At March 11 state board meeting, accolades and a standing ovation were given to Dr. Tommy Bice, state superintendent of education, as he prepares to retire March 31.

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State board accepts Bice’s resignation, considers hiring process

At Thursday’s state Board of Education meeting, accolades and a standing ovation were given to Dr. Tommy Bice, state superintendent of education, as he prepares to retire March 31.

By a unanimous vote, state Department of Education General Counsel Juliana Dean was appointed "proxy" state superintendent and will manage the department until an interim superintendent is appointed at the April 14 board meeting. The board agreed to stay discussion of the hiring process until it named an interim. Law allows an interim to serve as many as two 180-day periods while the board conducts its search.

The state board tentatively set a special called meeting for March 14 to select the eligibility criteria and qualifications for the interim. Bice recommended the board’s first decision be whether the interim is eligible to be considered for appointment as state superintendent. Board members were divided on the question.

Cynthia McCarty and Mary Scott Hunter echoed their fellow board members’ sentiments of gratitude for Bice’s leadership.

McCarty said Bice “has us going on a momentum that we don't want to stop.” Hunter said, “Dr. Bice has encouraged an environment of mutual respect among board members. The tone he has set among the board gives me confidence that the board will work together to find his replacement.”

As for board business, the state board heard public input before unanimously approving the adoption of science textbooks, which retain an inserted message from the board concerning the theory of evolution. The science textbook list went through an extensive vetting process by the Alabama State Textbook Committee. Now local-level decisions about science textbook selections can be made.

The state board also unanimously approved an endorsement for the Plan for Art Education, which seeks a realistic way for every school to have fully funded, high-quality arts education programs.

And true to himself, Bice ended his last board of education meeting by highlighting the students of Alabama. He introduced the Real World Design Challenge Team from Fort Payne High School which placed 2nd in the nation after winning the state competition for its design of an unmanned aerial system.

At Thursday’s work session, Bice said his goal is to propose a final resolution resolving the A-F grading system before his superintendency ends. He has advocated the best way to build equity into the law is for student growth to be reflective of more than one test score. One way to accomplish an equitable safeguard would be to give greater weight to learning gains as an indicator. He requested the board consider a compromise between the Accountability Task Force’s recommendations and input from Rep. Terri Collins, who sponsored the legislation.

Mary Boehm, president of A+ College Ready, brought some good news to board members with her presentation on the success of the state’s College Readiness and Advanced Placement Program. She shared data that shows the gap between Alabama’s and the nation’s average of students taking AP exams is closing and the state has surpassed the national average of African-American students taking AP exams. In total, 29 schools comprise the program, 12 of which are pipeline schools in a one-year training program designed to prepare for a full implementation of AP courses.The next state board work session is scheduled for April 14.

 

Site visit announced, come alone or with your board

 Earn your whole board training hours by participating in AASB’s April 27 site visit to the Roanoke City Schools Outdoor Educational Center. On this visit, we will get a student-led tour of the 5-acre outdoor center that houses fish ponds, bee hives and even a hydroponic greenhouse.

Around one-third of the student body at Handy High School participates in the cross disciplinary curriculum that focuses on practical skills, critical thinking, collaboration and business skills. Students will also discuss their business plan, which includes a future storefront downtown. The site visit will count as 2 training hours, and, if your whole board attends, you can use the hours to satisfy the state’s requirement of 2 whole board training hours. Sign up today.

Earn hours while learning how to be an education advocate

 Make plans to participate in a special program designed to engage school board members in the legislative and education advocacy process. Earn 2 training hours at no cost. Facilitated by AASB staff, these full-day programs feature guest speakers, one-on-one visits with state lawmakers and committee and legislative deliberation.

The Advocacy Day Program is for both seasoned veterans and first-time visitors to the State House. The 2016 Advocacy Day dates are March 16 and April 20. Please select a date to join AASB in Montgomery, and RSVP to advocacy@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org or 800/562-0601.

