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STATE BOARD ELECTS MCKINNEY AS VP,
PUTS 2 BOARDS IN FINANCIAL INTERVENTION

Randy McKinney settled into a third term as state Board of Education vice president Thursday, promising to do his best to serve the nine-member board that sets policy for both postsecondary and K-12 education. Dr. Mary Jane Caylor, who didn’t seek re-election and ends her state board tenure in January, was elected to a third term as president pro tem. Alabama’s governor is the ex-officio president of the state board, but in his absence, the vice president presides over meetings. McKinney was first appointed to the board by Gov. Bob Riley in September 2003 and was elected to his first full term in 2004. His current term expires in 2013. The Orange Beach realtor is a graduate of the University of South Alabama, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Birmingham School of Law.
The annual state board meeting required by law also yielded another sign of how hard schools have been hit in this Great Recession.

The board unanimously approved the state Department of Education’s intervention into the financial management of the Coosa County and Sumter County school systems. Neither system’s line of credit is enough to cover payroll and maintain operations through Sept. 30. Both have “Hail Mary” plans that could bring them out of intervention almost as quickly as they entered it.  In the meantime, the two systems are among five currently accessing funds from a line of credit that must be repaid. According to a state education department survey, there are 25 additional school systems that may have to access a line of credit in the next few months.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton explained how the economic downturn and consecutive years of deep across-the-board cuts in state funding on top of budget reductions leave systems with little local funding in a lurch.

“It seems obvious,” he said, “but systems with less local support tend to get into deeper trouble. … There are very few places to cut, and they can’t cut state funding because it’d be like cutting your nose off to spite your face.”

Morton said Alabama’s next governor may find the 2012 budget year as his most pressing challenge.

“The next governor’s immediate challenge is to determine how we get through 2012, both the state General Fund and the Education Trust Fund. It’s going to take some real planning and some leadership because all of the federal stimulus funding is gone. We’ve already had back-to-back proration. We’ve had proration on top of budget reductions,” Morton said.

The looming budget crisis will “impact a whole lot more than these two systems,” Morton added.

In other business, the state board adopted rules changes that eliminated a 60-month requirement for experienced educators with out-of-state certificates to apply for Alabama’s Instructional Leadership certificate. Board action also resulted in a method for health care professionals interested in a Professional Educator Certificate in Health Science to obtain one. To be eligible for the certificate and teach health science in secondary school, the applicant must be a licensed physician, registered nurse or allied health specialist with proof of an earned bachelor’s or higher degree for the area in which he or she is licensed.

The board meets next in an Aug. 2 work session.

PLAN FOR AUG. 23-SEPT. 16 FALL MEETINGS

District meetings are a great time to interact with school board members from nearby school systems, to hear the latest school finance and legislative updates and to receive training in your AASB district for only the cost of your meal.

This year’s Fall District Meetings focus on the beginning of a child’s academic career. If you aren’t sure if your youngest students are prepared for big school, this session is for you. You should know whether your kindergarten teachers communicate with preschool teachers or if your dropouts are the same students who struggled even before first grade. A little collaboration may be just the thing. AASB’s Aug. 23-Sept. 16 Fall District Meetings – dubbed Getting Kindergarteners Ready for Big School – will peel back the layers on quality pre-kindergarten education and its impact on school readiness.

You’ll learn how communities are coming together to discuss, support, create and expand pre-K programs even in these challenging economic times. Tap into state-funded early education resources. Discover the hidden early education gems in your community. Understand where your kindergarten pipeline begins. Participate in the conversation, so every student can start strong for a successful finish. Research shows that students who are not prepared are not as successful as students who are. School boards working collaboratively with their superintendents and communities can make the difference. Register at www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

IF YOU’RE DISMISSING PERSONNEL, DON’T MISS AASB’S JULY 29 WEBINAR

Quality employees are pivotal to raising student achievement and building public confidence in schools, but the landscape for terminating underperformers and ineffective employees has changed. Learn what arbiters expect to see in an employee’s personnel record. Understand how your case will be analyzed, and find out how you can make a case stick. The webinar will be presented by Jayne Harrell Williams, an education and employment law attorney with Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole & Black, P.C. She will answer the tough and pertinent questions for participants in the Alabama Association of School Boards’ July 29  teleconference/webinar. Register online at www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org for Progressive Discipline: Disciplining and Dismissing Employees in Today’s Legal Climate. The cost is only $40 per person or $150 per group. Participating school board members earn 1.5 hours in the School Board Member Academy. Superintendents, school board attorneys and school administrators are also welcome to attend.

