Rauf Bolden: Is the new school in Orange Beach leading to another split?
It may seem obvious to those who look. Orange Beach is perfectly positioned to have an independent school system, divorced from the constraints of the Baldwin County Board of Education (BCBE). In a stroke of negotiated genius, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon closed a deal with BCBE, ensuring they take on millions of dollars worth of construction debt, providing a new High School/Middle School for students in Orange Beach with no increase in local-property taxes. The city did transfer land to BCBE, giving them clear title to the property the school will sit on. This new campus is the final catalyst for a school split in Orange Beach. As with all politicians, there is a hidden cost to partnering with the City of Orange Beach. The Baldwin County Board of Education is expected to make administrative concession, accommodating Mayor Kennon’s vision. He will be disappointed, leading to a split of irreconcilable differences. Kennon said, “I expect to be treated differently, I expect them [Baldwin County Board of Education] to listen to our community [me]. The school [Middle School/High School] that we’re building is a gem for them to show off,” according to a report by John Mullen on the OBA Website. BCBE is not going to let Orange Beach tell them how to do their job, providing the excuse for Orange Beach to file for separation, severing ties with Baldwin County, and forming an independent school system. Orange Beach tried twice before to found a school system. Once in 2007 and once in 2014, but both failed massively. This time the initiative will succeed. Mayor Kennon will have more influence over the school board in an independent school system, finally getting what council has always wanted for Orange Beach, tattooing their guidance on the lives of future generations through a finely tuned curriculum of academics, sports and after-school programs. This will take the worry off the shoulders of working parents, because their kids will be in supervised care from sunup to sundown. Prayer and The Pledge in standalone after-school programs are elements local parents will not oppose; having independent after-school programs is the only way this works. “Organized prayer in the public school setting, whether in the classroom or at a school-sponsored event, is unconstitutional. The only type of prayer that is constitutionally permissible is private, voluntary student prayer that does not interfere with the school’s educational mission,” according to adl.org. By example Gulf Shores City Schools will show how effective independent-minded programs can be, allowing Orange Beach parents to see how they can improve alternative education. Administrative differences will be pointed out, underlining the idea for independence. Perhaps more home-schooled children will come back, because of Orange Beach’s after-school model. Orange Beach must first demonstrate the short comings of the Baldwin County Schools, pointing again to how well an independent school system like Gulf Shores targets the unique needs of local children in a way generic, county-wide education never can, like marine biology, oceanography, or religious studies. Political interests will start to align, pointing out the discrepancies, and shortcomings of the county system. A groundswell of concern will rise, pleading for help, leading to discussions, therapy and divorce. “I would hope Gulf Shores would go ahead and help us [Orange Beach] move forward so both city and county schools can move forward,” said Mayor Tony Kennon. “We [BCBE] need to hire administrators, coaches, and … it’s frustrating and unfair to the parents who are in limbo.” according to a report in al.com (https://www.al.com/news/2018/12/orange-beach-families-to-state-where-are-we-going-to-school-next-year.html). The Baldwin County Board of Education and the Gulf Shores City School Board could not find common ground, negotiating the school separation, requiring the Alabama State Superintendent of Education to step in, settling the dispute. “Gulf Shores High School students living outside of the city going into grades 11 and 12 will remain at the school. Next year’s 10th graders will have the choice to stay at Gulf Shores High School or to attend class in Orange Beach,” said Dr. Eric Mackey, Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education. The possibility exists that students attending Gulf Shores City Schools from Orange Beach and Ono Island will be required to pay tuition, “Gulf Shores City Schools shall retain the right to formulate an Out of District Policy at their discretion,” said Mackey, according to a report in mynbc15.com. This Out of District Policy ruling is leverage for Gulf Shores City Schools. Precedent already exists for student applications, vetting, and tuition payments in Satsuma, an independent school system, according to a report on Satsuma City Schools web site. Kennon will be very disappointed if Orange Beach is saddled with a large tuition bill for its students, but you cannot expect Gulf Shores’ taxpayers to foot the bill for Orange Beach’s students. The Orange Beach City Council could volunteer to subsidize tuition, providing financial assistance to local parents, during the transition period. The Orange Beach separation whispers have already begun, based on the premise that we can do it better. “I am not comparing Orange Beach schools to the county,” Kennon said. “I’m comparing Orange Beach schools to the best in the state. If we can’t be the best in the state, then we have underachieved. We have the ability, the financial wherewithal to be the best in the state. No one can hold us back. We have to as a community expect excellence, hold our kids to it and hold other parents to it. If we don’t demand excellence, if we don’t demand that we are the best in the state then we’re not going to get it.” Obviously Mayor Kennon wants to put his stamp on the way things are done. This will be impossible with the reins of power in the hands of the Baldwin County Board of Education. Sooner rather than later Kennon will announce Orange Beach is going their own way. Orange Beach can afford to go it alone. In 2017 the city generated $41.8 million in revenue, having $25.1 million in expenses, leaving $16.7
Alabama Education Department seeks school safety funding