Hoover educator nationally recognized

 Amanda Stone, assistant principal at Trace Crossings Elementary School, has been selected as a National School Boards Association “20 to Watch” honoree for 2015-2016. This recognition honors educators who use their position to give students a higher quality learning experience by using technological advances that better prepare them for future success. To learn more about the projects that earned Stone the recognition, please visit NSBA’s website.

Still time to earn hours for these upcoming webinars

• April 5 - Walking in Sunshine: Open Meetings, Serial Meetings and Open Records

Sunshine laws require school boards to do the public’s business in public. How is your board letting the sunshine in? Do you need some bright ideas to ensure your board doesn’t run afoul of the Alabama Open Meetings Act? Is your school system keeping private records safe and making public records available to the public?
Jayne Harrell Williams, AASB’s director of legal advocacy and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., will review the Alabama Open Meetings Act. She will also present recent changes to the act in regard to serial meetings and discuss the basics of the Alabama Open Records law.

• May 5 - Ethics Refresher

Led by Tom Albritton, executive director of the Alabama Ethics Commission, this webinar will focus on how ethics laws apply to school board members and school staff. Albritton received his juris doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Overflow hotels available for Summer Conference

There is still time to register for the June 16-19 Summer Conference and Orientation at The Perdido in Orange Beach. Join your colleagues from around the state for three days of learning and networking. Early bird registration is open until June 7. The Perdido, conference headquarters, is full, but these nearby properties have available rooms:

• Hilton Garden Inn Orange Beach
  23092 Perdido Beach Blvd.
  Orange Beach, AL, 36561
  Reservations: 800/445-8667 or http://hiltongardeninnorangebeach.com/
  Room Rate: $229-$269; Group Code: ASC
  
• Fairfield Inn & Suites
  3111 Loop Rd.
  Orange Beach, AL 36561
  Reservations: 800/228-2800 orwww.fairfieldorangebeach.com
  Room Rate: $209; Group Code: ASBN
  
• Brett-Robinson Vacation Rentals
  Phoenix East 2, Phoenix East, Phoenix VIII, Phoenix VII and Phoenix VI
  Reservations: 800/221-0258
  Group Code: 952607; 10% off listing price

AASB’s 6 Standards for School Boards

In 2011, a task force of Alabama school board members and superintendents spent a year pondering just what it means to be an effective school board. What they came up with are six standards that focus on school boards’ most important responsibilities and public values. These standards lay out the performance expectations to which all school boards and individual board members should aspire.

A free, updated poster and wallet cards of the 6 Standards for School Boards are available to school boards upon request. Contact info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org or call 800/562-0601.

Enter Alabama’s Best K-12 Practices Contest

The Alabama Association of School Boards and LEAN Frog are pleased to sponsor the third annual Alabama’s Best K-12 Practices Contest.

The 2016 contest recognizes best practices and innovations in instructional and non-instructional departments of Alabama’s K-12 public schools. The winning entry will receive a $3,000 prize, and two runners-up will each receive $1,000. The award-winning best practices and innovations will be those that impact student achievement, promote effective and efficient use of public resources and shine a bright light on the wonderful work that our school systems are doing.

Follow this link for contest details.

Last chance to enter video contest!

The Alabama Association of School Boards’ fifth annual statewide “How We Achieve Excellence in Our School” video contest is accepting entries from public school students (grades 6-12). The 2016 contest allows two entries from each Alabama school system. Use this submission formto enter before April 8. Watch the promotional commercial.

 

It’s a date!

March 18 (2.5 hours)
Poverty Simulation Seminar
Birmingham, A

March 18 (2 hours)
Early Bird Workshop: Student Mental Health
Birmingham, AL

March 18 & 19 (6 hours)
AASB Spring Course: Financial Accountability
Birmingham, AL

April 5 (1.5 hours)
AASB Webinar: Open Meetings, Serial Meetings and Open Records 

April 27 (2 hours)
Site Visit: Roanoke City Schools Outdoor Educational Center 

May 5 (1.5 hours)
AASB Webinar: Ethics Refresher 

June 16-19
Orientation & Summer Conference
Orange Beach, AL

 

─Emily Maxwell and Paige Schultheis contributed to this report