I am proud tosay that Alabama led the nation in reading improvements inthe fourth grade! But the good news doesn’t stop there. Mathscores in grades 4 and 8 doubled the nation’s gains! Whenwas the last time you remember Alabama leading the nationin education? It’s never happened before, but ladies and gen-tlemen, today it’s a reality. What was once considered to beonly a hope became a decision — a decision not to toleratemediocrity any longer. And that decision — to be the best ineducation — is redefining what it means to live and raise afamily in the great state of Alabama.”

■ Double-dipping: “I travel all over the state talking withthe people and I have yet to meet anyone who isn’t disgustedor embarrassed by the scandal in our community colleges.Finally — thanks to Chancellor Bradley Byrne and our stateBoard of Education — we are ending the corruption. But wemust make sure those abuses never, never happen again. Solet’s ban double dipping in our two-year system, our four-year system, in K-12 and in every state agency.”

■ Pre-kindergarten: “No economy, no state will everreach its full potential if the next generation is not properlyprepared for the future. And the best way to prepare them isto start at the beginning. I ask you: if we expand our top-rated pre-K program to more of Alabama’s children, will thathelp them succeed? Absolutely! Children who participate inhigh quality pre-K are less likely to repeat a grade or beplaced in special education. We know they score higher onachievement tests and are more likely to graduate from highschool and go on to college. As adults they get better jobswith higher-paying salaries, and they are also more likely tostay out of prison and off welfare. In Alabama our pre-K pro-gram is already the best in the nation. Just last year Republi-cans and Democrats joined together and substantiallyincreased pre-K funding. Yet access to pre-K remains toorestricted. Currently it reaches only 4 percent of our 4-year-olds. That’s simply not enough. And so my budget includesa $20 million increase to triple the number of children whobenefit from voluntary First Class pre-K. The way the systemoperates today lower income families can send their childrento Head Start. Higher income families can afford private pre-K. But working middle-class families are left out. By provid-

ing affordable access, First Class fills the gap that has left ourworking families with too few options.”

■ Education Program Funding: Just as investments inpre-K make sense, so do the investments we make in pro-grams that we know work. Our nationally renowned Read-ing Initiative, our Math, Science and Technology Initiativeand our ACCESS distance learning program do get results.Clear, unmistakable results. They are proven winners. And inAlabama, if there’s one thing we know, we knowenough to back winners. Now some say these pro-grams must be cut; that we can’t afford them thisyear. But if we’re serious about creating the besteducation system in America, then the last thing weshould do is hurt those very initiatives that are mak-ing Alabama a national leader in education. And ifyou pass this balanced budget, we will not only pro-tect these education programs from cuts, we canand we will expand them! ... After years of explo-sive growth, we will face tighter budgets. That justmeans we have to prioritize. ... We can and we mustmake choices that enable us to live within ourmeans, and we must do so without shortchangingeducation, our state’s security and health care.”

(See related stories on page 18-19)

They Said It ...

“It’s the economy. Alabama’s economy

is still doing great, but we had a few

extraordinary years. You can’t stay

on top of the mountain all of

the time. Occasionally you

have to come into

the valley.”

— Sen. Hank Sanders,

Senate’s Finance and

Taxation-Education

Committee

chairman,

The Associated

Press

STATE OF EDUCATIONFrom Gov. Bob Riley’s February 2008 State-of-the-State Address...


FOR THE RECORD■ 2008 Regular Legislative Session: Convened Feb. 5 and must end no later than May 19.

■ Track Bills: Throughout the legislative session, track education-related bills and

actions online at www.Alabama SchoolBoards.org in the “Advocacy & Legislation” section.

■ For Copies of Acts: Call AASB at 800/562-0601 or visit www.sos.state.al.us

in the “Government Records” section.

■ Pass Along Hot Tips: If you have information about an education advocacy issue,

contact AASB’s governmental relations and lobbying team at

[email protected].

■ State Your Position: Provide feedback to AASB’s Executive/Legislative Committee, which

assists the Resolutions Committee in developing a legislative program for the

association. AASB’s resolutions drive the association’s legislative program. Delegates

decide on amendments and changes suggested by the Resolutions Committee during

the association’s winter conference.

■ Read it for Yourself: To read AASB’s resolutions, visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

in the “About AASB” section.

loss of $155 million for K-12. Meanwhile in Alabama,higher education support from state taxes ranks No.1 nationally. The 2007 Southern Regional EducationBoard Fact Book notes the national average of stateappropriations going to higher education in 2005-06was 9.5 percent, compared to Alabama’s 16.5 percent.

There are stringent requirements that also differ-entiate K-12 from higher education. Fiscal, academicand legal accountability are constant demands onlocal boards of education. Shortfalls in state funding directly impact school systems’ abilityto comply with these accountability requirements.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton and Gov. Bob Riley often praise theprogress in student achievement and consider the turning tide a testament to the state’sfinancial investment in public education. One recent example of student success is Alabama’srank as first in the nation in fourth-grade reading gains on the National Assessment of Edu-cational Progress.

AASB has joined state K-12 advocates to support the gover-nor’s budget allocation between K-12 and higher education. Theassociation’s advocacy team also warns that the battle for educa-tion dollars will continue and any entity that is slated to lose dol-lars will lobby mightily to restore funding. So, AASB calls on localschool board members statewide to urge legislative leaders tostand by public K-12 students who are the least able to withstandstate funding cuts.

LEGISLATIVELEGISLATIVE

Insider ’08Insider ’08Education Budget: Higher Ed vs. K-12

Continued from page 16 In Alabama, higher educationsupport from state taxes ranksNo. 1 nationally.

The Education Trust Fund appropriation per student for the 2006-07

fiscal year was $5,374 for K-12, which serves 739,760 students, and

$8,948 for higher education institutions, which serve 77,943 post-

secondary and 140,789 four-year college students. Sources: State Department

of Education and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education

Higher Ed Takes BiggerBite Per Student of Education Dollars

▼


OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES■ FULLY FUND EXISTING FOUNDATION PROGRAMS — AASB

supports state funding sufficient to guarantee full funding of theFoundation Program. AASB supports the priority of appropriat-ing additional funds to address shortages in currently mandatedprograms.

