Education Matters

Dial Committee Gets To Work

By Larry Lee Education Matters The committee created by Senators Gerald Dial and Quinton Ross to find out how anonymous info given to the state school board made its way into public heard from their first “witnesses” earlier today. Senator Dial stressed again that the legislature has gone to great lengths to make sure anonymous … Continued

Larry Lee

November 4, 2016

Opinion

Fact Checking State School Board Member

By Larry Lee Education Matters “Hyperbole” should be the middle name of most all politicians. They are masters of embellishment, of overstatement, of stretching the truth and tall tales both big and small. As we’ve all be told from birth, “take it with a grain of salt” is super advice when listening to a politician … Continued

Larry Lee

October 28, 2016

Opinion

Senator Dial Takes Action

By Larry Lee Education Matters Unbelievable as it may seem, according to Alabama law, the requirements for someone to be the superintendent of a local school system are much tougher than those to be state superintendent, which is about like saying an operating room nurse needs more training than the surgeon she is assisting. Alabama … Continued

Larry Lee

October 11, 2016

Opinion

Storm Clouds Gather Over State School Board

By Larry Lee Education Matters Most educators agree that the recent process the state school board went through to replace state superintendent Tommy Bice was more like an episode of the Keystone Kops than anything else. During my career I had five jobs where I reported to a board of directors. Thank goodness they all … Continued

Larry Lee

October 7, 2016

Opinion

BCA Encourages People To Give Money For Private School Vouchers Instead Of Paying State Income Tax

By Larry Lee Education Matters When attendees at a recent Business Council of Alabama conference at Point Clear opened their “goody” bags, one of their treats was a flier asking “Do you pay Alabama income tax?” Open the flier and readers were told to “redirect your tax liability and provide a scholarship.” This not-so-subtle message … Continued

Larry Lee

October 3, 2016

Opinion

Rep. Collins Should Read the Code

By Larry Lee Education Matters Back in 2012 state representative Terri Collins of Decatur got legislation passed that requires all schools in the state to receive a letter grade of A through F. And after spending thousands of hours and thousands of dollars trying to come up with some decent way to measure all the … Continued

Larry Lee

September 22, 2016

Opinion

Separating Fact From Fantasy

Education Matters By Larry Lee Ever since the state board of education decided on Aug. 11 to hire Michael Sentance of Massachusetts to be state school superintendent, we have heard over and over about what a great school system Massachusetts has. The implication being that someone from Massachusetts can magically turn Alabama into their southern … Continued

Larry Lee

August 22, 2016

Opinion

Did The Tea Party Get Beat At Their Own Game?

Education Matters By Larry Lee My friends involved with Tea Party politics in Alabama decidedly favored either Michael Sentance of Massachusetts or Bill Evers of California as the next school superintendent. The reason? They said both were against Common Core standards. Sentance was selected. On Aug. 10 board member Matt Brown sent an email across … Continued

Larry Lee

August 16, 2016

Opinion

Hodge Says , “School kids the rope in a political tug of war”

Education Matters By Larry Lee Kelli Hodge was speechless. She could not believe what she was hearing. And in her job as Dr. Kelli Hodge, superintendent of the Chambers County school system, she hears a great deal from employees, parents, elected officials, the public, etc. But this was different. She was at her regular Thursday … Continued

Larry Lee

October 7, 2014

Opinion

Not Teaching Here

Education Matters By Larry Lee Alabama has been sending its daughters to Judson College in the little Black Belt community of Marion for more than 170 years. The fifth oldest women’s college in the country, Judson has trained hundreds and hundreds of graduates to be teachers. And a chance encounter not long ago with one … Continued

Larry Lee

May 11, 2014