For Your Information

Vol. 20, No. 19
October 10, 2008

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

Peters: Tough Times Cause for Concern

State Board of Education member Betty Peters asked Alabamians to pray for their schools in these trying financial times. She shared her request with state Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton, who said at Thursday's state Board of Education meeting for K-12 that he is also concerned that student progress in this state may suffer as funding shrinks.
 
Morton also reminded those attending Thursday's meeting of his support for a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
 
Alabama's borrowing capacity of $248 million from an existing constitutional Rainy Day Fund, which is essentially a line of credit that has to be repaid, would increase to approximately $437 million for the 2009 fiscal year if Amendment 1 passes.
 
The constitutional amendment would repeal the existing Education Trust Fund Rainy Day Fund and reestablish it with a cap of no more than 6.5 percent of the prior year's education appropriation - now frozen at 6 percent of the 2002 ETF appropriation - and repayment terms of six years, rather than the current five years.
 
Morton has said in a previous board meeting that passage of the amendment could provide some relief for this fiscal year. What Morton said Thursday is that schools are already operating with a reduced 2008 budget. 
 
"We're facing proration," he told the board, "but we had a 5 percent reduction going into '09. Nobody knows where this proration is headed or can predict the severity of it. But, I am convinced we've got so many wonderful programs going on in our schools."
 
That's why Morton said he, too, is concerned.

"Every night I pray that we will have some resolution to this issue of funding, because that loss of funding through proration will eat at the very heart of that progress. This Rainy Day Fund amendment is critical to maintaining some success in the classroom by spreading out this cut that is coming with proration."
 
Ella Bell said the idea of "prorating our children" is heart-breaking to her and asked all voters to support Amendment 1 on Nov. 4.
 
At the state board's Oct. 23 work session, the board will discuss textbook recommendations it officially "received" Thursday for English language arts and the Bible as Literature elective course. A board vote on the recommendations is expected at its Nov. 13 K-12 meeting. The state textbook committee's recommendations are online for review at the state Department of Education's Web site, www.alsde.edu.
 
Also at Thursday's meeting, the state board recognized Dr. Shelley Stewart of the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation for his creation of the "InsideOut" dropout prevention documentary filmed at an Alabama prison. The audience watched the short film that shows the dire consequences of dropping out of school and emphasizes the importance of staying and excelling in school.
 
The series of resolutions approved Thursday also included accolades for National Middle Level Principal of the year Ray Landers of Boaz Middle School and the state's 2008 No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon of Excellence schools: George Hall Elementary School of Mobile; Wrights Mill Elementary School of Auburn; Demopolis High School of Demopolis; Spain Park High School of Hoover and Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School of Decatur.

The board also designated Oct. 19-25 as Character Counts Week and Oct. 20-24 as Alabama School Bus Safety Week.

Time Running Out to
Vote for District Directors

AASB District director elections are under way in Districts 1, 7 and 9. New District 3 Director Roxie Kitchens of Troy and re-appointed District 5 Director Jennifer Parsons of Jefferson County were unopposed. Boards in the remaining districts will vote for one of the following director nominees:

• District 1 - Marty Parker of Clarke County, Bill Meredith of Mobile or Stephanie Walker of Brewton 
• District 7 - T. Brett Whitehead of Tuscaloosa County or Amy Aldridge of Fayette County 
• District 9 - Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson of Madison City or Dr. Jennie Robinson of Huntsville

Ballots listing the eligible nominees were mailed in September. Each board within the district gets one vote. The board president will certify that action was taken at an October board meeting to choose a candidate, and the ballot must be postmarked by Oct. 31 and returned to AASB. The district will be notified of the election results as soon as they are calculated. If you have any questions, call AASB at 800/562-0601.

AASB Receives 2-Year Pew Grant
to Build Pre-K Awareness

The Alabama Association of School Boards will join in the $447,000, two-year grant that the National School Boards Association and the Center for Public Education recently received from The Pew Charitable Trusts to build upon its far-reaching initiative to engage school boards in support of high quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten education.
 
AASB and the Kentucky School Boards Association are the newest partners to join the center's pre-K network. 
 
For the last two years, the center has worked in partnership with the state school board associations from Kansas, Ohio and Texas to inform local school board members, state policymakers, and the general public about the benefits of pre-K education and effective pre-K policies and programs.  
 
AASB will focus on building awareness and school board support for high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten.

Don't Miss Oct. 19-20 Conference 

There is still time to register for the Oct. 19-20 Leadership for Community Engagement conference. Learn how to partner with the community in support of your schools, engage parents in meaningful ways and sharpen your personal communication skills. You'll also improve your leadership skills and ensure your board's ability to involve the public in providing programs that meet all students' needs, particularly in these hard economic times. 

The Renaissance Montgomery host hotel has limited rooms still available if you call 800/468-3571 or register online. 

Attendees are in for a treat with such speakers as Brian Woodland, a noted communications professional and public speaker; Dr. David Bronner, CEO of The Retirement Systems of Alabama; Gerald Johnson, director of Alabama's Capital Survey Research Center; Carolyn Akers, executive director of the Mobile Area Education Foundation; and Tom Salter, Montgomery Public Schools senior communication officer. For more information, call 334/277-9700 or 800/562-0601.

Registration Open for
Dec. 4-6 AASB Convention

Register now for AASB's 2008 Convention set for Dec. 4-6. The theme for this School Board Member Academy event is "The Art of Leadership: Create a Better Future for ALL Students."

Each year convention draws hundreds of school board members from around the state and boasts programming packed with motivational talks, creative ideas, networking opportunities and highly informative clinic sessions on technology, student achievement, diversity, leadership and governance.

This year convention opens with a welcome reception and Delegate Assembly, AASB's business meeting, on Thursday. Enjoy general sessions Friday on The Art of Vision for Education Leaders, Erik Wahl, and The Art of Teamwork: The Best Team Doesn't Win Nearly As Often As the Team That Gets Along BEST, Harvey Alston. Saturday's general sessions are on Creating a Visionary Agenda for Alabama, Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joseph Morton, and The Art of Influencing Federal Legislation, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama.

Call 334/277-9700 or 800/562-0601 for info.

Celebrate Your Community's Education Reporters

Nominations for AASB's Education Media Honor Roll end Oct. 17. School boards can name as many reporters, editors, editorial writers and entire news organizations as they wish to the roll. A board resolution must be passed and submitted along with the application. For details, contact Donna Norris.

Winners from District Meetings Drawing Announced 

Team Building Improves Boardmanship 

School boards often struggle with teamwork.  The diverse views and values of elected officials can cause conflict and tension, which can lead to unproductive discussions. 
 
Each board member brings unique perspectives, experiences and passions to the board.  Identifying how to interact in a way that allows for each participant to contribute his or her ideas creates an environment for healthy debate and discussion.  Training on team building helps board members build trust and improve communication. Participants get a chance to listen to each other and learn what they can do to improve boardmanship.
 
Confusion over the proper role of the board can also cause mistrust and conflict. Having a common understanding of governance creates a sense of unity.
 
For more information about team building and governance training for your full board, download the brochure, or contact AASB Director of Board Development LuAnn Bird at 800/562-0601. 

— Denise L. Berkhalter