■ UNFUNDED MANDATES — AASB opposes any legislation thatwould impose requirements on local school systems withoutstate or federal resources appropriated for that purpose. Stateor federal mandates without accompanying funding should notbe binding on local school systems. AASB advocates full fund-ing of existing mandates.

■ DID YOU KNOW? Local school boards are the ONLY local governmental entity without constitutional protection from unfunded state mandates under Amendment 621 of theAlabama Constitution.

■ LOCAL CONTROL — AASB opposes legislation that woulddiminish or eliminate local control. AASB supports legislationthat would expand local control and decision-making authority.

■ OPPOSE TUITION TAX CREDITS/ VOUCHER PROGRAMS —AASB opposes any program that institutes tuition tax creditsand/or voucher programs to divert public resources away frompublic schools.

OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES■ FIX THE FLAWS IN TENURE/FAIR DISMISSAL — AASB urges

a targeted, thorough fix to the tenure and fair dismissal laws.The 2004 revamp created confusion, long delays and unpre-dictability at a time when local school boards are trying might-ily to meet the public’s demand for accountability. It’s a lose-lose proposition when a school board must continue to pay anemployee it has terminated, find and pay a substitute to per-form that employee’s duties and explain to the public that thenew law forces unnecessary expense and delay.

■ INCREASE GRADUATION RATES DECREASE DROP OUT

RATES — AASB supports efforts to increase student achieve-ment. AASB urges study of innovative programs to addressgraduation/dropout issues and the expansion of programsalready proven successful.

■ SUPPORT PRUDENT EDUCATION TRUST FUND BUDGET-

ING — Recent budgets were built upon unprecedented growthand substantial carryover balances from previous years. How-ever, revenue projections for 2008 are falling short. The statewill need to use the Proration Prevention Account (education’ssavings account) to meet current year budget commitmentsand likely will be unable to fund the 2009 budget at ‘08 levelswithout a significant economic rebound. AASB supports prior-

itizing basic education programs using realistic revenue pro-jections. AASB opposes crafting future budgets that depend onthe Proration Prevention Account or constitutional Rainy DayFund (an education line of credit) to offset expected shortfalls.

■ SUPPORT ANNUAL PROPERTY REAPPRAISAL — Annualreappraisal eliminates inequities in the real estate market byaccurately reflecting the fair market value of property. AASBstrongly supports annual reappraisal to capture revenue growththat fuels critical services in real time and invest it in our pub-lic school students.

■ SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS — AASB supports aninvestment in technology to ensure global competitiveness.Funding should address infrastructure and wiring; access; andreliable, up-to-date equipment, software and maintenance.AASB supports investing in training to help or enable teachersto best use technology as a teaching tool.

■ SUPPORT 21st CENTURY SKILLS — AASB supports ensuringevery child leaves school with the skills required for success inthe 21st century by changing traditional approaches to teach-ing and learning for the new millennium. ■

AASB’s AGENDA The Alabama Association of School Boards wants your

support as we ask lawmakers to help the state deliver on the promise of a brighter

future for our children. Local school boards are the community representatives and leaders

who build the foundation necessary for accomplishing the public’s highest priority — educating our future citizens.

Here is information you’ll need to guide your conversations with these key government leaders.

OUR ADVOCACY TOOLBOX■ Get to know local legislators and their staff. It helps to know local legislators

on a first-name basis and to make sure they know you by name. Also, get to know

legislative district office staff and understand the role, the importance and the

power of legislative staff. Make your legislator so familiar with local schools and how

their decisions impact local schoolchildren that they seek out the school board’s

opinion when education issues arise. It helps to provide legislators with news arti-

cles, reports, executive summaries or other information.■ Know the legislative process and the issues. Be sure you stay abreast of the leg-

islative calendar and know the composition of key committees, particularly those

related to education and budgeting. Go online to www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

for bills of interest and read AASB’s legislative alerts (Leg-Alert newsletter) and other

publications to stay on top of legislation impacting education. AASB's government

relations director can also provide you with a packet of legislative action information

(call 800/562-0601).■ Find areas of common agreement. A good way to foster a positive relationship

with a legislator is to identify a common concern or issue and develop a plan to work

toward accomplishing it. If you do disagree, don’t allow your differing opinions to

become harsh words, threats or a grudge. Simply state the facts, attempt to under-

stand the reason for a legislator’s position, agree to disagree and continue to work

with the legislator on the next issue. ■ Get the word out. Board members can share important news about education in

many ways, such as speaking to local groups, writing guest editorials, developing

positive relationships with the local media, providing news and updates for newslet-

ters and through meaningful community engagement. The more you are able to

keep people informed, the more they will come to understand the issues and feel

comfortable contacting legislators.

LEGISLATIVELEGISLATIVELEGISLATIVE

Insider ’08Insider ’08


It’s a catch phrase that school boards toss around often these

days: prepare students to compete in the global marketplace.

But what does that really mean?

Proponents of 21st century learning split the concept into two major chunks: technology and global connectedness.

Students may have mastered instant messaging and e-mail,but that isn’t enough in today’s economy, which requires that stu-dents know how to use technology to create valuable work.They must be able to sift through volumes of information online,know how to pull the most reliable material and use it effectivelyin the real world.

“If you look at the needs of a 21st century economy, that’swhere the jobs are going because it is so technology driven,” saysBarbara Michelman, director of communications for the Partner-ship for 21st Century Skills, a national advocacy group. Business

leaders say they need employeeswho are problem solvers and

innovators. “The other part of thisis how the worldbecomes more glob-ally connected. So,how are we as citi-

zens able to functionin a global environment?

