State education issues discussed at PTO Roundtable

PTO Council representatives from Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills voiced concerns to state legislators at the PTO’s ninth annual Legislative Forum on Nov. 14.

Senator Jabo Waggoner, Rep. Jim Carns, Rep. Paul DeMarco and Rep. Jack Williams responded to questions from legislative representatives from each school in Vestavia and Mountain Brook, and school superintendants Dicky Barlow of Mountain Brook and Jamie Blair of Vestavia Hills added comments where applicable.

The legislators overall emphasized their desire to give local school systems control and that the state is dealing with the budgetary effects of the economy since 2008. The representatives said they will take the feedback from the event with them as they enter a new legislative session on Jan. 14, 2014.

A summary of the discussion of the roundtable is listed below.

Funding. Barlow voiced concern that Mountain Brook’s funding from the state has decreased by $16 million since 2008. Waggoner responded that due to the economy the state education budget has decreased from $6.7 billion in 2008 to bottom out at $5.4 billion in 2011, and this is what has affected local school systems.

Budget. This year’s state education budget is trending up at $5.765 billion as the unemployment rate starts to drop, and Waggoner said that’s s good thing. Seventy percent of the state education budget, which is separate from the state’s general fund, is designated for K-12 education. The education budget is funded 60.75 percent by income tax and 27.17 percent by sales tax, both of which hit lows in 2009 and were followed by BP Oil Spill, April 27, 2011 tornadoes and recession weighing on the state budget. Both income and sales taxes have been on a positive trajectory more recently, and that should result in more funding for the education budget.

Local funding. Barlow said that 59 percent of Mountain Brook Schools budget comes from local revenue, yet based on lingering effects from 2009, the system will face a $2 million deficit this year. Last year the system granted a 2 percent raise to teachers, which cost the system $1.2 million.

School safety (firearms). The only new bill related to school safety, DeMarco said, is one that would provide $50-100 million in bonds that school systems could apply for to use for further security measures.

School safety (weather). A delegation from the state is in discussion with local superintendents and weather experts such as James Spann regarding what need to be done in this regard. DeMarco said that he hopes recommendations will come out of these discussions.

Alabama Accountability Act. “It was very controversial, but we had to do something to give kids in failing schools the opportunity to get out,” Waggoner said, noting that they ensured students who choose to move away from failing schools must stay within their school district. As a result of the law’s passage, thus far 52 students have enrolled in private schools and about 750 in public schools.

Common Core. The state board of education is currently meeting to discuss a new set of Common Core Standards. DeMarco emphasized that he wants to make sure local schools have control over their curriculum. Carns said he has received about 30 emails since school started from parents who voice concerns about what they have read about Common Core from literature distributed to students. Carns said he thought it would come to a vote this year, while Waggoner said he doesn’t think it will make it to the Senate floor because during an election year session fewer bills, especially fewer controversial bills, enter the process.

Both school superintendents voiced their support for the new Common Core. “They are standards, they are not curriculum,” Barlow said. “Our teachers like the standards and believe they have more depth than the previous ones. In our community, I think students look at the college or university they want to go to and base their class choices on that.”

Calendar. After two years of the state mandated school calendar that required school start later in August than it had previously, school systems will have the freedom to choose their own calendar next year. DeMarco noted that the legislature voted down extending the original legislation more than two years.

Distribution of wealth. Carns said there is always discussion in the legislature about a supposed bias against school school systems with less funding. He pointed out that in his 12 years in the legislature, there have been 12 local votes for an increase in property tax for school funding, and three quarters of them were voted down — all in school districts that already had low funding. “I don't see that changing,” Carns said. “The reason school systems are better is because of local support. I have been seeing ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ for years. We are not going to let it happen.”

The Legislative Roundtable was hosted by Tricia Golden, Mountain Brook High PTO president, and Jennifer McMahon, Vestavia Hills High PTO president, and moderated by PTO legislative representatives Katherine Taylor of Vestavia Hills and Tzena Gauldin of Mountain Brook.