Tag: Birmingham Board of Education
Birmingham Council OKs New Districts Despite Dissent
The Birmingham City Council approved the redrawing of its district boundaries Tuesday to comport with data from the 2020 census, despite some councilors’ misgivings that the move will disenfranchise some voters.
Municipal law requires the redrawing of district lines after each federal census, which happens every 10 years. The goal of the redistricting is to balance the city’s population roughly equally among the nine districts, which each elect representatives to the City Council and school board.
But two councilors objected to the plan. Councilor Darryl O’Quinn said redistricting now basically invalidated the votes of thousands of residents whose districts changed. And Councilor Valerie Abbott objected to major sections of her area being shifted out of her district and other areas being added in. Read more.
Birmingham Asks Public to Consider Proposed New Council and BOE District Lines
The Birmingham City Council is considering the approval of new City Council and Board of Education district lines, redrawn to take into account population shifts shown by the 2020 census.
City law mandates that districts be redrawn after each census to make sure that Birmingham’s population is evenly distributed among them. Each district elects a member of the City Council and the school board. The proposed changes would be in effect for the next two municipal elections, in 2025 and 2029.
The council held a public hearing March 29 to hear residents’ thoughts on the new district maps, and tweaks could be made based on those comments.
The proposal would shift territory out of relatively overpopulated districts — Districts 1 and 2, for example — and into underpopulated districts — Districts 4, 6, 8 and 9. Read more and see the full proposal.
3 Things to Watch for in the New Birmingham School Board
This week, the Birmingham City board of education welcomes six new members — a mix of former educators, business professionals and education advocates — making more than half the board new.
With an extra $185 million in federal pandemic relief funding, the new board will have a lot more money to address issues in Birmingham City Schools than previous boards. Those issues include still dealing with COVID-19 and learning loss in the classroom as well as student mental health.
The school board works with the superintendent and oversees the $160 million budget. Its members are often the first point of contact for parents, teachers and students with issues or concerns. Here’s what incoming, returning, and outgoing board members told WBHM they’re watching for from the newly elected school board. Read more.
Board of Education President Criticizes Woodfin’s Plan to Cut Funding for Birmingham Schools
Though she insisted that she was “absolutely not here in my professional capacity,” Birmingham School Board President Daagye Hendricks addressed the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday, calling Mayor Randall Woodfin’s proposed FY 2021 budget “egregious” for cutting funding to city schools.
This year’s city budget is nearly $50 million smaller than last year’s budget, thanks to a sharp decline in the city’s business tax revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the $412 million budget’s many proposed austerity measures — which include funding cuts for external organizations and furloughs for hundreds of city employees — is a reduction of $1 million in city funding to Birmingham City Schools.
Read more.
Budget Blows to Birmingham Schools and Transit Being Cushioned, Other Groups are Not as Lucky
Mayor Randall Woodfin defended some controversial cuts in his proposed FY 2021 budget Tuesday, arguing that, despite a significant drop in city funding, both Birmingham City Schools and the Birmingham-Jefferson Transit Authority would continue to operate as usual. Much of the money they lost will be made up by funds from elsewhere.
Many other groups, including the library system, zoo and Railroad Park, are facing much bigger consequences. Read more.
Birmingham School Superintendent Receives 3.55 out of 5 in Evaluation
Birmingham’s school superintendent has “met expectations and goals for improvement” according to an evaluation presented at Tuesday’s board meeting.
On a 1 to 5 scale, Superintendent Lisa Herring received a 3.55 rating.
Two metrics were used in the evaluation: a rating based on benchmarks set out by the district’s strategic plan (3.36) and a cumulative score from board members (3.75). Those two scores were averaged to produce the final number. Read more.
Community Development Group Donates $50K to Washington K-8
Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, a housing and community development nonprofit organization, has donated $50,000 to Washington K-8 School as part of its work in the North Titusville neighborhood.
“Any development community effort is only successful it you have schools. Strong schools make for strong communities and strong communities have healthy families,” Lisa McCarroll, CEO of the group, said while presenting the donation during a Birmingham Board of Education board meeting June 11. Read more.
Wenonah High School
Students: 661
Teachers: 52
Education Report Card 2017-2018: D (64)
Failing Schools List: 2019; 2018; 2017.
Read more.
Making the Grade? How Birmingham City Schools Are Doing Depends on Which Measure You Choose.
Multiple choice:
1. The Birmingham City Schools system has a high number of failing schools as determined by the Alabama Accountability Act.
2. The Birmingham City Schools system is below average, based on a “D” grade on the Alabama Education Report Card for the 2016-2017 school year.
3. The Birmingham City Schools system is doing better, on the upswing.
4. All of the above.
If you chose “4” you may understand how complex it can be to determine the exact state of the city’s school system. Read more.
Read the rest of BirminghamWatch’s special report on Birmingham schools:
Many Questions About Birmingham City Schools Remain After Three Months of Trying to Understand the State of Education
The History of the Birmingham City Schools
Shooting for the A — Birmingham Schools principal succeeded at one school. Now he’s aiming to redirect another that is facing significant challenges
An Introduction to Birmingham Schools, From A to F
Birmingham Schools’ Superintendent Talks About Facing Competition for Students, Being Accountable and Building Relationships.
Shooting for the A — Birmingham Schools principal succeeded at one school. Now he’s aiming to redirect another that is facing significant challenges
An Introduction to Birmingham Schools, From A to F
Birmingham Schools’ Superintendent Talks About Facing Competition for Students, Being Accountable and Building Relationships.
Birmingham Schools’ Superintendent Talks About Facing Competition for Students, Being Accountable and Building Relationships.
Many Questions About Birmingham City Schools Remain After Three Months of Trying to Understand the State of Education
The Birmingham City Schools system is one of the largest in Alabama. At the same time, it has a difficult history and a present reality in which a number of schools are performing at standards lower than what the superintendent, board of education and city administration would like.
In an effort to understand the state of the schools, BirminghamWatch examined the data and sought interviews or written information from BCS officials. Our efforts were less than fully successful.
Read more.
