Alabama school district to stop serving alternative meals
Schools in one Alabama school district say they’re no longer serving alternative meals to students who can’t pay. Officials said schools in Dothan will now serve regular meals to all students — even if they don’t have the money to cover the cost when going through the line. Local DJ Brandon Townsend, also known as DJ LastLaff, approached Dothan Preparatory Academy Principal Darius McKay at the beginning of October when Townsend came across a friend’s Facebook post who was upset to learn that as many as 44 students at the school could not eat regular lunches that day. The Dothan Eagle reported Townsend said he shared his feelings with McKay and met with other administrators in hopes of finding a long-term solution. “I just felt it was an issue that really shouldn’t be an issue,” Townsend said. “I shared my feelings with (McKay) in regards to finding a long-term solution that would be more permanent than a group of us donating to zero out those balances.” Townsend met with Child Nutrition Program Director Tonya Grier and other administrators over several weeks. Together with Chief Financial Officer Mike Manuel, they came up with a solution assisted by crowdfunding software that the board recently licensed. A “lunch benevolence fund” has been posted on the district’s LeanStream site to solicit donations, with the goal of receiving at least $2,000 by the end of the school year. “Now we can start getting the word out that it’s a way for people to start donating money on LeanStream so that students cannot be embarrassed and have their lunches covered,” board member Susan Vierkandt said during a recent board meeting. “We’re still going to move through and try to recapture the charges,” Chief Operations Officer Dennis Coe said. “We’re not going to stop trying to collect the money, so we don’t want students to think that you can just go and not pay. We are going to try to regain those funds. The charges are going to be cleared at the end of the year from the benevolence account.” Townsend said earlier this week, the system had a negative balance of $1,700 in delinquent accounts. “I thought something should be done to ease the minds of the community and ease the minds of the school board as well as the administration,” he said. “I know we’re having growing pains. I’m glad that I could spark light on something that could help the community. We’re all in this together.” Townsend also has spoken with local business leaders to drum up support for the fundraising opportunity. So far, the fund has received one donation of $24. Information from: The Dothan Eagle, https://www.dothaneagle.com. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Mental health commissioner Lynn Beshear calls for action in schools
Alabama’s Department of Mental Health Commissioner Lynn Beshear called for mental health prevention and intervention to ensure school safety in an op-ed Saturday. Beshear said the state must focus on identifying behaviors that trigger school violence and proactively treating mental health. The state’s school-based mental health services put clinicians into schools to counsel students. Only 36 school systems in Alabama have the services and Beshear advocated for expanding it to the other 106. One in five U.S. children experience a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder, the American Institutes for Research reported. Mentally ill children often drop out of school and end up in the juvenile justice system, according to the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. Gov. Kay Ivey’s newly created school security council will review mental health. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama schools get their own report cards
Thursday, the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) released the Alabama State Report card. This is the first time a report of this caliber has been made available to Alabamians. Each school is given a letter-grade based on the results of several academic measures determined by local school leaders, local superintendents and ALSDE. The report draws attention to what schools are doing correctly, and which areas need more improvement. Letter grades are determined by several factors including; state test scores, graduation rates, absenteeism, and college or career-readiness. High schools without a 12th grade used adjusted formulas to account for the lack of graduation rates. “Although a lot of attention has been given to what grade schools are receiving, when reviewed holistically, the Alabama State Report Card shares a great deal of detail about what our schools are doing well and where they can improve,” said Caroline Novak, president of A+ Education Partnership. “Every school in Alabama is faced with different challenges and each has different strengths and weaknesses. The release of the Alabama State Report Card is an opportunity to learn more about the programs, initiatives and other areas where school leaders want to invest and how they can collectively improve student achievement. By looking at the measurements highlighted in the Alabama State Report Card overtime, communities can work together to ensure all students are on track for success in school and after they graduate.” Novak wants parents and educators to use the letter grades as a conversation starter on how to enhance learning environments for students across Alabama. The report card was developed to satisfy Alabama Act 2012-402 and the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act passed in 2015.
Superintendent: Department to recommend raise for Alabama teachers
Alabama Department of Education superintendent says he will propose raising teacher salaries over the next three years. Superintendent Tommy Bice said Thursday the department would recommend raising teachers’ salaries 5 percent in fiscal year 2017, which begins next October. The state government will have the final word on public school spending next year. According to the department, the raise would cost $160 million. Bice said he would seek further raises in 2018 and 2019, with the goal of bringing teacher salaries in line with inflation. Alabama teachers with a bachelor’s degree start at $36,867 a year. A master’s degree bumps that starting salary to $42,395. Since 2008, educators have received one salary increase, which was a 2 percent raise in 2013. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
