A Recap of the State Board Of Education's
February 2007 Work Session

AASB Joins Healthy Schools Network in State Board Presentation

At the state Board of Education’s K-12 work session Thursday, State School Architect Perry Taylor showed the board an online database of school facility needs.

The 2007 K-12 Five-Year Capital Plan reported $4.31 billion in capital needs through 2011, ranging from additions and renovations to roofing and information technology.

As of Jan. 18, the report recorded more than $1.6 billion in needs for this fiscal year alone with no known funding source for nearly $240 million of those needs. To view the five-year capital needs report by school system, go to Capital Plan Report Web site. Projects valued at less than $50,000 may not be included in a system’s report.

Also on Thursday, AASB District VI Director Sue Jones and Assistant Executive Director Sally Howell joined fellow members of the state’s Leadership Network for Healthy Students and Healthy Schools to present the group’s findings and actions. The 15-member network established in 2004 and is crafting recommendations that emphasize prevention of HIV/AIDS and related health issues through education. In 2005, there were 14,646 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Alabama, with 48 percent of those in the 13-34 age group.

Jones, a Jacksonville school board member, said collaborative efforts are making much progress in the fight to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The network supports the state’s comprehensive school health program, which includes age-appropriate HIV/AIDS education curricula for grades 5-12.

In other discussion, state Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton reported that qualified teachers and administrators interested in working in Alabama can now apply online. Since every school system had its own application, applicants faced an unnecessary hurdle to apply for work in Alabama schools, he said.

“We now have a common application for people to apply for teaching jobs in this state,” Morton said. “It’s another way to try to keep our young people here and make it easier for them to apply.”

The board is expected to vote on the final three minimum teacher test scores at its March 8 K-12 meeting in Montgomery. The 40 other Praxis II cut scores were adopted by the board last year. If approved, the remaining cut scores would be effective June 1.

—Denise L. Berkhalter