Are we learning a secondlanguage? That’s a skillthat’s going to be needed

of people in the 21st cen-tury more and more as we do

business with other countries,”Michelman says. Also, the group

urges schools to teach finance andinternational studies.

If not, proponents fear American students will continue to trailother countries on some measures. On international performancetests in math, 15-year-olds in the United States on average scoreworse than their peers in more than 20 other developed coun-tries. And among countries in the Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development, only four countries — NewZealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico — have lower high schoolcompletion rates than the United States.

Alabama Signs OnAlabama in recent years has begun shifting its educational

priorities with 21st century skills in mind. The state’s introduc-tion to 21st century learning came two years ago when theAlabama Best Practices Center, a division of the A+ EducationFoundation, received one of 11 Microsoft Partners in Learninggrants issued nationwide. Twenty Alabama schools partici-pated, where students formed online collaborative groups andlearned podcasting and blogging. The next year, 20 moreschools participated in the grant. The grant term has ended, but20 schools this year have opted to continue the work, each pay-ing $7,500, says Cathy Gassenheimer, managing director of theA+ Education Foundation.

In 21st century learning, Gassenheimer says, teachers don’tspend their class time lecturing. They’re out with students per-haps taking samples from the river, analyzing it, then document-ing their findings online. History students might spend less timewith textbooks, and instead interview war veterans. “It’s not onlymemorizing, but it’s showing the teacher that they understandthe concept and can apply the concept,” Gassenheimer says.

So far six states — North Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin,Maine, Massachusetts and South Dakota — have joined thenational organization to launch full-scale initiatives applying 21stcentury skills in schools. Alabama is well on its way to doing thesame, Gassenheimer says. “We’re working closely with the stateDepartment of Education and the governor’s technology initia-tive,” she says. “I would put Alabama in the top tier of states thatare working on 21st century learning.”

By GiGi Douban


Not a Simple UndertakingAt one time, the focus nationwide was on access to tech-

nology; however, school leaders must continuously modifytheir goals to keep up with the digital age. An EducationWeek report notes that the Washington-based InternationalSociety for Technology in Education is revising its modelstandards for students. “Creativity” and “innovation” havebeen added to such categories as “information retrieval” and“digital citizenship.”

All of this might sound good in theory. But with the pres-sures posed by the federal No Child Left Behind law to improvestudent performance on core subjects, who has the time?

“Nobody presumes that this is a simple undertaking,”Michelson says, “but you don’t have to throw out the babywith the bath water. These skills could be infused with thecore subjects.”

An example is Jennifer Barnett’s classroom, whose hub isnot a cluster of desks or a space at the back of the roomwhere students gather. It’s online, and it’s called a wikispace.

Wikispaces are Web pages that groups can edit together.Barnett, a teacher at Fayetteville High School in TalladegaCounty, has created a virtual carnival for students. It is infor-mation packed into a medium students are most comfortablewith.

It contains links to a college history professor’s lectures,which students can read or hear. Those lectures, she pointsout on her page, cover the same topics her students are learn-ing. There is a link to a National Public Radio report on the100 best characters in fiction since 1900. Students chime in byposting their favorite books. And on the lighter side, studentscan get a Voki, an application that lets users express them-selves on the Web in their own voice using a talking charac-ter. Barnett uses Voki to encourage student conversationsabout what they like or don’t like about class.

Convince the CommunityBefore 21st century learning can hit classrooms statewide,

the community needs to be on board. “I think that (school)boards can be instrumental in building local support for thechanges that need to occur to get schools where they need togo,” Michelson says. School boards also can support 21st cen-tury learning with classroom technology and professionaldevelopment. “The allocation of resources should tie directlyto ensuring 21st century skills,” she says.

In addition, state officials and local school boards shouldinvolve parents, teachers, community leaders and public pol-icy managers to develop a 21st century skills framework, shesaid.

Michelson said it’s important to ask the business commu-nity what their projected work force needs are for the next fiveto 10 years. Then, she said, the education community can ask,“How can we align our curriculums?”

Editor’s Note: A source of information for this article was Working Toward

Excellence, the journal of the Alabama Best Practices Center. For more about 21st

century learning, visit www.AlabamaSchool Boards.org.

Some Additional Tips for 21st Century Learning:■ Build Internet safety into the curriculum. Students need to learn how

to use e-mail and the Internet safely and appropriately, how to guard their

personal information, discern if information is reliable and protect them-

selves from cyberbullying. Many Alabama schools use a curriculum called i-

Safe (www.isafe.org).

■ Communicate with parents. Alabama’s course of study requires that stu-

dents use e-mail. Make sure parents understand the safeguards and protec-

tions that are in place, why it is important for children to learn these skills,

and who to contact if they have questions.

■ Share resources with the community. In areas where few families have

high-speed Internet access at home, develop opportunities for members of

the community to use school technology. Offer workshops for the public on

Internet use and open computer labs to the public.

■ Turn mistakes into teachable moments. When a student makes a bad

decision about Internet use at school, make sure school leaders take proper

corrective action without overreacting.

■ Balance safety and access. Concerns about Internet safety can lead to

system policies that make it very difficult for teachers to fully integrate

Web tools and resources into their lesson plans. A “layered” approach gives

teachers broad access to online tools and then scales down access according

to grade level.

■ Seek broad input on safety policies. Address the issue of Internet safety

and access proactively by creating a system-level policy development com-

mittee that includes all stakeholders (top administrators, board members,

IT staff, principals, parents, teachers and students).

■ Support teamwork. Create time during the school day for teachers to col-

laborate around 21st century curriculum and instruction. Pair reluctant

teachers with trailblazers. Make technology integration a priority in the

professional development budget.

■ Tools should be used. Promote schoolwide understanding that digital

equipment should never sit idle. The sharing of equipment, wherever it

is located, is necessary to maximize student and teacher learning with

technology.

■ Make priorities clear. Single out leading-edge 21st century teachers both

for recognition and for leadership roles. Consider supplements for teachers

who are well-prepared and willing to work with other teachers on technol-

ogy-infused student projects.

