pre-K program

Last legislative session, with good results and great PR rolling in for Alabama’s Pre-K program, the Department of Early Childhood Education received a record-breaking increase in funding, as Gov. Kay Ivey and lawmakers pledged to build on one of the few bright spots in Alabama’s public education programs.  The Education Trust Fund budget passed by … Continued

New research suggests students who have participated in Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program, a voluntary, public early education program, are about half as likely to have disciplinary problems throughout their school careers than students who didn’t participate in the program.  The analysis was conducted by the First Class Pre-K Research Evaluation Team, a multi-disciplinary group … Continued

On Wednesday, State Reps. Pebblin Warren, D-Birmingham, and Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, led a discussion about the Education Trust Fund budget that was passed on Tuesday. “Our future is only as strong as our education system is today,” Warren said at the Democrats’ weekly press conference. The education budget, Senate Bill 199, is marked at $7.1 … Continued

The Alabama Legislature met for Day 14 of its annual Regular Session on Tuesday, April 30. Thirty-one committee meetings were held throughout the week to consider legislation. Both Houses met on Thursday, May 2 for Day 15. 943 bills have been introduced to date. The Legislature will return to Montgomery on Tuesday, May 7 for … Continued

Earlier this month, the governor announced her plan to spend almost a billion dollars of taxpayer money to build three new prisons for men (there will be no new prisons for women, even though it was the conditions at the women’s prison in Elmore County that started the whole prison debate). There’s no question that … Continued

The Legislative Session has come to an end, but legislators won’t be the ones making the most important decision our government will make this year. The State Board of Education will make that decision in April when they choose our next State Superintendent of Education. For all of the high-profile issues that have been raised … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter With high revenues and confidence in the budgets this year, state lawmakers are hoping for what could be as high as a 2.5–3 percent pay raise for K-12 educators and state employees. Gov. Kay Ivey proposed the pay increase in her first State of the State Address last week but … Continued

By Chip Brownlee Alabama Political Reporter Ahead of what is expected to be a quiet and relatively non-controversial Legislative Session, Senate Republicans released a four-pronged agenda highlighting priorities that include an income tax break and a push for broadband in rural communities. Republican senators announced the agenda — notably less partisan and low key than … Continued