Alabama Accountability Act

Four myths to dispel during Alabama School Choice Week

Gov. Kay Ivey recently proclaimed this “Alabama School Choice Week” and thousands of families will celebrate reforms created by the Alabama Accountability Act, including scholarships so low-income parents can transfer their children from under-performing schools. Critics of the program, however, will likely respond by repeating some of the many myths about the law. Here are … Continued

Rachel Blackmon Bryars

January 23, 2019

Opinion

Survey says time for Accountability Act to go

More than 600 people have responded so far to a recent online survey about the Alabama Accountability Act. They are loud and clear as to how they feel. Seventy-six percent say it should be repealed. Another 17 percent say it should be modified and only one percent say it should be left as is. This is not … Continued

Larry Lee

January 15, 2019

Opinion

Writers of Accountability Act never heard of the Good Samaritan

Most of us heard the parable of the Good Samaritan at an early age. Probably in a Sunday School Class. And in Alabama, it was probably a Baptist Sunday School. As you remember, Jesus told the story of a Jewish traveler who was beaten and left by the side of the road. A priest saw … Continued

Larry Lee

January 8, 2019

Opinion

An open letter to Rachel Bryars of the Alabama Policy Institute and the people of Alabama

Dear Ms. Bryars, I read your criticism of the Baldwin County school board’s resolution calling for a repeal of the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). Having been a member of this board at that time, I felt the need to respond. I recently retired after six years of service to Baldwin County schools. It was a … Continued

David Tarwater

December 21, 2018

Opinion

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

School boards are choosing systems over students by calling for scholarship repeal

Boards representing three of the state’s largest public school systems – Mobile, Baldwin and Montgomery counties – recently passed resolutions calling for a repeal of Alabama’s landmark tax credit scholarships for low income families. They claim that the small yet popular program created in 2013 by the Alabama Accountability Act has “caused harm to the financial … Continued

Rachel Blackmon Bryars

December 10, 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

Alabama Accountability Act: By the numbers

By Larry Lee Education Matters Now that we have several years of experience with the Alabama Accountability Act, let’s look as closely as possible at the numbers available to see what’s been done. The legislation creating AAA was passed early in 2013 under rather mysterious conditions. Basically one bill went into a conference committee and … Continued

Larry Lee

November 1, 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

The problem they can never see

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter Ritchie Whorton has a problem with me. On Thursday afternoon, the Representative from Owens Cross Roads slid into the State House elevator just before the doors closed and opened with: “What do you have against public schools?” I had no idea what Whorton was talking about, so I responded … Continued

Josh Moon

May 12, 2017