■ Focus on what students need. Develop strategies, based on school size,

that ensure every teacher understands the need to prepare students for life

and work in the 21st century. Group study of books and articles inspire such

discussions.

■ Invest in professional development. Sponsor a technology conference

for teachers once a year that includes a blend of conversation about the

rationale behind 21st century learning, presentations on successful proj-

ects, and opportunities for hands-on experimentation with a collaborative

web tool (blog, wiki, social network, podcast, etc.). Build a follow-up plan

that asks teachers to try what they’ve learned in their classrooms.■


Q. What role do you play in the legisla-tive process?A. I am the director of the Legislative Fis-cal Office, and my office is responsible forreading proposed legislation and puttingfiscal impact notes on that legislation interms of what it’s going to cost or, if it’s arevenue bill, how much money it’s goingto bring in.

We also do revenue forecasting for the Legislature and pro-vide fiscal information to each member of the Legislature. ...for both parties, for both houses. The governor is responsi-ble for introducing or having introduced a budget by thesecond legislative day, and then the Legislature takes thosebudgets and reviews them and makes amendments or sub-stitutes; and we’re responsible for providing support for that.

Q. How many staff members do you have?A. We have 16. We have an analyst who handles education

and analysts who have health and social services; revenueand tax issues; corrections, courts and public safety; agri-culture, conservation and natural resources; transportationand various issues; and economic development.

Q. How are you appointed?A. There is a joint fiscal committee that is made up of five

members of the House and five members of the Senate thatappoints the director and could fire the director. (Laughs)That hasn’t happened yet.

Q. What is it like responding to 140 different bosses? A. That’s a challenge, but I think back to all the people who I

have had an opportunity to work with. Hopefully, throughthem, I’ve been able to have an impact on the state ofAlabama, and that is what I think public service is about.

Q. How do you go about making a revenue estimate?A. Good question. We look at trends. We, luckily, have a lot

of years of expertise, so we know the background of dif-ferent taxes and the different things that go on with thetaxes. What we do when we make revenue estimates isbring all the analysts in and sit down and brainstorm. Weusually have four or five sessions before we actually final-ize our estimates in order to give them to the Legislature.

Q. How hard is to make projections for the EducationTrust Fund?

A. The ETF is always going to respond most readily to changesin the economy because it has sales taxes, which respondimmediately, and it has income taxes, which respond veryquickly to changes in economic conditions. I tell the Legisla-ture every year, “I can tell you that we will have a downturn.What I can’t tell you are when and the extent of it.” So, whenthe economy starts to grow, we miss it because we just can’tpredict how fast it’s going to come out of a slow down.When it starts to go into a slow down again, we can’t projecthow deep or how quick that slow down is going to be.

Q. So how do you advise the Legislature on this?A. Well, that’s why I advise them to try to set aside some

money, because I know I’m not going to be able to predictaccurately the point at which a recession or downturn isgoing to happen. They have surprised me, and they haveset up a savings account for that very contingency. I’m veryhappy about that.

Q. What generally are the biggest financial challengesfacing the state?

A. The general fund probably is more of a challenge, althoughthe ETF will be a challenge in ’09 because we’ve had greatgrowth for the last three years. We’ve been able to put insome new programs and have given some benefits, and wemay need to continue to fund those. When you have a slowdown, you’re going to have to look more closely at thoseprograms and what’s working and what’s not working. Theother issue, as far as challenges, is the $1 billion bond issue,and we’ll have to come up with money to pay that debtservice. It will be a time of tightening the belt ... in ’09 forthe ETF. The general fund is always tight. It doesn’t havevery many growth taxes. One of the major sources ofincome to the general fund is interest income, and rates arebeing cut and projected to continue to be cut.

Q. Do you have any suggestions for local boards, giventhe economic times?

A. My suggestion to them is the same as my suggestion to theLegislature. They should have been putting aside somemoney knowing that the strong economic times couldn’tlast forever. So, hopefully they have made some contin-gency plans and/or have spent some of the money for one-time expenditures that won’t reoccur in the next cycle.

10 QUESTIONSBy Sally Brewer Howell, AASB Executive Director

Legislative Fiscal Officer Joyce Bigbee

Joyce Bigbee



Q. What does the finance director do? A. There are really three jobs in one. One person can’t do all three jobs, but Irecruit good people, and I’m excellent at delegating.

The finance director is the chief finan-cial officer for the state of Alabama,which means that every agency — fromCorrections, Medicaid to Mental Health —

all of their financial issues come across our desks, reallyall their problems. Everything about government is money,so everybody’s problems are money. If things are goingsmoothly, they don’t have to come see us. But anytimethere is a bump in the road, they have to come, and wehave to solve it. That also includes the education entitiesand their bumps in the road. The state school board doesthe local board of educations’ bumps in the road, but thestate school board or Joe Morton comes to us to get himthe flexibility to do them. (Editor’s note: Dr. Morton isstate superintendent of education.)

The second responsibility of the finance director is to bea policy advisor to the governor, because practically all pol-icy has a price tag on it. The reading initiative, the math andscience initiative, distance learning — you know, before hejumped into ‘we want to do these and how fast we want todo these,’ he had to know what they were going to cost andwhere we were going to get the money from.

And then, we have a department of almost 600 people.We have one of the largest property casualty insurance com-panies in the state of Alabama. We are the insurance com-pany for every education building and every state buildingin this state. We do all the technology for non-education — education uses the Supercomputer. Then wehave a service division that has multiple functions like car-ing for all these buildings. It’s one of the bigger departmentsof state government, but the interesting part is it’s so diverse.

