A+ Education Partnership urging Eric Mackey to implement new changes
Alabama’s A+ Education Partnership, a Montgomery-based non-profit, called on newly chosen State Superintendent, Eric Mackey to focus his efforts on implementing four new education policies the partnership believes will boost student achievement across the state. Mackey, who beat out Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy and Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey for the position in late April, started working in his new position on Monday. “We have worked closely with Dr. Mackey for many years, and we look forward to continuing this partnership with him as our State Superintendent of Education,” said president of A+ Education Partnership, Caroline Novak. “Dr. Mackey is keenly aware of the challenges facing Alabama’s schools, and he knows that change will not occur overnight. Our proposals are commonsense steps that can make an immediate impact for all children. We encourage his consideration and support as he works to unite Alabamians for educational progress.” In January, The Columbia Group, a network of organizations from several states across the Southeast who work to improve education in their respective states; released a new study detailing the four new education policies they believe will improve student learning throughout the South. The A+ Education Partnership assisted six other groups in publishing the study, titled: Accelerating the Pace: The Future of Education in the American South. Although the study found that the South has made progress in recent decades, achievement gaps between more affluent students and historically disadvantaged classmates became more pronounced between 2005 and 2015. To address these concerns, A+ is encouraging Mackey to implement these four priority areas for student improvement: Make the South the best place to teach in the nation: Identify, recruit and retain teachers and principals who have the talent, preparation and continued support they need to help students succeed. Provide new types of academic—and nonacademic—support for today’s students: Students need an array of support systems to help them deal with physical and emotional health issues that can impact their learning. Clear the path for all students to their next steps in education and work: Build a much stronger, supportive bridge from high school into college, career training or a good job. Ensure resources are adequate and targeted: Invest in education to meet the needs of every child, and consider additional support for students who need the most help to catch up.
Board of Education approves new superintendent Eric Mackey’s contract
The Alabama Board of Education approved new State Superintendent, Eric Mackey‘s compensation package and contract worth $311,000 on Thursday with a 7 to 2 vote. Mackey, who beat out Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy and Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey for the position in late April, starts on Monday. The contract details include a base salary of $245,000 a year for the initial three-year term, a $21,000 annual housing allowance, state-owned vehicle for official travel, reimbursement of up to $5,000 for professional development activities annually, and professional association dues. Mackey will also receive a 3 percent raise each year starting in 2019, unless the board votes against it. Board of Education Vice President, Montgomery Republican Stephanie Bell and board member, Montgomery Democrat Ella Bell were the two board members who voted no to Mackey’s contract. Stephanie Bell told AL.com that the contract was not taxpayer-friendly, and gave too much control to Mackey and not enough to the board. Ella Bell said she did not agree with the amount of the raise, stating that teachers will only be receiving a 2.5 percent raise next year. Another point of dissatisfaction from Bell was that the contract does not require and annual evaluation. She said the evaluation should be required, while other board members said the decision should be made year by year. If the board does find fault with Mackey’s performance, they must make a specific proposal for changes. Mackey has an extensive background in education, serving as a former teacher, principal and city superintendent, and has been serving as the executive director of the School Superintendent Association of Alabama since 2010.
