Capital Pulse March 4, 2022

The Rundown

The Education Budget is on the move! Wednesday, March 2nd was a busy day for AEA at the Alabama Statehouse as the Education Trust Fund (ETF) package of bills passed out of committee. HB135 – the Education Trust Fund Budget – was approved by the committee at a whopping $8,174,929,290. This increased budget provides for a 4% pay raise for all pre-k -14 educators; full funding for each school system to have a technology coordinator; increased instructional supply money from $700 to $900 per teacher; auxiliary teachers in under-performing schools; full funding forreading coaches; new funding for math coaches; and additional resources to improve math and reading scores throughout Alabama. The ETF budget package will be on the floor of the House on Tuesday, March 8th.

HB136 – the 4% pay raise for educators, passed the Ways & Means Education (W&ME) Committee providing an overall 4% pay raise to all pre-k-14 public educators. Additionally, adjustments to the deficiencies in the steps of the state salary matrix have been made which will result in many educators in the mid-range of the salary schedule receiving more than 4%!

SB30, The Education Retiree Bonus by Sen. Bobby Singleton, passed the W&ME committee Wednesday and will provide a one-time longevity bonus payment for education retirees. For example, using the formula in this bill, retirees with 25 years of service could expect to receive a bonus check for approximately $600 ($2 per month of service). This bill will be on the floor of the House Tuesday for final passage before sending to the Governor.

2-Year Year delay to the retention portion of the Alabama Literacy Act Passes the HouseEducation Policy Committee! SB200, by Sen. Rodger Smitherman – which postpones the implementation of the third-grade retention requirement in the Alabama Literacy Act until the 2023-2024 school year – passed the House Education Policy Committee Wednesday afternoon. A separate bill, HB220 by Rep. Terri Collins – which further changes the Alabama Literacy Act by altering the duties and functions of the Literacy Task Force, changes l anguage dealing with good cause exemptions, and no longer allows third-grade students to be retained more than once – received a favorable report from the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee and is now eligible to be voted on by the Senate.

SB171, The Alabama Numeracy Act by Sen. Arthur Orr, passed the Senate on Thursday, March 3rd and has been referred to the House Education Policy Committee. This bill would implement steps to improve mathematics proficiency of public-school kindergarten to fifth-grade students and ensure those students are proficient in mathematics at or above grade level by the end of fifth grade by monitoring the progression of each student from one grade to another, in part, by their proficiency in mathematics. There is no retention language in this bill. AEA staff has monitored and deeply vetted this bill and has and will continue to work with the bill sponsor to ensure it does not inflict any undue burdens on educators.

Thus far, 747 bills have been introduced by the Legislature. AEA staff continues to read each word of every bill and monitors them daily to ensure they will positively affect public education.

Moving This Week

SB170, by Sen. Arthur Orr, would exempt the academic performance of certain English language learner students from consideration in the assigning of an academic achievement grade to a school or school system. SB170 passed the House Education Policy Committee Wednesday, March 3rd and is eligible to go to the floor of the House for passage.

Newly Introduced

SB266, by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, would establish and provide for the qualifications and duties of a mental health service coordinator and would require each local board of education in the state, subject to appropriations by the Legislature, to employ a mental health service coordinator to serve those schools under the jurisdiction of the board. This bill will also provide for the responsibilities of the Alabama Department of Mental Health and the State Department of Education in providing continuing evaluation and support of mental health services provided to students through local boards of education.

SB292, by Sen. Will Barfoot, would prohibit the state and its political subdivisions or agencies from promoting or advancing divisive concepts regarding race, sex, or religion in certain teaching or training. In regard to K-12 educators, the bill codifies the State Board of Education resolution dealing with divisive concepts that passed last Fall.

SB293, by Sen. Greg Albritton, would provide for an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide for the limited authorization of gambling in the state to be supervised and regulated by a new Alabama Education Lottery and Gambling Commission.

SB294, by Sen. Greg Albritton, would implement the constitutional amendment proposed in SB293, which establishes the Alabama Education Lottery and Gambling Commission and authorizes certain gaming activities in the state under the regulation of the commission. This bill also provides for membership, powers, and duties of the commission, establishes trust funds, requirements for issuance of license, levies a state tax, and establishes criminal penalties.

HB429, by Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, would authorize the State Board of Education to phase in the employment of auxiliary teachers to assist classroom teachers with instructional and non-instructional activities in all public schools in the state providing instruction in grades K-3.

HB435, by Rep. Rich Wingo, would increase the per semester loan repayment award for math and science teachers participating in the AMSTEP program through the Alabama Commission on

Higher Education. The Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP) provides student loan repayment for public high school math and science teachers who serve in underserved areas of the state. The loan repayment award would increase from $2,500 to $3,750 per semester for math and science teachers.

HB439, by Rep. Jamie Kiel, would exempt the academic performance of certain English language learner students from consideration in the assigning of an academic achievement grade to a school or school system for the first five years the student is enrolled in a U.S. classroom. This bill would also require the State Superintendent of Education to retain the current provisions of the state Every Student Succeeds Act plan detailing the provisions of this act.

HB442, by Rep. Steve Hurst, would require public K-12 schools or local boards of education to accept all forms of payment, including cash, for admission to school-sponsored sporting events that are open to the public.

Capital Pulse March 4, 2022

March 1-4, 2022