Q. What is the toughest decision you’ve had to makesince being in this role?

A. That is almost an impossible question to answer, because Ican’t survey my mind in 60 seconds for the toughest. I cantell you, generally speaking, that we never will have enoughmoney to do all the things we need to do in education and

non-education entities. And generally, I’m the one that hasto say no. I can say no a lot, because we have to prioritize.We have a lot of wonderful non-state agencies that — theyear before I became the finance director — had to comeout of the budget. That wouldn’t be the hardest one — butto say no to people that are doing wonderful things becausewe don’t have enough money and we have to prioritize and,of course, the state agencies have to be first.

Q. How does your office’s role differ from the LegislativeFiscal Office’s role?

A. The Legislature’s role in our government is to appropriatemoney, and the executive branch is then to oversee thespending of it. So, in this office, not only do we have to proj-ect revenues, but we have to prepare budgets. Actually, thestatutes say that the finance director is a consultant to boththe Legislature and the governor on those fiscal matters. Thatwas all written before they had a Legislative Fiscal Office.Before then, this was the only place they could really come.

Truly, now our function is to focus on how to operatestate government on a day-to-day basis. The Legislative Fis-cal Office is really focused on the next budgets and moni-toring the revenues as they come in.

Q. What are the biggest economic challenges the statefaces today?

A. We have a general non-education fund that is not a growthfund. The type things that are the bulk of the revenues forthe general fund are interest — severance tax and insurancepremium tax. Those things are things that change slowly. Itusually creeps up or down in quarter-of-a-percent incre-ments. So, the general fund doesn’t grow as fast as ourneeds are, so that’s a problem.

Q. What does the slow economy mean for the EducationTrust Fund?

A. Since I have been finance director, the sales and incometax, which are the education dollars, have increased 9.5 per-cent over the year before. Then the next year it was 11.5percent; then 10.5 percent; and last year, it was 6.5 percent.So, the growth is less over the year before, but the averagegrowth is in the 4 to 5 (percent) range. So, 6.5 percentgrowth, in most years, we would have thought was tremen-dous. But compared to double-digit growth the three years

10 QUESTIONSBy Bobby Diggs, Lawrence County School Board

State Finance Director Jim Main

Jim Main



Defining a School-related Organization

Simply put, school-related organizations haveat least a limited ability to govern themselves andcontrol their operations within the confines ofour legal statutes and accountability standards.

The determination of whether particular activ-ities fall under school control would be made ona case-by-case basis. Some organizations arecompletely within the scope of school controland adhere to the same standards as any otherschool activity. Other organizations are consid-ered completely separate, as long as they adhereto certain operational and financial standards.Lastly, there are organizations that are consideredseparate organizations but participate in certainactivities that would come under school controlbecause of the unique circumstances involved inthe activity.

Separating an Organization from the SchoolIn order to be completely separate from theschool, an organization would need to:

1. Obtain its own employer identification number(EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service;

2. Maintain a separate mailing address;

3. Maintain separate records and accounts outsideof the school (including financial records, bankaccounts, etc.);

4. Enter into an agreement with the school tomeet certain administrative requirements (Seethe “Parent Organizations/Booster Clubs” sec-tion below); and

5. Avoid a possible conflict of interest with theschool by steering clear of having a schoolemployee lead fund raising, maintain account-ing records or hold a leadership position in theorganization.

By Ken Roberts, AASB Chief Operating Officer

The public demands accountability for the use of pub-

lic funds. Those demands are ever-increasing, and so is

the need for transparency in the operations of not only

local school systems but their related organizations.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board

has helped redefine what organizations comprise

our school systems and the need to meet the account-

ability standard for these school-related organizations.

The latest GASB developments could affect system

operations and policy, so here are a few issues to

consider when developing a practical guide for your

school system’s relationship with and the financial

reporting of school-related organizations.


Identifying the Types of Organizations

Numerous school-related organizations exist with a varietyof purposes and activities. However, one could group theseorganizations into the following three broad categories:

■ Student Organizations: Student clubs and classes areusually recognized as school activities. Examples are theFFA and Beta Clubs. The student officers and facultysponsors operate these organizations within the schoolusing the school accounting system and with the princi-pal having a fiduciary responsibility over their funds.These organizations are considered school organizations.There are exceptions, such as community recreationalleagues, that have a separate EIN and use a separatemailing address and operate off campus. These organi-zations are generally considered separate because of thenature of their operations and the fact that they report toentities other than the school.

■ Athletics: School athletics are considered extra-curricularactivities and must operate under school control and,therefore, are subject to the same controls and proceduresas any other school activities. If the athletic event is not onschool property, then there must be agreement betweenthe entity exercising authority over the event location andthe school. This agreement should include very specificfinancial details, including the distribution of parking fees,admission and concession receipts.

■ Parent Organizations/Booster Clubs: These organiza-tions generally meet the criteria to be separate organiza-tions. These types of organizations could be classified asschool activities if they do not comply with any one of thecriteria mentioned earlier or if they mutually agree to comeunder the fiduciary control of the principal.

Booster clubs, in particular, represent a challenge inascertaining their relationship to the school and the schoolsystem’s responsibility for accountability for the clubs’operations. This is important because the public perceivesthe booster club to be a part of the school. Therefore, it isvitally important that the booster club not only complywith the criteria for operating as a separate entity but theleadership should also sign an agreement to take the fol-lowing actions:

• Provide a report of the annual audit of the organizationto the school,

• Make financial records available to the school’s auditorsand authorized school personnel, upon request,

• Provide other required financial reports, as requested,

• Provide proof of a fidelity bond for the organization’streasurer, and

• Ensure that it does not provide any payment or otherbenefit to a school employee (or an employee’s familymember) in violation of the State Ethics Law.

Complying with the RulesOrganizations that comply with the above guidelines can

still participate in school-related activities that fall under thefiduciary control of the school principal. But, here are a fewimportant rules to remember:

1. Admission receipts: Admission receipts to all athleticevents on school property are school funds and must beremitted to control of the appropriate school employeeimmediately.

