A Recap of the State Board Of Education's
October 2007 Meeting

State Board to Discuss Education Budget Proposal Oct. 25

    Inhis report to the state Board of Education during its K-12 meeting Thursday, state Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton looked ahead to the board’s Oct. 25 work session.

“Two weeks from today we will have our most in-depth review of our FY2009 budget recommendations to review with you and that we would then forward to the governor pending approval in our November meeting,” Morton said. “With a little bit of a slow down in tax revenues, we may have to have some discussions about what we want to recommend.”

The state’s economic lag and the volatility of the income and sales taxes that fuel the Education Trust Fund could result in a $100 million or more shortfall in the 2008 budget. The unprecedented double-digit growth and hefty carry forward balances in 2005 and ’06 are just fond memories, now that the growth rate is dropping closer to the 10-year average of about 5 percent.

Also on Thursday, the board rescheduled its Aug. 14, 2008, board meeting to Aug. 4 to expedite the public release of No Child Left Behind adequate yearly progress results.

In other business, the board recognized the week of Oct. 22 as Red Ribbon Week, School Bus Safety Week and Safe Schools Week. It also accepted state committee recommendations regarding reading/literature and driver and traffic safety education textbooks.

The board intends to make primarily clerical changes to rules pertaining to student assessment required for an Alabama high school diploma. The amendments include striking a graduation exam that is no longer administered and adding a new biology test. The old science test included questions on physical science, which is taught in middle school. The No Child Left Behind Act requires the state science test cover subject matter taught in high school.

— Denise L. Berkhalter
publicrelations@alabamaschoolboards.org