Mike Sentance

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

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

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

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

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

Education Matters By Larry Lee When State Superintendent of Education Mike Sentance told the State School Board Dec. 8, that the Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Education had determined that the State’s high school graduation rate was inaccurate, reaction was swift and true to form. Members of the Legislature who consistently … Continued

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