2. Concession receipts: Concession operation revenues atathletic events on school property are school funds, andthe profit from the concession operation must be remittedto the control of the appropriate school employee imme-diately. A detailed profit and loss statement should becompiled and maintained for review by school officials.Conversely, if the school purchased the concession items,all of the funds should be remitted to the school. Theschool and the organization operating the concessions areallowed to have a written agreement that provides a rea-sonable commission to organizations in return for the vol-unteer services provided by the organization.

3. Parking fees: Parking fees to any school function areschool funds and must be remitted to the appropriateschool employee immediately. The school and the organ-ization operating the parking are allowed to have a writ-ten agreement that provides a reasonable commission tothe organization in return for the volunteer services pro-vided by the organization.

4. Off campus events: If the school activity occurs off schoolproperty, the distribution of admission, concession, parkingand similar revenues and/or allocation of costs should begoverned by an agreement between the school, organiza-tion and entity hosting the event. In this case, the schoolshould receive most of the revenue generated from theevent, though the booster organization and/or hostingentity would be entitled to at least their direct out-of-pocketcosts (including volunteers’ donated time) in sponsoringthe event.

5. On campus events: If the organization operates a trainingcamp, exhibition or competition involving an activity ofthe school, there should be an agreement governing theuse of school property and distribution of any costs orreceipts generated by the event. Generally, the schoolshould receive any funds generated by the event if it isheld on school property.

6. Paying school employees: Payments — including salaries,stipends, services, expenses or any other form of compen-

sation — made to school system employeesmust be forwarded to the central office forproper processing. ■

Send your school finance questions to Ken Roberts, AASB

Chief Operating Officer, [email protected].

Q. As you look over your career, what are your greataccomplishments?

A. It has been a great career. It was custom-made for me. I likechallenges. I like having different things to do everyday. It’snot a job for everybody. Each day there is a new issue. There’stax reform, the intricacies of Medicaid funding, dealing with

the federal government, education reform — I was intimatelyinvolved in changing from the minimum program to the Foun-dation Program (Editor’s note: the state’s funding program forpublic schools). So, it is challenging but fun. It keeps you inter-ested in what you’re doing. That’s what I like about it. ■

These 10 questions were asked by AASB Executive Director Sally Howell and is part of a

series of conversations between members of AASB’s grassroots Leader to Leader pro-

gram and key state leaders in government and education.


before, you know, we could get down in the mouth. But, wecan’t grow that fast indefinitely. Our sales and income taxcan’t go up double digits year after year. So, I think it’s healthythat it has slowed down a little bit.

Our individual income tax has not slowed down. It was alittle over 9 percent in ’07.

It’s the individual income tax that I would say to alwayswatch. If people are making money and we’re growing in thaton an annual basis, I believe that our economy is in goodshape and the Education Trust Fund is in good shape. If theunemployment rate is below 4 percent, and the individualincome tax is still almost double-digit in growth, what couldyou ask for greater than that as far as an economic boom foreducation?

I’m not disappointed. I’d rather have a soft landing than justfall off the edge of a cliff like has happened before.

Q. Don’t we have two funds to shield us from or ease theeffects of proration?

A. There is a constitutional account that we can borrow up to$248 million. We are really borrowing it from the AlabamaTrust Fund. It has to be paid back in five years. So, that’s nota gift. During hard times if we borrow money, when goodtimes return or within the next five years we have to pay itback. The other account is a statutory account, and it hasmore than $400 million in it. Actually, we can tap into it by acertification by me that we need to prevent proration.

Q. What advice would you give local school boards as theycraft their budgets?

A. For the next fiscal year, I would try to be conservative in mybudget. I think that we have had so much growth ... that wekind of need to digest all of the good times and not take onany huge new programs.

Q. What grade overall do you give local, state and federalgovernment for their support of Alabama’s public edu-cation?

A. Well, I would give the state an A+, and I base that on whathas happened since Bob Riley has been governor. Whowould have dreamed that we would go from a little over $4billion to a little less than $7 billion of state support and thatwe would have a 22 percent salary increase for educators andsupport people? And, retirees have gotten all kinds of good

graces. I don’t think that all of the local areas are equal intheir support of education. There are some that deserve an Aand probably some that deserve an F.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish in your tenure as statefinance director?

A. My biggest focus has been to try to put more transparency inthe budget process and more efficiencies and accountability.We put in place SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accountable,Responsive and Transparent) Governing. We require everyone of the agencies to do an executive strategic plan. We putall of this on a Web site, so any citizen that has an interest ina particular agency can see what’s being spent and why.

Q. Is SMART Governing suggested for K-12 education?A. It’s up to the state Board of Education to measure local boards’

results in whatever way they can measure them, and we aretrying to make the state Board of Education and Joe Morton bemore accountable to us as an agency of state government onbehalf of all of you. But they need to do with the local boardswhat we’re doing to our agencies — make them be moretransparent, more accountable, more efficient.

Transparency in government is the only way I can see thatwe’re going to get the trust and have the public’s support thatwe need. ■

These 10 questions were asked by Lawrence County school board member Bobby Diggs

and is part of a series of conversations between members of AASB’s grassroots Leader to

Leader program and key state leaders in government and education.

10 Questions: Jim MainContinued from page 23

10 Questions: Joyce Bigbee

Continued from page 22

Face to Face: Sen. Hinton MitchemContinued from page 11

enough money for funding would be the top priority becauseeverything else depends on how much money you’ve got.

◆ Casey: How can we as school board members help you to doyour job?

▲Mitchem: Just what you’re doing today — visiting with meand telling me what your biggest concerns are and showing usthat you are interested and need our help. It’s not necessarilyimportant to holler the loudest. Just show that you’re sincere.I have really enjoyed this and am honored that you wouldcome by as a school board member and let me talk to youawhile. ■

State Superintendent Dr.Joe Morton, in a Montgomery

Advertiser guest column, attrib-uted the state’s intensified focus

on Alabama’s often-scrutinizedgraduation rate to the changing world

and dire consequences of not graduatingfrom high school.“The playing field between America’s youth

and those abroad is increasingly more competitive.We know high school graduates are more employable and makehigher incomes than dropouts. We also know a large portion of our state’s inmates, approximately 80 percent, arehigh school dropouts,” he said.

