Public school reputation weighs on Air Force base in Alabama
The poor reputation of schools in Alabama’s capital city is creating friction with the city’s Air Force base. Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of Air University and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, says the state of schools in Montgomery is putting a strain on his job, with airmen arriving on base alone and faculty members reluctant to accept positions at the base. More than 56 percent of airmen in last year’s Air War College came to Montgomery without families, Cotton tells the Montgomery Advertiser, with schools being the top reason cited for separation. “The reality is, ‘If my kids aren’t happy, I’m not happy,” Cotton said of airmen. “If I have to try to spend so much time trying to understand how to get them ready and prepared for secondary education, then I’m not doing my mission as far as taking care of you, and making sure that I protect our country.’” Rachel Scott said she started a side business to raise tuition to send her oldest child to a private high school, but would rather save the money for college. She said her family is looking at buying a house outside Montgomery by summer to seek better schools. Until now, they’ve relied on Maxwell’s on-base school, but it ends after eighth grade. “We moved on base primarily for the school because my husband did research before we moved here and found out that the school systems were rated really low,” Scott said. “Their ratings are so low, I feel like my kids would fall behind.” In the 2016-2017 school year, 34 percent of Montgomery County seniors were deemed to have graduated without being college or career ready. The district’s five regular high schools had a combined average ACT score of 16, failing to meet the minimum score of 21 for enrollment at the University of Alabama. On the state’s report card, 66 percent of the Montgomery public schools received grades of D or F. Montgomery County Superintendent Ann Roy Moore wrote in an email that more than 600 students in the system are identified as military dependents. She said the system understands such students “unique needs.” “We are meeting with Maxwell representatives and the Military Child Transition Coalition team to identify ways we can show military families we care about their needs, and that we are working daily to improve academic achievement in our school system,” Moore wrote. The impact is a double-edged, with Montgomery failing to accommodate the men and women that serve this country, and failing to accommodate its biggest economic impact, with the base contributing $1.2 billion annually to the city. Montgomery, Scott said, is losing money because people are forced to live outside the city. Opening the base’s school to military families living off base, however, is not an option the Air Force has. Cotton declined to comment when asked to discuss potential solutions the Air Force is exploring to assist military members who are struggling because of the state of the school system. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Loveless Academic Magnet Program named best public high school in Alabama
Among all public services in this country, few are as uneven in quality as the American public education system. While schools must follow certain guidelines and are held to public standards, they are largely funded by property taxes — which means their budgets largely depend on neighborhood wealth rather than per student or by need. A review of data on public high schools in the United States shows a substantial diversity in quality and educational outcomes between school districts. Across the country, just over 80% of students graduate, 4.9% of students enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and the average SAT score is a little over 1000 out of 1600. In some of the nation’s top public schools, virtually all students graduate, AP enrollment is well above 70%, and average SAT scores are above 1400. While the nation’s top public high schools are primarily concentrated in a few of the the most populous states, every state in the country has at least one high school that exceeds national averages, and whose students are better set up for success — it Alabama it is none other than Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) High School in Montgomery. Just just 488 students, LAMP classrooms have a 14:1 student-to-teacher ratio. But the most impressive statistic — LAMP students average a 1340 out of 1600 SAT score. To determine the best public high school in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings for all public schools from school and neighborhood data clearinghouse Niche. Data on rank, number of students, student teacher ratio, average graduation rate, average SAT score, average ACT score, and AP enrollment also came from Niche. Data on the ratio of students to teachers by state came from the National Center for Education Statistics. Graduation rates by state also came from the NCED and are for the 2012-13 school year. Data on AP enrollment by state for the 2011-12 school year came from Civil Rights Data Collection. Click here to see the best public high school in each state.
Texas revives transgender ‘bathroom bill’ for public schools
A transgender “bathroom bill” reminiscent of one in North Carolina that caused a national uproar now appears to be on a fast-track to becoming law in Texas – though it may only apply to public schools. A broader proposal mandating that virtually all transgender people in the country’s second-largest state use public restrooms according to the gender on their birth certificates sailed through the Texas Senate months ago. A similar measure had stalled in the House, but supporters late Sunday night used an amendment to tack bathroom limits onto a separate and otherwise unrelated bill covering school emergency operation plans for things like natural disasters. Republican Rep. Chris Paddie authored the hotly-debated language, saying it had “absolutely no intent” to discriminate. Under it, transgender students at public and charter schools would not be permitted to use the bathroom of their choice but could be directed to separate, single-occupancy restrooms. “It’s absolutely about child safety,” said Paddie, from the East Texas town of Marshall. “This is about accommodating all kids.” His change passed 91-50. Final House approval should come Monday, sending the modified bill to the Senate, which should easily support it. Texas’ legislative session ends May 29, but that’s plenty of time – even if the bathroom bill is scaled-back enough to only affect the state’s roughly 5.3 million public school students, and not the general public. “This amendment is the bathroom bill and the bathroom bill is an attack on transgender people,” said Rep. Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat. “Some people don’t want to admit that because they are ashamed, and this is shameful.” A small group of Democratic women legislators went into the men’s restroom just off the House floor before debate began in protest. With Republicans enjoying solid majorities in both of Texas’ legislative chambers, though, such opposition was purely symbolic. Houston Democratic Rep. Senfronia Thompson, one of the House’s longest-serving and most-respected members, likened the new language to when restrooms nationwide were segregated by race. “Bathrooms divided us then and bathrooms divide us now. Separate but equal is not equal at all,” Thompson said, drawing floor applause. While Barack Obama was still president, the U.S. Department of Education tried to implement requirements that school districts nationwide allow transgender students to choose campus bathrooms or locker rooms they wished to use. Texas led a lawsuit challenging that directive and a federal judge in Texas ordered it suspended. President Donald Trump then rescinded the order in February. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has said he wants to sign a bathroom bill into law. House Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio, has been even more vocal opposing one – saying it could hurt a Texas economy that has been among the country’s strongest in recent years. Top firms, chambers of commerce and lobbyists also have decried the bathroom bill in all forms as bad for business. Many Hollywood actors and music stars have suggested state boycotts, and the NFL and NBA have expressed concerns about it passing – even though Houston successfully hosted this year’s Super Bowl. Since 2004, Texas has hosted more combined Super Bowls, NBA All-Star Games (three) and NCAA men’s Final Fours (five) than any other state. San Antonio is scheduled to host another Final Four in 2018, and Dallas is hosting the 2018 women’s NCAA Final Four. Supporters described limiting the scope to schools as “middle ground” and hinted that it could soften the kinds of costly boycotts that hit North Carolina after it approved its bathroom bill last year. The NCAA pulled sporting events and the state faced losing billions of dollars in related economic fallout, though some opposition has quieted since North Carolina lawmakers voted in March for a partial repeal. Straus said in a statement that the House amendment “will allow us to avoid the severely negative impact” of the original Senate bill, which was closer to what North Carolina’s original looked like. But opponents still vowed to fight Sunday’s Texas amendment with lawsuits. If the Legislature succeeds “in forcing discrimination into Texas law, you can bet that Lambda Legal will be on the case before the next school bell rings,” Jennifer C. Pizer, senior counsel and director of law and policy at the national gay rights group Lambda Legal, said in a statement. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Protesters greet Betsy DeVos in her first visit to a public school
Several dozen protesters are gathered outside a public school where Betsy DeVos is paying her first visit as education secretary in a bid to mend fences with educators after a bruising confirmation battle. DeVos visited Jefferson Middle School in southwest DC early Friday. About 50 protesters gathered outside the school, holding signs and shouting “We fight back!” DeVos has previously worked to promote charter schools and school voucher programs, which her critics say would hurt public schools. She was confirmed for the job by the Senate on Tuesday by the narrowest possible margins, after two Republicans opposed her. Journalists were prevented from entering the school to cover the event. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
William J. Canary: Public charter schools provide value to business’s future
Citizens from across Alabama again this month will gather in Montgomery for School Choice Week scheduled Jan. 22-28 to show support for improving the quality of education and expanding access to highly effective schools. The Business Council of Alabama will participate in Alabama’s National School Choice Week rally at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Conference Center on Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. Please join hundreds of students, parents, educators, legislators, and business leaders who believe that no child in Alabama should receive less than an adequate education simply due to his or her ZIP code or street address. With the BCA’s urging, the Legislature passed the Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act in 2015. Alabama is now the 43rd state with a charter school law that allows parents to enroll their children in adequate schools without having to move. The potential is great for two public charter schools this fall. Stay tuned. In schools where the absence of student achievement is obvious and previous efforts to improve performance have failed, parents and students should be offered options for likely success. Competition forces businesses to improve quality, services, and products. School choice does the same by providing failing schools incentives to improve or risk losing students. If Alabama is to continue to attract the aerospace, automobile, and rocket manufacturing facilities that have made us the envy of the rest of the nation, and if we are going to foster growth of our biotech, high-tech, and research industries, we must provide our children the education and skills that those jobs demand. The future is for all of us. At the BCA we are dedicated to doing our part. ••• William J. Canary is president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.
Ann Eubank: Looking for parents in Comprehensive Counseling plan
Thursday morning, I attended the AL School Board monthly work session where they presented the Alabama Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Model for Alabama Public Schools. The “mission” of this program is to prepare every student academically, “socially” and “emotionally.” That sounds great on the surface. However, the question is “where are the parents in this plan?” The schools are implementing this plan with the attitude that they are better prepared to raise your child than you are. Schools are part of the government system where parental control is no longer viewed as the ultimate authority over their children. This is another tentacle of the Common Core/Alabama Plan 2020. The standards included in this program include data collection from K-12, follows to college and workforce, with or without parental consent. Ms Cindy Wiley, of Shelby County Schools, gave a very positive overview of the plan to the board without going into the possible negative impact on student and parent relationship. Are they overstepping the boundaries of the family? The entire board will vote on this plan at the June meeting. Those of us who object to the destruction of the family need to let our feelings be known. Call your Board Representative and voice your opinion. (334) 242-9950. Also call your Senator and tell them to vote for SB101 which repeals Common Core. Ann Eubank is co-chair of Rainy Day Patriots (Jefferson/Shelby County), and the legislative chair of the Alabama Legislative Watchdogs. Ann is a frequent visitor of the Statehouse and has bridged the gap between strong advocate and respected resource for members. She is also a member of the Alabamians United for Excellence in Education Taskforce and several other Stop Common Core groups.
