The AASB
State Board News Home

Vol. 22, No. 7                                                                                                             
April 9, 2010


Click here for past issues of the For Your Information newsletter.

 

STATE BOARD GRANTS FLEXIBILITITY
TO COMBINE FRACTIONAL UNITS


State board action at Thursday’s K-12 meeting grants state Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton authority to allow exceptions to the assignment of fractional Foundation Program units calculated for each school.


Prior to the change, fractional units from the state’s funding formula had to be supplemented by local funds to be made whole. Financially strapped school boards may now request permission to piece together fractions of state-funded units and place those units as needed. Boards can expect additional details soon.


Morton announced his invitation to testify in Washington, D.C., about the need for the pending jobs bill in Congress. He said the $5.5 billion education budget approved by both chambers of the Alabama Legislature Thursday may help protect state-funded teaching units, but there are many local units on the chopping block if there is no additional funding.


The state board also passed resolutions making it easier for those who prepared as teachers in other states and who have experience – many of them veteran teachers – to teach in Alabama. By state board resolution, these teachers would not have to meet the requirement of applying for a teaching certificate within 60 months of completing their program and graduating. Board member Ella Bell abstained from the vote.


Alabama’s shift from educational administration to instructional leadership nears completion with the state board’s approval of an Aug. 31, 2010, deadline for all out-of-state candidates to apply for Alabama certification. Bell said her abstention from this vote was because of her concerns about extending the deadline for out-of-state candidates but not for in-state candidates. One of those candidates, who still must pass the Praxis exam, testified Thursday that he felt Alabama’s current educational administration program graduates should have been grandfathered in, while Decatur Superintendent Dr. Sam Houston and Dr. Kathy O'Neill of the Southern Regional Education Board testified in support of the board’s resolution to make the professional educator certificate rules change permanent. The deadline for in-state candidates was Aug. 31, 2009.


Bell also told Morton at the close of the K-12 meeting that she would be interested in learning more about connecting student achievement with teacher tenure and pay. Alabama lost its bid for $200 million in Race to the Top funds, though the winning states – Delaware and Tennessee – have efforts that tie teacher evaluation to student achievement. Morton said he plans to take a group, including AASB’s executive director, to a U.S. Department of Education meeting April 21 in Minnesota to prepare for phase 2 of the Race to the Top competition. Representatives of Delaware and Tennessee will present their approaches to building statewide collaboration and other key components of their successful plans. The education department will review Race to the Top selection criteria, requirements, priorities and will answer technical questions. The application is due June 1 and could mean $60 million-$175 million for education reform in Alabama.


Another discussion of the state’s social studies course of study is expected at the April 22 work session in Montgomery. A vote on the course of study could come at the state board’s May 13 meeting.

 

EDUCATION TRUST FUND UPDATE

Receipts to the Education Trust Fund grew by 1.85 percent in the month of March compared to March of last year. That leaves the ETF with a negative growth rate of 1.77 percent for the first six months of the current fiscal year. The 2011 FY budget includes a 1.175 percent growth rate in revenues from the current year based on the assumption that current year revenues at least equal the amount projected to fund the current, prorated budget. There is guarded optimism that actual receipts for the current year will support that assumption, though there will need to be slight growth in ETF receipts for the remainder of the year to bring that to fruition.

 

STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR APRIL 28 SEXUAL HARASSMENT WEBINAR

Cost for traveling to this webinar – nothing! Cost to participate – only $40 per individual caller and $150 per group. That’s a steal in these tough times for professional training on how to handle and address sexual harassment. If you’re not sure if your board of education has the proper policies and procedures in place, this session is for you. This benefits administrators and staff and makes attendees aware of the legal definition and implications of sexual harassment, too! Find out what preventative measures to take or how to respond to allegations of sexual harassment. Join AASB for this important session featuring education law expert and attorney JoClaudia Moore of Balch & Bingham LLP. She will answer the tough, pertinent questions for participants in the April 28 teleconference/webinar. You can participate by telephone only, or by telephone and online webinar. The workshop is intended for school board members, human resource personnel, superintendents, principals and board attorneys. To reserve your line today, visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

 

SUMMER CONFERENCE HOUSING GOING FAST!
FIND OUT HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE BOARD-SUPERINTENDENT RELATIONSHIP

Looking for a guidepost on improving and sustaining the school board’s relationship with its superintendent? During the June 13-15 AASB Summer Conference, two very special sessions will provide you with the tools and information you need to work better as a team. The sessions are “Relationships That Last: Creating Stability in Leadership” and “Relationships That Work: Effectively Evaluating Your Superintendent.” And there’s more. National Football League referee Walt Coleman will inspire you with his presentation, “Leadership Through the Eyes of a Zebra.” Coleman draws on his experience to teach boards how to “throw the flag” on dysfunction and focus instead on how to build an effective team. North Carolina State University’s associate professor of educational administration, Dr. Thomas Alsbury, draws on his years of experience in K-12 education to “Explore the Connection: Board-Superintendent Relationships & Student Achievement,” as well as “Leadership That Improves Achievement and Avoids Micromanaging.” Alsbury and Dr. Meredith Mountford of the Florida Atlantic University Department of Educational Leadership will also co-present an optional bonus session on “Understanding and Avoiding Conflict on Your Team.” Another highlight will be a Governor Candidates Forum.

