Alabama State Department of Education

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Analysis | Alabama’s charter school law has a number of problems

The Alabama charter school law is an absolute mess, filled with loopholes and nonexistent instructions that make it possible, if not likely, that the state will endure countless bad charter schools that rob taxpayers and leave Alabama school children worse off. Those were not the words of Alabama superintendent Eric Mackey. But you could draw … Continued

Josh Moon

July 30, 2019

Opinion

The Alabama Charter School Commission does not care

Last year, the Alabama Charter School Commission gave approval to a Washington County charter school known as Woodland Prep. It gave that approval despite the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, which was contracted by the Alabama State Department of Education to review charter school applications, writing in its review of Woodland that the school’s … Continued

Josh Moon

June 10, 2019

Department of Education asks for $150K to defend former board member

Alabama State Department of Education is requesting $150,000 from education funding to defend a former board member, as first reported by education writer Larry Lee. Mary Scott Hunter is being sued personally for her role for allegedly throttling Dr. Craig Pouncey’s appointment as state school board superintendent in 2016. APR first reported news of a … Continued

Bill Britt

March 5, 2019

Opinion

The plan to kill public education in Alabama is succeeding

Put the flashlights away, Jason Taylor has been located. Maybe. The Alabama State Department of Education’s $700,000 accountant is still working for the state, just not doing much — or anything, depending on who you ask — for the Montgomery Public Schools. Instead, according to ALSDE spokesman Dr. Michael Sibley, Taylor is spending the majority … Continued

Josh Moon

September 21, 2018

The Montgomery intervention’s $700,000 CFO is missing, but still getting paid

Where is Jason Taylor? Taylor, one of former state superintendent Michael Sentance’s most controversial hires, was brought into Montgomery by the Alabama State Department of Education to serve as chief financial officer for the Montgomery Public School system during the ongoing state intervention. Taylor, the CFO in the Huntsville system at the time, signed a … Continued

Josh Moon

September 18, 2018

Opinion

The Montgomery school board is not the problem

It’s the school board. That’s the biggest problem with Montgomery’s public school system. The school board members. They’re just the worst. Or, at least, that’s the story you’re supposed to believe. And granted, it is an easy story to get your arms around — that constant mismanagement from the school board has led to a … Continued

Josh Moon

June 4, 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

The Montgomery takeover continues to fail

By Josh Moon Alabama Political Reporter A scam. That’s what the Alabama State Department of Education’s intervention into Montgomery Public Schools is. From the outrageous hires made by former superintendent Michael Sentance — almost all of whom have now been pushed out, but not before costing the state and the cash-strapped MPS system hundreds of … Continued

Josh Moon

February 26, 2018

Debate over formation of city school boards dominates Senate committee meeting

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter One committee meeting in the statehouse on Wednesday was met with debates over the qualifications to start a school board by city governments. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would raise the requirements for the formation of school boards by increasing the population requirement from 5,000 to … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 16, 2018

Lawmakers request ALSDE give back $1.4 million to MPS after clerical error

By Samuel Mattison Alabama Political Reporter State Reps. John Knight, D-Montgomery, and Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, called on the Alabama State Department of Education to return $1.4 million that was mistakenly sent to another school district in a letter and press conference on Thursday. Their complaint stems from a clerical error by the Alabama State Department … Continued

Sam Mattison

February 9, 2018