For more information, contact:
                                                                                                  Denise L. Berkhalter
                                                                                  dberkhalter@alabamaschoolboards.org

AASB Honors Sen. Hank Sanders
For Outstanding Service

BIRMINGHAM, AL – (December 8, 2006) – State Sen. Henry “Hank” Sanders is being honored this week with the Alabama Association of School Boards’ Legislative Award for his longstanding advocacy on behalf of public schoolchildren and public education.

The Legislative Award, which will be presented during AASB’s annual convention in Birmingham, acknowledges Sanders’ leadership and fairness in his position as chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee and as a member of the Senate Education Committee. The award will be presented at the opening general session, which begins at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, at The Wynfrey Hotel.

“Sen. Hank Sanders genuinely cares about public education in Alabama and has worked long and hard work as an advocate for Alabama schoolchildren,” said AASB President Jim Methvin. “His door has been open to school boards, and he is always willing to hear our concerns. So, it is with great thanks and pride that we present Sen. Sanders with this award.”   

Under Sanders’ leadership last spring, lawmakers took the monumental step of protecting the Proration Prevention Account. Methvin praised Sanders’ work to prevent the raiding of the state’s education savings account despite intense pressure from other government leaders.

“Few people have such a thorough working knowledge about the funding and programs of Alabama’s public education system.  From the challenge of preventing the raid of the Propration Prevention Account to fighting to direct education dollars to cover core costs, Sen. Sanders is a true advocate,” Methvin said.  “Our schools and our students benefit tremendously by having him lead the education funding discussions.”

Sanders, a state senator since 1983, also sponsored a bill last spring which authorizes school boards to enter joint purchase agreements, subject to the public bid law, whether or not they adjoin geographically. In the past, only contiguous entities could join together to save money through high-volume purchasing. The new rule particularly provides a significant cost savings for school systems in the Black Belt Region.

As a member of the Senate Rules Committee, Sanders helped usher through a school bus safety bill last spring to impose uniform penalties for disregarding school bus stop signals.

“Senator Sanders has such an easy, comfortable style that he seems to naturally bring people together.  He has a real talent for brokering compromise among competing interests, he knows the issues, and has good ideas for solving problems,” said AASB’s Executive Director Dr. Sandra Sims-deGraffenried.
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Sanders is serving his sixth term as the senator of Alabama’s District 23, which includes Autauga, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Marengo, Monroe, Perry and Wilcox counties.

A graduate of Talladega College and Harvard Law School, he practices law in Selma and is a member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers, National Bar Association, American Bar Association and Alabama Lawyers Association.

Sanders and his wife, civil rights attorney Faya Ora Rose Toure, are the parents of three biological children, Malika, Kindaka and Ainka, and four foster children, Charles, Maurice, Rosie and Jennifer. Sanders is an active member of the Campaign for a New South, the Coalition of Alabamians Reforming Education (CARE) and the Alabama New South Coalition. He is also a lecturer and published columnist and author.

More than 400 local education leaders attended the Dec. 7-9 convention themed “Critical Issues for Critical Times: Looking Beyond the Horizon.” The event at The Wynfrey Hotel covered issues that impact student performance as well as sessions designed to improve participants’ leadership skills.

AASB represents all of the state’s local public school boards.  Founded in 1949, the association works to preserve local lay control of education. It is headquartered in Montgomery and provides members with an array of services, including boardmanship training, risk-management programs and policy research.

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