2017 Birmingham Elections Archives - Page 5 of 6 - BirminghamWatch
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2017 Birmingham Elections

Contenders for the Birmingham Board of Education Discuss Challenges: A Q&A With the Candidates

Whoever wins the nine seats in the heavily contested race for the Birmingham Board of Education on Aug. 22, one thing is certain: the winners will find a big school system facing substantial challenges. Some of the challenges are well publicized. For instance, 13 of the Birmingham City Schools 43 schools were listed by the Alabama State Department of Education as failing in 2017. In a city where a third of the residents live below the poverty line, nearly 50 percent of the students do, according to recent Census data. But as the new school year begins, the elephant in the room may be that the BCS will be working with its ninth superintendent in 21 years. With all that has gone before, all nine seats on the board are up for grabs, with 31 candidates in the running. Read more.

by Nick Patterson

Given the recent series of superintendent changes over a relatively short period of time, how important is it to give the newly appointed superintendent time to achieve her goals? How long a period would you consider long enough for her to prove herself and/or turn long-standing problems around at BCS?

BirminghamWatch contacted the candidates vying for the Birmingham Board of Education to ask them questions about the future of the schools. We asked each candidate we could reach the same questions. A few of the candidates could not be reached for comment. Eight of the 32 candidates responded in writing to our short questionnaire. None

by Nick Patterson

What will board success look like from your perspective? What is the maximum benefit to students in the BCS if the next board succeeds? Or how will you know that the next board will have succeeded?

BirminghamWatch contacted the candidates vying for the Birmingham Board of Education to ask them questions about the future of the schools. We asked each candidate we could reach the same questions. A few of the candidates could not be reached for comment. Eight of the 32 candidates responded in writing to our short questionnaire. None

by Nick Patterson

Antidote to Birmingham Crime? Community Investment, Not More Police, Some Residents Say

What’s the way to prevent and reduce crime in Birmingham? The prescription suggested by Birmingham residents at a BW Listening session is community involvement and investment – from city government, churches, individual residents and families, and communities as a whole. It’s not primarily about police, they said. “The absence of police means safety to me,” said Carmen, a West End resident. “Police can’t prevent crime.” A half-dozen residents of East Lake and West End and other city neighborhoods gathered for a BW Listening conversation this week at the headquarters of Urban Ministry, a social services organization in southwest Birmingham. BirminghamWatch is asking what’s on the minds of Birmingham voters as they approach elections of a mayor, members of the City Council and school board members. Read more.

by Carol Nunnelley

Birmingham Election Voter Guide

More than a quarter of Birmingham voters turned out Tuesday for the first round of polling to select a mayor, city councilors and members for the city Board of Education. Runoffs in nine of those races will be Oct. 3.

by Virginia Martin

Parents Criticize Birmingham Public Schools. Still, ‘Somebody in Every School is Fighting for Something,’ They Say.

“Why are parents having to create battle strategies?” The question was from Nicholas – a new parent, a teacher, a volunteer supporting Birmingham public schools – and addressed to Birmingham parents of school-age children. It came in a BW Listening conversation focused on education issues Thursday at Woodlawn United Methodist Church. BirminghamWatch is asking what’s on the minds of Birmingham voters as they approach elections of a mayor, members of the City Council and members of the school board. Read more.

by Carol Nunnelley

BW Listening: Young Voters Seek Transformative Leadership With a New Vision in Birmingham Elections

Gentrification, inequity, urban blight. Disenchantment, nothing, renaissance. Ignorance, opportunity, room to grow. Those were quick descriptions of Birmingham offered by young city voters asked for a picture of their town. The group included professionals and entrepreneurs, an educator and a college student, an AmeriCorps member and community workers. Most were in their 20s and 30s, and they came from voting districts across the city. BW Listening hosted the session Monday to hear what is important to them in the upcoming mayor and council elections. Read more.

by Carol Nunnelley, BirminghamWatch
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