One proposition Deputy State Superintendent Dr. Ruth Ashdiscussed with the board was redefining the state’s high schoolgraduation options. Under the proposal, students would berequired to complete at least one distance-learning course,beginning with the 2008-09 freshman class. There would beexceptions for students with an individualized education pro-gram.

High school graduates now earn one of three diplomas: anAlabama High School Diploma with or without endorsements;an Alabama Occupational Diploma; and an Alternate Adult HighSchool Diploma.

The proposal calls for replacing the Alternate Adult diplomawith a credit-based endorsement to the Alabama High SchoolDiploma. To receive this endorsement, general education stu-dents and those with disabilities would need to complete therequired core curriculum credits and earn one additionalcareer/technical education credit. This proposed change wouldtake place voluntarily in the 2008-09 school year and would berequired for the ninth-grade class in 2009-10.

Students must pass the Alabama High School GraduationExam to earn an Alabama High School Diploma with theadvanced academic endorsement. For a credit-based endorse-ment, students would have to take the exam each time it’soffered through 12th grade but would be only required to passthree of the five sections.

Unless parents/guardians or IEP committees opt students out,Alabama high school students would automatically work towardthe Alabama High School Diploma with the advanced academicendorsement. Eleven other states offer such an opt-out measure.

In Alabama, 38 percent of graduates earn the advanced diploma. The other diploma endorsements — besides the proposed

credit-based — are career technical and advanced career tech-nical. Local school boards could adopt other diploma options,such as honors and international baccalaureate.

The high school diploma, regardless of endorsement, and theoccupational diploma require four years each of English, math,science and social studies. The advanced endorsement requireshigher level math and science in addition to a computer appli-cations half-credit and two foreign language credits.

Also proposed were alternatives to the 140 hours of “seattime” in one subject that students must have to earn one unit ofhigh school credit. Students could instead demonstrate masteryof a particular skill through testing or taking online courses.Through credit recovery, students could get remedial assistancewhen they’ve failed a segment of a course rather than repeatingthe entire class.

“It is imperative that Alabama’s students stay in school,” Mor-ton said. “The only thing more important than staying in schoolis the assurance that an education is received that prepares stu-dents for a diverse, 21st century work force, which seeks newand innovative skill sets. In Alabama, strides are being made toensure just that.” ■


Q.Is the state fire marshal allowed to enter our schools

without any advance notice?

A.YES. State law gives the state fire marshal and his

deputies/assistants permission to enter schools at all

hours for necessary investigations and permission to

conduct inspections dealing with fire and life safety

code laws, regulations and ordinances. If a violation

is found and corrective action is needed, the state

fire marshal generally works with the school system,

so a response plan can be developed and action can be

taken to address the issue.

— Denise L. Berkhalter

Help.

Alabama’s graduation options could be modified and implemented

this fall if the state Board of Education approves a proposal discussed

in its first two K-12 work sessions of the year.

Graduation Options May Change By Denise L. Berkhalter


&People&Schools&Dr. Ann Roy MooreThe School Superintendents of Alabama namedDr. Ann Roy Moore Alabama’s 2008 Superinten-dent of the Year for her distinguished service.She has served as the Huntsville City School

System’s Superintendent of Education since June 2001 but has33-plus career years in education. She represented Alabama atthe National Superintendent of the Year program during therecent American Association of School Administrators NationalConference in Tampa.

Florence BellamyAASB President-elect Florence Bellamy receivedthe Clifford S. Smith Lifetime AchievementAward at the Phenix City Schools Heart of theCommunity Awards Ceremony for her contribu-

tions to education. Bellamy has been a Phenix City boardmember since 1989 and is listed on the AASB School BoardMember Academy Master’s Honor Roll. She is a supervisor atthe Russell County Department of Human Resources and hasserved on numerous community committees and boards.

Dr. Grady Sue SaxonLeeds Board of Education member Dr. GradySue Saxon recently published two books — acollection of poetry and photographs titledSand Between My Toes, and the practical guide

on How to Raise Children: A Recipe in Plain English(www.Amazon.com). Saxon’s child rearing book addressesissues related to single parent homes, blended families andfamilies dealing with chronic illness. Such topics as preschool,the value of play, nutrition and skills kindergarteners need arealso discussed in her “recipe” book.

William SilverWilliam Silver, Saraland school board presidentand a member of the Saraland Area Chamber ofCommerce Board of Directors, announced theschool system has officially separated from

Mobile County. The board named Paul Sousa its interim con-sulting superintendent and Veronica Hudson its board vicepresident. A superintendent search is under way (www.sara-land.org). The new system’s schools include Saraland Ele-mentary and Nelson Adams Middle school with constructionon a high school — home of the Spartans — slated for com-pletion before August 2009.

Bonnie Garrett Bonnie Garrett, a science teacher at Huntsville’sEdward White Middle School, is the state’s onlywinner of the Milken Family Foundation’s 2007National Educator Award. The state Department

of Education and foundation surprised Garrett with the awardand $25,000 at a school assembly that included legislators andstate leaders. The award, known in education circles as the teach-ing Oscar, was given to 80 exemplary teachers across the nation.

Linda JarzynieckiLinda Jarzyniecki, a math teacher at GreenvilleHigh School in Butler County, is one of only 20teachers selected for the All-USA Teacher Team.The national recognition given by USA Today

honors exemplary K-12 educators. Thousands of nominationswere submitted nationwide, but the newspaper chose teach-ers who identify and address their students’ needs and whoimpact student learning. Jarzyniecki has been an educator formore than 20 years and teaches Algebra, precalculus andadvanced placement calculus.

Send news of appointments, elections, promotions, retirements, honors and deaths to

Attn: People & Schools Editor, Alabama School Boards magazine, P.O. Drawer 230488,

Montgomery, AL 36123-0488 or [email protected].