 

So register online today at www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org by June 4 to receive the conference discount. Summer housing at The Perdido Hotel (800/634-8001, mention AASB and group code 5239) is going fast. The deadline to book any remaining rooms at the discounted price is May 18.


At the same conference hotel, the Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys will gather for their June 13-14 Summer Conference. The new board member orientation course – formerly Leadership I and renamed Roles and Responsibilities Orientation – is set for June 12-13. This core School Board Member Academy course is also open to veteran board members interested in a refresher on board basics. Superintendents and fellow board members are encouraged to attend this leadership orientation course with their new board members. Registration brochures have been mailed, but you may also download one online. To learn more about the conference that will help you “Build Winning Teams for a Brighter Future,” contact AASB at 800/562-0601 or dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

 

CAN YOUR TEAM UNSEAT THE REIGNING CHAMPS, PERRY COUNTY?

On the kick-off date of the AASB Annual Summer Conference, the gauntlet will be dropped, the shovels will be wielded and the sand construction will commence! If your team has what it takes to unseat Perry County, the reigning champs, sign up today for the June 13 Sand Castle Building Contest sponsored by American Fidelity Insurance. This is your chance to show off your family or board’s team-building skills.  If your group wins, your school system wins!  Prizes will be awarded to the school systems of the first-, second- and third-place winners.  Pre-register for this fun-filled event at 7 p.m. Sunday by calling 800/562-0601 or sending a list of your participants to dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

 

ETHICS FORMS DUE APRIL 30

It’s time for school board members and superintendents to file annual financial disclosure forms with the state Ethics Commission. The forms, for the 2009 calendar year, must be filed no later than April 30 except for candidates who must file simultaneously with their qualifying forms under Section 36-25-15 of the Code of Alabama. To download the form, visit the Ethics Commission’s Web site at http://ethics.alabama.gov/ or, if you have questions, contact the commission at 334/242-2997.

 

CONCERNS RAISED ABOUT FEDERAL FOCUS ON COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAMS

The Learning First Alliance, a partnership of 17 national education associations representing over 10 million parents, educators and policymakers, released the following statement:


“The Elementary and Secondary Education Act has been a critical instrument in the federal government’s efforts to promote equity in education. The Learning First Alliance believes equity must remain a non-negotiable goal of ESEA reauthorization. We applaud the Obama Administration’s proposal to increase federal resources for public schools in 2011. But we urge Congress to avoid provisions that could undermine, rather than support, equity. For this reason, ESEA should not divert substantial federal resources into competitive grant programs. This strategy threatens to penalize low-income children in school districts that lack the capacity to prepare effective grant proposals. It risks deepening the disparities between rich and poor districts, effectively denying resources to the students who need them most.”


To learn more about the Learning First Alliance – which includes the National School Boards Association and an Alabama alliance in which AASB participates – visit www.learningfirst.org or contact LFA Executive Director Claus von Zastrow, 202/296-5220, ext.115.

 

YOUR FEEDBACK NEEDED

There are two national surveys seeking input and representation from school boards in Alabama.

 

  • The American Schools Foundation Alliance is working to gather information on school foundations and is seeking your input, whether you have a foundation or not. The two-minute online questionnaire is found at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AG7KZPJFS. You may call 312/930-6136 for details.
  • The impact of school climate on student achievement is quickly being recognized as an important dimension to consider when designing programs aimed to improved student outcomes. The National School Climate Survey 2010 will include school systems from all 50 states, recruited between now and Sept. 1. To participate, contact Dr. Brian K. Perkins at bp58@columbia.edu or 203/660-8406.

 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AASB’S EXPANDED GOVERNANCE CONSULTING SERVICES

Using the latest research in governing for student achievement, AASB is expanding its governance consulting services.  Consultants are available to help with many issues including:

 

  • Governing for Higher Student Achievement;
  • Team Building for Effective Boardmanship;
  • Board Self-evaluations;
  • Leadership and Management; and
  • Goal Setting That Gets Positive Results.

In the face of increasing educational challenges, boards are looking for ways to improve their performance.  AASB consultants can also facilitate retreats, workshops and programs designed to meet the unique needs of a school board. To learn more about how school boards can focus their governing on student achievement, contact LuAnn Bird, lbird@alabamaschoolboards.org, AASB governance consultant.

 

Special thanks to AASB’s business partners, eBOARDsolutions, Inc. and High Ground Solutions, Inc. To learn more or to schedule your free webinar or demonstration, contact AASB at info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

 

— Denise L. Berkhalter,
publicrelations@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Alabama Association of School Boards:
Developing excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.