EDUCATION TRUST FUND UPDATE

Receipts to the Education Trust Fund experienced a sudden, substantial decline in June compared to June of last year. While a major reason for this decline was the timing of payment of a large amount of income tax refunds, the 5.97 percent year-to-date decrease compared to the previous fiscal year has caused concerns of whether the current 7.5 percent level of proration will be sufficient to finish the 2010 fiscal year. Also, the crisis in the gulf has caused additional concern about the current budget, as well as the revenue base used to compile the 2011 fiscal year budget. Again, local boards should monitor their reserves, as well as spending levels in the current year in light of possible state funding cuts at the end of the current fiscal year (Sept. 30) and making plans for the possibility of reduced state funding relevant for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

STILL HAVE UNTIL AUG. 13 TO SUBMIT
PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS & BYLAWS CHANGES

School board members are asked to submit their proposed resolutions or changes in association bylaws by Friday, Aug. 13. Proposals, which must be submitted in writing, will be considered by AASB’s Delegate Assembly in December. Fax submissions to AASB at (334) 270-0000; mail to P.O. Box 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488; or e-mail to twright@alabamaschoolboards.org. Resolutions approved by the Delegate Assembly at AASB’s annual convention set the association’s goals and positions on major education issues.

· To review the current bylaws, visit http://www.alabamaschoolboards.org/PDFs/AASB_Bylaws2009.pdf
· To review the current resolutions, visit http://www.alabamaschoolboards.org/PDFs/AASB_Resolutions2009.pdf

SREB REPORT SHOWS STATE PROGRESS

Education in Alabama is moving forward and making significant strides according to a national report released June 30. The Southern Regional Education Board, a consortium of 16 member states from Texas to Delaware and that works to improve pre-K-12 and higher education across the region, just released its 2010 Progress Report on the Challenge to Lead Goals for Education. The SREB Challenge to Lead Initiative seeks to ensure readiness for learning, raise achievement and close gaps among subgroups, preparing all students for college and careers. The report shows Alabama has reached milestones in several areas that sets the state apart from other SREB states. Alabama’s statewide public pre-kindergarten program is one of two in the nation to meet 10 nationally recognized standards of quality. The progress shown in Alabama’s African American students taking the National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP) test shows a 13 percent increase in reading since 2003. Similar reading results were achieved by Alabama’s poorest students. To read more, visit www.sreb.org.

ALL-STATE NOMINEES DUE OCT. 1

AASB is once again bestowing its highest award upon current or past board members who have shown exemplary boardmanship. AASB’s coveted All-State School Board Member recognition award will be presented at the association’s annual convention in December. Check the mail soon for nomination materials that will be sent to superintendents and board presidents and are due by Oct. 1. For more information, contact AASB Membership Services Coordinator Debora Hendricks at 334/277-9700 or dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

IT PAYS TO SUBMIT ONLINE CONFERENCE EVALUATIONS,
WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to Tommy Buzan of Jacksonville whose name was chosen from those who not only attended the June Roles and Responsibilities leadership course but who also completed and submitted AASB’s electronic course evaluation form. The leadership course was held prior to AASB’s Summer Conference. Dr. Dee Fowler, superintendent of Madison City Schools, won a free registration for completing his summer conference evaluation online. Buzan and Fowler may choose to use their prize to register for either the October 2010 or March 2011 AASB School Board Member Academy conferences.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
July 29
Progressive Discipline Webinar
Aug. 23-Sept. 13
AASB Fall District Meetings
(1 Academy hour)
Oct. 3-4
Leadership for Academic Achievement
(6 Academy hours)
Renaissance Montgomery Hotel, Montgomery
Dec. 2
Effective Boards & Relationships Orientation
(6 Academy hours, formerly Leadership II)
Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham
Dec. 2-4
AASB Annual Convention
(8 Academy hours)
Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham
 Jan. 18-Feb. 10, 2011
AASB Winter District Meetings
(1 Academy hour)

Connect with alaschoolboards via Facebook and Twitter and download our free iPhone/Blackberry smart phone application (search for BoardCast at the iTunes store). 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.