Legendary actor James Earl Jones read Saturdays and Teacakes to fifth-graders

at Huntsville’s Hampton Cove Elementary to celebrate the partnership

between Verizon Foundation’s Thinkfinity.org and the state Department of

Education’s Alabama Learning Exchange. The foundation awarded a $79,000

grant to expand online educational resources available through the Alabama

Learning Exchange Web portal (http://alex.state.al.us).



ON THE MOVE■ Dr. Yvette Richardson is the new Russell County superin-

tendent, filling the position left vacant by the death of Dr. Vivian Carter. Her 2 1/2-year contract began in January.

■ Sherill Parris, former administrator for the Alabama ReadingInitiative, was named assistant superintendent of educationfor reading. She replaces Dr. Katherine Mitchell, the firstperson to hold the position, who retired in December.

OF NOTE■ Rebecca Darby of Lauderdale County’s Central High

School was named the state’s only math finalist for the Presi-dential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and ScienceTeaching. In science, the finalists are Ashley Allen ofOneonta schools’ Oneonta High School and Jennifer Reed-

Taunton of Albertville’s Alabama Avenue Middle School.

■ Lester Brown of Greene County and Dr. Beth McCulloch

Vinson of Lawrence County won free registration to upcom-ing AASB School Board Member Academy conferences. Theirnames were drawn from completed evaluation forms.

■ Annie C. Hunter, Lowndes County school board member,won a shoppers’ package drawing from The Wynfrey Hotel inHoover for early check-out during AASB’s annual convention.

■ The state Department of Education recently landed a $1.8million School Improvement grant to expand the AlabamaReading Initiative Project for Adolescent Literacy project tolow-performing schools. Seven schools will be selected fromBirmingham, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa city schools andMobile and Montgomery counties.

■ Judy Brown and Mark Raines received national awards fromthe Association for Career and Technical Education. Brown,who formerly taught culinary arts at Madison’s Bob JonesHigh, was named 2008 National Teacher of the Year. Raines,a Tuscaloosa Center for Technology teacher, was namedOutstanding New Career and Technical Teacher.

■ Jefferson County’s Bryan Elementary School in Morrishosted a media conference that included state and schoolleaders and the Institute for America’s Health director to discuss the state’s kid-friendly health and wellness curriculumfor fourth- and fifth-graders, Wellness, Academics and You.WAY programs are also under way in Bullock, Chambers,Cherokee, Clarke, Covington, Madison, Mobile andShelby counties and the cities of Dothan, Ft. Payne, Hooverand Opelika.

■ Montgomery County’s McIntyre Middle School, the only Alabama school, won a national grant from the ParentTeachers Association for its efforts to promote families andschool collaboration. ■

&People Schools Continued from page 28

2007-2008 TORCHBEARER SCHOOLSNine Alabama public schools from across the state were named Torchbearer

Schools and received $15,000. In 2004, the Torchbearer program was launched

to recognize schools that succeed despite the odds. To be eligible, high-perform-

ing schools must have at least an 80 percent poverty rate.

“The nine schools receiving the 2007-

2008 Torchbearer Award are staffed

with educators who truly care about

their students enough to make learning

an enriching experience,” said state

Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe

Morton. Anna F. Booth ElementaryMobile County

Edgewood ElementarySelma

E.D. Nixon ElementaryMontgomery County

George Hall ElementaryMobile County

Indian Springs ElementaryMobile County

Lincoln ElementaryHuntsville

Mary W. Burroughs ElementaryMobile County

North Birmingham ElementaryBirmingham

Wilkerson Middle SchoolBirmingham

✔


School Board

Escambia County Board

Hometown

Atmore

A Board Member for

11 years

Books at Bedside

The most recent combined volumes of Reader’s Digest

Inspiration

I’m inspired by the goodness of my heavenly father when Iwake up every morning and realize he has given me a brandnew day.

Motto as a Board Member

Do the very best job you can to see that every child in yourschool system or across the state has complete access to thebest education from capable people who can tutor and teachthem, so they can go as far as they can go.

Walter Mitty Fantasy

I spent the first 15 years of my education career as a highschool choir director. So, my fantasy is that I would like toteach the world to sing in perfect harmony. That would bequite a job.

Advice to New Board Members

Being a school board member is a challenge. They will havethe ability to make decisions that could ultimately assist ordeny a child the opportunity to get the best education theycan have to be a success in their future.

Greatest Accomplishment as a Board Member

The greatest accomplishment came when I was informed that all of our schools made adequate yearly progress underNo Child Left Behind. That assured me that our children’s lives have been touched.

Pet Peeve as a Board Member

When board members fail to be sensitive to the economic use of Alabama tax payers’ dollars that are to be used for education. I don’t like to abuse funds that should go to edu-cating our children.

Reason I Like Being an AASB Member

AASB is an academic tool school board members can use toacquire degrees of excellence.

My Epitaph

There lies a rebounder — a person who can get knockeddown but who gets back up.

AT THE TABLE MARK YOUR CALENDAR

W.J. Grissett MARCH14 AASB Early Bird Workshop

“The 21st Century Learner”

Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover

14-15 AASB Academy Core Conference“Leadership for Developing a Highly Effective Staff”


29-April 1 NSBA Annual Conference and ExpositionOrlando, Fla.

MAY19 Regular Legislative Session Ends

JUNE3 State/Federal Primary Election

JULY15 Primary Runoff Election

20-22 NSBA/Southern RegionNew Orleans, La.

27-30 AASB Summer ConferencePerdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach

31-August 1AASB Leadership IPerdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach

OCTOBER19-20 AASB Academy Core Conference

“Leadership for Community Engagement”

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, Montgomery

DECEMBER4-6 AASB Annual Convention


Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAID

Montgomery, ALPermit No. 34

Alabama Association of School Boards

Post Office Drawer 230488

Montgomery, Alabama 36123-0488

2008 January/February Alabama School Boards Magazine

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