Tag: Education
Health Officer Recommends Virtual Classes for Middle and High Schools, No Contact Sports for Now
The Jefferson County health officer is recommending that boards of education in the county “strongly consider” setting up virtual learning for middle and high school students this coming school year and cancelling or postponing contact sports.
“With the current level of viral spread and disease in the community, there is a considerable chance” that the virus will occur among students and school staff, Dr. Mark Wilson said in a letter to school officials. “If classes are not stringently isolated from one another, whole schools may end up having to close.” Read more.
Birmingham Schools Announce Online-Only Learning for First 9 Weeks
UPDATED — Dr. Mark Sullivan announced in a Wednesday press conference that all Birmingham City Schools would be starting the school year virtually on Aug. 24. Sullivan, the interim superintendent for BCS, made the announcement with Birmingham Board of Education members.
All learning will be online for the first nine-week grading period. BCS will evaluate the safety of returning to in-person learning after that.
“This decision was not made lightly, but at this juncture I believe it is our best option to assure the quality of education that we have for our students and to maintain a safe, nurturing environment for all of our students,” Sullivan said. Read more.
Birmingham Schools Discuss Plans to Reopen Aug. 24
The Birmingham Board of Education has formed a plan for students to start the new school year, but many questions remain about how learning will look.
The interim superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, Dr. Mark Sullivan, said in a press conference Friday that BCS is in the process of figuring out how to start school while keeping students, parents and teachers healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, school officials are looking at four options. Read more.
Alabama Schools to Open in August, But Parents Have Home Education Option
Updated: Alabama public schools will reopen in August despite the COVID-19 pandemic, but parents will have the option of continuing distance learning for their children, Alabama Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said Thursday.
“Campuses will reopen for personal instruction. They will be physically open, with remote learning” available, Mackey said.
There also will be a “blended” learning situation that allows students to transition between traditional and remote instruction as needs arise, he said.
Read more.
New Report Recommends Overhaul of State Education Department
The Alabama State Board of Education and Alabama Department of Education will spend the next two months creating a strategic plan to better organize the department and improve Alabama’s K-12 education system.
The plan is the result of a recently released 168-page report that recommends a major overhaul and shift of operations within ALSDE.
Lawmakers approved an appropriation of $750,000 in last year’s education trust fund budget to conduct this evaluation by a Boston-based consultant.
An author of the report told board members the report is centered on the idea of the ALSDE taking the lead on education reform in the state. Read more.
Community Colleges Plan to Open Campuses in Fall; System Works to Improve Distance Learning
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Community College System leadership on Wednesday said campuses are planning to reopen in the fall, subject to guidance from Gov. Kay Ivey regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
House Committee Approves $7.2 Billion Education Budget
A House committee on Tuesday approved a $7.2 billion 2021 education budget, a first critical step in funding the state’s public schools, community colleges and universities.
The proposed 2021 Education Trust Fund contains an increase of about $91 million from the 2020 fiscal year budget, but less than the $411 million increase Gov. Kay Ivey proposed before the coronavirus pandemic altered state revenues.
Read more.
Change Proposed in State Funding for Students in Growing School Systems
A bill in the Alabama Senate would change the per-student funding model for growing K-12 schools, taking some burden off of local systems to pay for additional students, advocates say.
Currently, systems receive a per-pupil allocation from the state based on prior year enrollments.
Senate Bill 316 would change the funding formula to account for enrollment increases, projecting growth based on the previous two years’ enrollment growth.
Read more.
Senate Passes $1.25 Billion Bond Issue for Schools
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama State Senate on Monday passed legislation to authorize a $1.25 billion bond issue to fund school construction and other capital improvement projects.
Senate Bill 242 passed 29-0 in the Senate and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. First proposed by Gov. Kay Ivey in her State of the State address, the bond issue would help K-12 schools and state colleges pay for capital improvements, from construction projects to technology upgrades. Read more.
Alabama ACT Scores Dip Slightly for Class of 2019
Alabama’s graduating high schoolers of 2019 had an overall lower performance on the ACT standardized test for the second year in a row, according to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. But not by much. Read more.
