Author

Larry Lee

More fake news from Alabama Policy Institute

The Montgomery County board of education passed a resolution in October calling for the repeal of the Alabama Accountability Act. I was on the board that did this, I wrote much of the resolution and I voted for it. So, I was more than a little surprised when I read a recent article by Rachel … Continued

Larry Lee

December 13, 2018

Opinion

Jo Bonner comes to Montgomery

Gov. Kay Ivey has just announced that former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner is joining her staff as “senior advisor.” In my opinion, this is great news for the people of Alabama. I have known Jo since 1982. And if I could sum him up in just one word, it would be GENUINE. What you see … Continued

Larry Lee

December 5, 2018

Opinion

Is the Business Council getting out of the education picture?

As we reported back in July, longtime head of the Business Council of Alabama, Billy Canary, was ousted from his position after months of high stakes politicking by some of Alabama major companies. His replacement will be Katie Britt, who is presently chief of staff for Senator Richard Shelby. As explained in this article by … Continued

Larry Lee

November 30, 2018

Opinion

Hiring Jason Taylor for MPS was Mike Sentance’s worst decision

Of all the blunders former state school superintendent Mike Sentance made (and there were many), none looms any larger than his decision to hire Jason Taylor to “straighten out” finances for the Montgomery school system. Taylor was the Chief Financial Officer for the Huntsville city school system early in 2017 when Sentance gave him a … Continued

Larry Lee

October 8, 2018

Opinion

Can Montgomery handle the truth about its schools?

In 1992, the movie, A Few Good Men, told the riveting story of a military court martial. The climactic moment being when the character played by Jack Nickolson says to the character Tom Cruise played, “You can’t handle the truth.” That scene has gone through my mind over and over as I’ve watched the current hand-wringing … Continued

Larry Lee

June 27, 2018

Opinion

Checking in on the Alabama Accountability Act

By and large, the Legislature passes laws and seldom looks back to see what impact they are having. Which seems a HUGE mistake to me. The Alabama Accountability Act passed in 2013 being a prime example. So from time to time I visit the Alabama Department of Revenue web site where they post info about AAA. It’s always an … Continued

Larry Lee

March 20, 2018

Opinion

Superintendents say A-F report cards “basically worthless”

My jaw dropped recently when I heard someone from the Alabama State Department of Education say that local school systems are using the A-F school report cards to identify strengths and weaknesses. Wow. I have just surveyed dozens of school system superintendents from one end of the state to the other–and THAT is not what they … Continued

Larry Lee

March 13, 2018

Opinion

Is Montgomery charter getting special treatment?

By Larry Lee A group headed by former Montgomery County school board president Charlotte Meadows wants to establish a charter school in the Capital City. Good for them. Called LEAD Academy, the application to move forward was approved by the state charter school commission on Feb. 12, 2018 with five of 11 members voting to approve. … Continued

Larry Lee

February 27, 2018

Opinion

The red hot mess politicians have heaped on our schools

By Larry Lee Education Matters While I will never claim that I don’t cuss, I work hard to refrain from doing so on my blog. But in this case, it’s damn hard not to. Politicians, particularly Senate majority leader Del Marsh and Rep. Terri Collins, seem to have gone out of their way to tear … Continued

Larry Lee

February 2, 2018

Opinion

Larry Lee: We don’t listen to our experts

By Larry Lee Dr. Steve Edwards is the real deal. With 43 years in the education field, he knows of what he speaks. He runs a consulting firm in Virginia and has done work in 49 states and 55 counties. Clients include the United Nations and the World Bank. The author of five books, he … Continued

Larry Lee

January 25, 2018