Author

Larry Lee

In praise of doing what’s right

By Larry Lee Education Matters Ain’t no way 11 months ago I would ever write what I am now writing. That’s because I had just watched state school board member Stephanie Bell raise her hand on Aug. 11 as one of five votes to hire Mike Sentance as State Superintendent. I thought then–and still do—it was one … Continued

Larry Lee

July 31, 2017

Opinion

Now I Know What “Fake News” Looks Like

By Larry Lee Education Matters Having a major in journalism, I have had more interest than most I suppose in what all this talk about “fake news” means. Now I know. Here is the best example I’ve yet come across. It is a feeble attempt by a blog called Yellowhammer News to defend Mike Sentance … Continued

Larry Lee

July 24, 2017

Opinion

State Department ignores State School Board directive

By Larry Lee Education Matters As the Montgomery County school “intervention” has tediously unfolded with little to see but mounting expenses for high-priced consultants and well-paid administrators, the State School Board finally threw up its hands on June 8, 2017, and said “Enough is enough.” So they passed a resolution saying all spending for Montgomery … Continued

Larry Lee

July 17, 2017

Opinion

Did the race for Lt. Governor end before it began?

By Larry Lee Education Matters Candidates for election in 2018 have now turned in their first monthly financial report to the Secretary of State. This covers the month of June. These include the three announced Republican candidates for Lt. Governor–Will Ainsworth, Mary Scott Hunter and Rusty Glover. The differences in the reports are astounding and do not … Continued

Larry Lee

July 10, 2017

Opinion

Sen. Dial’s committee goes back to work

By Larry Lee In the wake of last summer’s state superintendent search and all the questions that came up about an effort to discredit applicant Craig Pouncey, Senator Gerald Dial created a joint committee of House and Senate members to investigate what took place and how info from the Ethics Commission about Pouncey ended up … Continued

Larry Lee

July 4, 2017

Opinion

What did he know and when did he know it?

Forty-four years ago this month, the nation was watching the US Senate hearings about Watergate unfold. This was before cable news, the internet, telephones that took pictures, etc. So we were not bombarded with 24/7 news from Washington as we are today, thank goodness. A key player in the hearings was Tennessee senator Howard Baker. … Continued

Larry Lee

June 27, 2017

Opinion

An answer to API

Education Matters Larry Lee According to its website, The Alabama Policy Institute “is a non-profit, non-partisan research and education organization dedicated to influencing public policy…We do this by providing fact-based, objective analysis of key issues.” However, when you dissect the following op-ed written by Taylor Dawson about the recent defeat of an amendment to the Alabama … Continued

Larry Lee

June 12, 2017

Opinion

An open letter to Gov. Ivey

By Larry Lee Governor: Just a month ago the Alabama political landscape was turned upside down and you suddenly found yourself moving from the State House to the Governor’s office. I have been praying that you meet each new day with clarity of purpose and resolve to make lives better. You are carefully weighing appointments … Continued

Larry Lee

May 15, 2017

Opinion

What happens when politicians forget about children

By Larry Lee At best, it was a shotgun wedding. A contrived affair with reason thrown to the wind and political outcome the only thing that mattered. A crudely manipulated process with ethics casually tossed aside. A shameless example of blind ambition being the one constant. The result was the installation of Mike Sentance as … Continued

Larry Lee

April 26, 2017

Opinion

A teacher named Wendy

Education Matters By Larry Lee Wendy Lang is a longtime elementary school educator in Decatur, AL. She left the classroom a year ago to work for the Alabama Education Association. In 2016 she was asked to be a part of a fund-raising event for the Carnegie Visual Arts Center. She shares the wonderful story of … Continued

Larry Lee

April 3, 2017