For Your Information
Vol. 21, No. 13
July 15, 2009
Click here for past issues of the For Your Information newsletter.
State BOE Re-Elects McKinney As VP,
Caylor As President Pro Tem
State Board of Education member Randy McKinney officially started his second term as vice president during the board’s mandatory annual K-12 meeting in Montgomery Tuesday. Dr. Mary Jane Caylor, AASB’s state board liaison, was also re-elected to a second term as president pro tem.
McKinney, who presides in the absence of state board president Gov. Bob Riley, was appointed to the board in 2003 and began serving his first full term representing District 1 in 2005.
Caylor has been a fixture on the board since 1995, and this is her fourth term representing District 8. As president pro tem, she presides in Riley’s and McKinney’s absence. Caylor is a former Huntsville city schools superintendent.
In other business, the board approved an administrative rules meant to make educators more accountable for inappropriate behavior. The existing Educator Code of Ethics was incorporated into the Alabama Administrative Code.
Representatives of the teachers’ organization testified that the proposal was “too vague” and needed to be revised to improve clarity. After board discussion, the motion to allow the board more time to consider the proposal was defeated.
The Code requires educators to report violations. These nine standards are: professional conduct; trustworthiness; unlawful acts; teacher/student relationship; alcohol, drug and tobacco use or possession; public funds and property; remunerative conduct; maintenance of confidentiality; and abandonment of contract.
In an update entitled “Every Inch Counts,” the state Department of Education officials reported to the board progress on the board’s goals, known as the “educational ruler.”
The board plans to amend rules regarding Career and Technical Education to match federal changes and to make administrative adjustments to account for the apportionment of Education Trust Fund dollars. The state board also announced rules to require school systems to post paid invoices online for public view.
When the state board meets Aug. 3 at 9:30 a.m. in Montgomery, school accountability reports will be released to the public. The data quantifies progress made under the federal No Child Left Behind law. The board’s next K-12 work session is Aug. 27.
EFT May Fall Short in '09 Despite Rainy Day Fund Release
Gov. Riley Monday released an additional $100 million from the Rainy Day Fund to the beleaguered Education Trust Fund. The release was timed to prevent further proration and maintain the level of cuts to local boards at 9 percent. The state faced paying interest if it withheld payment of state income tax refunds beyond today’s deadline. The action leaves $116 million remaining in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
The latest data about the economy indicates that, while there are some signs that the recession has slowed, the state’s revenue decline may not have yet reached the bottom. June figures show revenue is insufficient to support the already prorated budget. As a result, additional proration before the September 30 end of the fiscal year is likely – even if the Rainy Day Fund is tapped again.
Initially, the remaining Rainy Day Funds were going to reduce proration from 9 to 6 percent. Now, it appears that even if the remaining $116 million is released, further cuts in September may be unavoidable. To make matters worse, school boards would have only one month to absorb the final cut. For example, an additional 1 percent cut, thus ending the year with 10 percent proration, would translate to 12 percent of September’s allocation since the whole year’s cut would come out of one month’s funding. The lack of growth in FY’09 revenues means the 2010 budget year will be behind as it begins. To assist local school boards in preparing for the months ahead, AASB will be closely monitoring the financial status of the ETF and the impact on local school system finances.
Do It For Your Students!
Register For AASB Conference
The state Legislature, this year, passed a law requiring local boards of education to have a board member training policy. Why? Research shows that trained, skilled boards in
high-achieving school systems affect student success through their actions.
Act now! Discounted registration ends July 17 for the July 26-28 Alabama Association of School Boards’ and July 26-27 Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys’ Summer Conference at the Perdido Hotel.
Topics will be as timely as the theme, “Navigating Rough Waters: Seeking Student Success.” What can you expect? Sessions led by experts Tim Cusack on Life is Short … Go Long for Education, Dr. Crystal Kuykendall on Steering a Course to Student Success and Michael Resnick on Stretching Your Stimulus Dollars/Federal Legislative Updates.
Choose to enjoy AASB’s first bonus sessions on education law and personnel issues and participate in a variety of breakout sessions, including Budgets that Drive Student Achievement, How to Decide What Matters Most and Consolidating and Closing Schools.
Visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org for accommodation and registration details, or call 800/562-0601. Hotel reservations should be made by calling 800/634-8001 (mention AASB). For details, contact dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.
New Board Members Wanted For
July 25-26 Leadership Course
School board members and education leaders who have been on the job for two years or less are urged to take advantage of AASB’s leadership orientation program. This two-day training session provides a wealth of information on the fundamentals of school board leadership and includes such topics as boardmanship, school finance, personnel, law and ethics. Eligible Leadership I attendees earn 8 credit hours in the AASB School Board Member Academy.
Visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org for accommodation and registration details, or call 800/562-0601. Hotel reservations should be made by calling 800/634-8001 (mention AASB)
Be Heard! Submit Proposals for
AASB Delegate Assembly
Do you have a recommendation to change AASB bylaws or a resolution you would like AASB to consider? School board members who wish to propose such for consideration by AASB’s Delegate Assembly in December should submit their proposals in writing for bylaws and for resolutions by Aug. 17. Suggestions can be sent to dnorris@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org, faxed to AASB at 334/270-0000 or mailed to P.O. Box 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488.
AASB Term Limit Committee To Meet
An ad hoc committee will consider term length for AASB’s officers on Monday, July 27 at 3 p.m. during Summer Conference. The committee will consider the length of term each officer serves in executive office. AASB members have noted that the timeline to both serve as a Director on the AASB board as well as to move into executive office may be prohibitive for some whose terms on their local boards are limited. Currently, each AASB office has a two-year term but officers are limited to serving one term. A report on the committee’s recommendations will be in our August publication.
Mark Your Calendar For
Fall 2009 District Meetings
AASB’s fall 2009 district meetings are a valuable training and networking opportunity for our members, so mark your calendar. The meetings will be:
District 1 – Sept. 15
District 2 – Sept. 14
District 3 – Oct. 5
District 4 – Oct. 1
District 5 – Sept. 17
District 6 - Sept. 29
District 7 - Sept. 24
District 8 - Sept. 21
District 9 - Sept. 22
District meeting brochures will be mailed soon. Attendees earn one hour of School Board Member Academy credit. Contact AASB at 334/277-9700 or e-mail dhendricks@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.
AASB District Director Elections
Check your mail in August for details on AASB’s new procedure for district director elections. The association bylaws state any active member can self-nominate or nominate another active member for district director by writing the executive director by Sept. 1. AASB will inform the district membership of nominees. Ballots listing the eligible nominees will be mailed to the district members by Oct. 1.
Each board within a district gets one vote. The board president will certify that action was taken at the October board meeting to choose a candidate, and the ballot must be returned to AASB by Oct. 31. If only one person is nominated, he or she automatically becomes district director. The district will be notified of the election results as soon as they are calculated. Nominees will be posted online at www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.
This year’s elections will be in Districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. The current district directors Bill Minor of District 2, Katy Smith Campbell of District 4 and Pam Doyle of District 8 are eligible for reelection under AASB bylaws. Sue Jones of District 6 is no longer on her board. A special election will be held in District 9 since Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson is no longer serving on a local board.
— Denise L. Berkhalter,
publicrelations@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org
Alabama Association of School Boards:
Celebrating 60 years of helping local education leaders improve student achievement.
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