ALABAMA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALABAMA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Volume 130, NumBeR 19 oCToBeR 14, 2013
Don't blame Rainy Open letter to Be A Champion Wish granted for Minority Leadership Day Fund superintendents contest deadline nears Rosalie Elementary Conference
Dr Mabry questions legislative Dr. Graves sends open letter to Postage-paid mailing labels for Books-A-Million donates books, Minority Leadership Conference leadership announcement superintendents encouraging contest entries now available; must e-readers, and more to Rosalie coming up Nov. 1-3, 2013, in regarding pay raises. transparency. be postmarked by Oct. 28. Elementary library. Orange Beach.
pg 2 pg 3 pg 6 pg 9
DON'T TELL EDUCATORS THE CUPBOARD IS BARE
After years of budget cuts and stagnant salaries, legislative leaders say pay raise doubtful
Alabama educators have employee pay raises. but paying the debt will close of fiscal 2013. Pittman been waiting for years for be the priority when the said they expect to repay Senator Trip Pittman,
"At this point...
the state education budget Legislature convenes in $100 million in the current Daphne, said at a news
there will be no
to rebound from the Great January to start work on the budget year, which will conference he is making Recession. Cuts to schools new education budget. leave $63 million for 2015. it a priority to pay off the
additional pay
have never really healed Rainy Day Fund. The two budget chairmen Pittman and Poole said
raises in 2015."
-- including salary cuts -- held their news conference the repayments are the Pittman said that payment, and as the state economy on October 1, the first day result of tighter budgeting plus other obligations, improves there is every of the current budget year. and improvements in the including increased hope that the legislature The education budget economy. They noted that health insurance costs for will finally restore what was for this year includes a since Republicans gained educators and payments for lost. two percent cost-of-living control of the Legislature in Alabama's prepaid college That hope is now in raise for K-12 education 2010, none of the education tuition plan, will likely eat question. employees. budgets they have passed up all extra revenue in next have been in the red. year's budget and leave The chairman of the State officials borrowed nothing for a cost-of-living Senate education budget $437 million from the state Of course, that boast rings Senator Trip raise for school employees. Pittman committee has now said he Rainy Day Fund in 2009 hollow to the thousands is committed to paying off to prevent deep cuts in of Alabama education The chairman of the the Rainy Day Fund over school spending during employees who have seen House budget committee, investing in schools. Putting Representative Bill Poole, the recession. They paid their pay cut 2.5 percent the Rainy Day Fund first Tuscaloosa, said it's too back $14 million in 2012 and benefits reduced since could prevent education early to rule anything out, and $260 million at the the 2010 elections.
Alabama first in cuts...again
For the
Change in spending per student FY08-FY14
second straight year, Alabama
-$1,242
Alabama
has cut more money per
-$1,038
Wisconsin
student than any other state in the country since 2008.
Kansas
-$950
As the Alabama School Journal
-$930
Idaho
also reported last year, education funding has been
-$874
New Mexico
cleavered over the past six years. A new report now shows "The fact that we are worst in federal government propped address the revenue shortfall just how bad the cuts have the nation when it comes to up education spending in and instead chose to have been. Alabama and other states cuts is unconscionable, and educators pay for more Alabama leads the nation in with stimulus money to help when we see our neighbors education spending out of the decline in spending per preserve teachers' jobs. restoring cuts while Alabama their pockets. student in its elementary and continues to slash spending it But the stimulus money ran secondary schools. More than 12,000 teachers makes it doubly so," said Dr. out at the end of the school and education employees have The Center on Budget and Henry Mabry. "We can and year in 2011, putting greater lost their jobs in Alabama Policy Priorities' report shows must reverse course, students pressure on states to pick up schools since 2008, according per student inflation-adjusted are too important to be the slack. to recent reports from the spending by Alabama has cheated this way." fallen by $1,242 per student The governor and the Alabama Department of from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2014. After the recession began, the Alabama Legislature failed to Education.
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