FYI-2015-11-13 Flexible budget, teacher pay, certification and scores

Flexible budget, teacher pay, certification and scores

13-Nov-2015

At Thursday’s meeting, the state Board of Education discussed development of its FY 2017 education budget priorities. Once approved by the board, the proposed budget will go to the governor for incorporation into his budget proposal which he’ll submit to the Alabama Legislature.

State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice said the state Department of Education projects an additional $340 million will be available to invest in education. He reiterated the state board’s commitment to first fund foundational/operational priorities for local school systems, including transportation, teacher units, classroom instructional support and operational costs (Other Current Expense or OCE). That would increase totals $116 million for the first year of a three-year strategy to meet basic needs.

State board member Matthew Brown said the board must find a way to incentivize, rather than penalize, local school systems that creatively work to save precious dollars. Currently, school systems lose those savings due to earmarking and the inflexibility of funding line items. Funding by category while allowing flexibility in how the funding is used, Bice said, could help encourage education innovation, efficiencies and increased fiscal responsibility.

When board member Mary Scott Hunter urged the board to support an increase in teacher salaries, Bice shared his proposal for a 5 percent increase for education employee salaries totaling some $160 million. Since 2007, teacher salaries have failed to keep up with inflation, resulting in a 9.75 percent hit to their consumer buying power. Meanwhile, costs for retirement and health insurance benefits have increased.

Bice proposes the initial 5 percent increase be followed with incremental increases to reach a 10 percent increase in three years. Critical to this decision is a looming teacher shortage evident nationwide, particularly in the math, science and special education. The state board discussed such issues as fewer students selecting education careers and local boards’ need to attract and retain quality teachers. Board member Cynthia McCarty said the average Alabama college student graduates with $30,000 in student debt, resulting in a $300 monthly payment. “If we want quality,” she said, “we need to pay for it.”

Board Vice President Jeff Newman issued a bit of a warning. “This is a problem,” he said, “that if we don’t deal with it, it will deal with us.”

Bice said he would make the pay increase a “first-page” priority.

The state board will continue its budget discussions at its Dec. 10 work session. The board will have its regular meeting on Dec. 10 as well.

On Thursday the board also discussed teacher certification and its desire to simplify the certification process. Bice said there must be a balance between honoring the pedagogy of the teaching profession and allowing content experts and non-traditional professionals to teach. Board members seemed to support his suggestion to consider a new classification of an “adjunct” professional that might work closely with a mentor, separate from a certification process. That approach would not be a full-time, tenured path but would potentially fill the niche. SDE staff walked through proposed changes that included a variety of pathways to educator and technical educator certifications that have been reworked to make the process less complicated. Brown and McCarty asked that a plan for an “adjunct” pathway be presented at the next work session.

With the release of data from the state’s ACT and ACT Aspire testing results (the second year of results), the state board received an achievement update. Alabama’s students showed an increase in math proficiency in each grade 3-7 and a 2-point decrease in grade 8. For all grades, there was little change in reading results. Board members were pleased about the math results and committed to help schools find ways to use the data to move forward. Bice said the results demonstrate the state is on the right trajectory. State board members also seemed positive about the state’s direction.

AASB Board of Directors welcomes new District 2 Director Mike Oakley
The Alabama Association of School Boards welcomes Mike Oakley of the Bibb County school board to its board of directors. Starting Dec. 5, Oakley will serve as director of AASB’s second district, replacing Donald Nichols of Perry County.

Discount registration for convention ends Nov. 20; theme is Kids Count on Us
There is still time to register at the discount rate for AASB’s annual convention, orientation and delegate assembly. Early registration ends Nov. 20. The event will be Dec. 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. This year’s theme is Kids Count on Us. Register at AlabamaSchoolBoards.org . Here are the highlights:

· Orientation courses will be taught Dec. 2 and 3 for new school board members and members interested in a refresher.

· Convention opens on Dec. 3, which is also when the association has its annual business meeting, the delegate assembly.

· Keynote speeches will be delivered Dec. 4 and 5. Retired Brig. Gen. Stuart Rodeheaver will share his Lessons on Leadership . Dr. Ronald Ferguson, an M.I.T. educated economist who is now a Harvard lecturer, will address Closing the Racial Achievement Gap . Three-time Emmy award winner Jack Gallagher will mix humor with heartfelt experiences in his presentation Insight Into Autism: A Father’s Perspective.

Register now for Jan. 11-Feb. 4 District Meetings on gender identity & the law
Earn 1 hour of training for the Jan. 11-Feb. 4 Winter District Meetings. Registration is open . The evening meetings will feature networking and a 45-minute program on Gender Identity: Is Your Board Prepared? The cost is $25, which includes dinner, expect a brochure in the mail soon. Attend to be prepared for legal issues involving students who self-identify as gay, lesbian or transgender.

NSBA’s “20 to Watch”
The nomination period for the National School Boards Association’s “20 to Watch” is open through Nov. 30. Honorees will be recognized at the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. on April 4, 2016.

American Education Week Nov. 16-20
Remember to mark your calendar!
American Education Week presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education. The National Education Association has developed an online toolkit with templates, tips and activity ideas.

Download AASB’s mobile app
Join Alabama’s army of public education advocates. Get the quality training, tools and resources you need to excel as a leader in education governance. Register for school board training. Get the latest advocacy alerts. Read news and information. Download the free Alabama Association of School Boards mobile app by searching “AASB” in the AppStore or Android Market.

It’s a date!

Dec. 2 ( 8 hours )