Alabama education board chooses Eric Mackey for state superintendent
The director of Alabama’s superintendent association, Eric Mackey, was chosen Friday as the state’s new education superintendent in a tight vote clouded by an ongoing lawsuit between a candidate and a state education board member. Mackey beat out Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy and Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey. A fourth finalist, former Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott, dropped out of the running Friday morning. Mackey is a former teacher, principal and city superintendent who has served as the executive director of the School Superintendent Association of Alabama since 2010. He said his top priority will be to find an “assessment that fits right” on top of addressing unequal funding between rural and urban areas and school safety concerns. Members of the Alabama State Board of Education voted for Mackey after three hours of interviews with the three finalists in Montgomery on Friday. There were five votes for Mackey and four for Pouncey. After the vote was announced, board member Ella Bell raised the concern that Pouncey has an ongoing lawsuit against another member Mary Scott Hunter and others saying he was victim to a scheme that kept him from getting the job two years ago. Before the 2016 vote, someone anonymously gave board members a packet of information, including internal department emails, accusing Pouncey of getting state staff to write his 2009 dissertation when he was with the department. Pouncey said the accusation was untrue. A subsequent department report found that employee statements cleared Pouncey. Hunter did not recuse herself from the vote, saying she was fair and impartial. She voted for Mackey. Bell, who voted for Pouncey, said she wanted to initiate a lawsuit because without Hunter’s vote there could have been a run-off. “She shouldn’t be able to vote in this because it’s understood they have an adversarial relationship,” Bell said. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who serves as board president, said she had not spoken to any attorneys about the legal question but she was not aware of any rule where the chair could tell a board member to recuse him or herself. The board was seeking a replacement for former Superintendent Michael Sentance, who resigned in September after one year and one day on the job. Sentance stepped down after receiving a poor performance evaluation. A search firm whittled a field of more than 40 applicants to seven semifinalists, who were voted by the board down to the finalists. On Friday, each finalist was asked the same nine questions in an hour-long interview. Questions covered how to make students job-ready, creating a framework for assessment, ensuring equal funding between rural and urban schools and spearheading state interventions to help failing schools like is currently happening in Montgomery. Ivey said “this is the most important decision that this board will make in our terms.” She said she voted for Mackey because of his support for her “Strong Start, Strong Finish” initiative and his focus on teaching students computer science and coding. “I believe Dr. Mackey will serve us well and we will see forward thinking results,” she said. In his interview, Mackey expressed a desire to stay long-term – at least eight or ten years – in the role. Ivey said “that would suit me fine.” Mackey will start May 14. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama education board to choose next state superintendent
Alabama State Board of Education members will choose the state’s next superintendent of education Friday. Board members will interview the four finalists Friday in Montgomery to pick the next head of Alabama’s education system. The finalists are Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey, Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy, Superintendent Association of Alabama Executive Director Eric Mackey and former Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott. The board is seeking a replacement for former Superintendent Michael Sentance who resigned in September after one year and one day. He stepped down after he received a poor performance evaluation. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
State Board of Education names four superintendent finalists
The search for Alabama’s next education superintendent was narrowed Friday to four finalists, as Alabama State Board of Education members looked mostly within the state for the next public schools chief. Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey, Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy, Superintendent Association of Alabama Executive Director Eric Mackey and former Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott are the four finalists for the position Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who as governor serves as board president, told board members Friday that this is one of the most important decisions they will make. “Having an effective superintendent is absolutely essential to the future of our educational endeavors,” Ivey said. Board members are seeking a replacement for former Superintendent Michael Sentance who resigned in September after one year and one day on the job. Sentance stepped down after receiving a poor performance evaluation. A search firm whittled a field of more than 40 applicants to seven semifinalists. The finalists were selected after board members ranked the seven semifinalists under a scoring matrix. Board members are scheduled to interview finalists and select a new superintendent April 20. Pouncey now heads the Jefferson County school system and has served as a deputy state superintendent and chief of staff at the Alabama Department of Education. Mackey has led the state superintendent association since 2010 and has served as superintendent of Jacksonville City Schools and a school principal. Murphy is the superintendent of Hoover City Schools and has served as superintendent of Monroe County schools and as high school principal. Scott is a principal at the Texas Star Alliance, a lobbying and public affairs firm, and served as Texas education commissioner for five years under Gov. Rick Perry. Pouncey had been a finalist for the state superintendent post in 2016 but lost to Sentance. Pouncey has an ongoing lawsuit against one board member, Mary Scott Hunter, and others saying was a victim of a scheme to keep him from winning the superintendent post two years ago. Before the 2016 vote, someone anonymously gave board members a packet of information, including internal department emails, accusing Pouncey of getting state staff to write his 2009 dissertation when he was with the department. Pouncey said the accusation was untrue, and a subsequent department report found that employee statements cleared Pouncey. Hunter said she does not plan to recuse herself from the vote next week, saying she can be fair and impartial. “It’s certainly an odd situation, but it’s not a situation of my making,” Hunter said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
‘Turn the (n-word) tunes off’: racial slur gets Hoover HS teacher placed on leave
A Hoover High School teacher was placed on administrative leave with pay on Monday after being accused of using a racial slur in front of her class Friday. Hoover school superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy has confirmed the teacher, Teddie Butcher, admitted to using the (n-word) in her classroom. Students claim Butcher, a white teacher, told the class to “turn the n****r tunes off” after as they were listening to “Dear Mama” by Tupac while working on a project in her food and nutrition class. The school system will be investigating the situation while Butcher remains on administrative leave. “As we are addressing this matter, we will be looking at our board’s policy and obviously taking a look at the state Teacher Code about expectations and we’ll be putting her conduct and behavior up against what we know is professional conduct of one’s self,” Murphy told AL.com.