Alabama education officials are seeking money for school safety projects, the state superintendent said Friday. Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey told lawmakers that the Department of Education is seeking an additional $30 per student for school safety projects. The state superintendent said the money could be used for locks, cameras and other options including mental health. “The biggest thing that people are asking for are locks,” Mackey said. He said school systems could also use money to provide school offices for mental health counselors employed by the Department of Mental Health. He said that partnership would allow students to access care more easily by having the counselor work at the school. “The model is to set that mental health counselor an office in the school and then students are going back and forth to them just like they go to a guidance counselor or assistant principal’s office, rather than having to transit off campus,” Mackey said. Lawmakers last year voted to allow schools to use a state technology fund to pay for school resource officers or other security measures. Mackey said the department is also seeking money for additional school nurses and to expand the state reading initiative. Mackey discussed the funding request during budget hearings this week before state lawmakers. Lawmakers this spring will begin working on state budgets for the next fiscal year. The 2019 legislative session begins March 5. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey proclaims Jan. 20-26 Alabama “School Choice Week”
Governor Kay Ivey has proclaimed this week, January 20-26, to be Alabama School Choice Week, joining other states around the country in bringing awareness to school choice options available to parents. WHNT 19 News reports that, Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week said, “We’re excited that Alabama families are so passionate about school choice, and we’re encouraged by Gov. Ivey’s support for that,” said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week. “We wish Alabama families all the best in their celebrations and hope that the planned events and activities will help parents find the educational opportunities that best meet their children’s needs.” More than 40,000 independent school choice events are planned for around the country and abroad, with 750 of those will be held in Alabama. That is a significant increase over last year, in which 548 events were held in the state. National School Choice Week was founded in 2011 as a nonpartisan “celebration of opportunity in education.” In August 2018, the Associated Press reported the findings by Education Next, a journal published by Harvard’s Kennedy School and Stanford University. According to the report, “Forty-four percent of respondents in the poll conducted in May said they support the expansion of charter schools, compared to 39 percent in 2017. The gain of 5 percentage points, however, did not fully offset the drop in support from 51 percent in 2016. When broken down according to party affiliation, 57 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of Democrats voiced support for charter schools, compared to 47 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of Democrats in 2017.” Late last year, Alabama board of education member Ella Bell, a democrat, spoke out during a work session claiming that Alabama’s landmark tax credit scholarship program for low income families was part of an effort to “destroy a whole race of people.” “They took money from the poorest counties in the state to send kids to private school,” Bell claimed, after accusing the program of “stealing” from the state. “That’s just awful.” This claim was disputed in an editorial by Rachel Blackmon Bryars, a senior fellow at the Alabama Policy Institute. Bryars said, “The plain fact today is that the Alabama Accountability Act is a tiny fraction of our state’s education budget, it gives low-income families a sometimes life-altering choice, and almost all of the students receiving scholarships are minorities. We should all be proud of that. Because in the end, this is about what we believe education dollars are for – the system or the student.” . Alabama currently ranks near the bottom in state education rankings.
Grades are out on Alabama schools
The annual chance-for-success index from Education Week was released Tuesday with Alabama schools ranking near the bottom. This index looks at criteria around early foundations, school years, and adult outcomes for students and is the first of three measures Education Week uses to create their annual Quality Counts rankings. While the average grade for a state is a C, Alabama schools received a C minus, giving them a ranking of 45 of 51, which is in keeping with US News & World Report’s ranking of 47. In early foundations, the state received a B minus (ranked 39th), a D plus for school years (45th), and a C for adult outcomes (42nd). With a score of 73.4, the state is up 3.2 points over last year, when Alabama received a score of 70.2 (also a C minus). Statewide, things are looking better. District-level grades for the 2017-18 school year were up over those of 2016-17, bringing Alabama schools to an overall B grade, up from a C plus the previous year. Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey stated in a prepared release, “Overall, we are pleased with the academic growth that we see across the state. It is a testament to the dedication of our teachers, principals, and all those who support their work that student performance continues to rise. As state superintendent, I am grateful for these hardworking individuals in our local schools who improve the trajectory of children’s lives every day. We believe that our best days and highest levels of achievement lie ahead of us, not behind, and we look forward to working with our state policymakers and lawmakers in 2019 to make sure that we are providing ever better resources and supports for our schools.” Five years ago, Alabama introduced the Alabama Accountability Act, a tax-credit scholarship program that serves low-income students and those from failing schools. While data shows that test results are similar for students taking advantage of this program and students in district schools, there is not a continuity of data between public and private schools, making comparison difficult. AL.com reports that suggestions to make these comparisons more useful would require legislative action.
Daniel Sutter: A lesson from the school pickup line
Our school district does not provide school bus service, so parents must take their children to and from school each day. Waiting in line to pick up our children provides a first-hand lesson about an important category of economic contests. Troy Elementary School dismisses students at 3 p.m. I always want to be one of the first parents in line when I pick up my son. Chuck then gets perhaps an extra ten minutes at home. And I show him that he is important enough to me that I will make time to be first in line. Only try as I might, I have not yet this year gotten close to the front of the line. Even arriving 30 minutes early is not enough. The people of Troy love their children very much, which makes Troy a great place to live. We also seem to have very flexible schedules. As a group, we parents face a reality: only one person will be first in the pickup line. The line is an example of what economist Robert Frank labeled positional goods – where we care about our position relative to others. The pursuit of positional goods can be wasteful. Life features many positional goods. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. Some people line up well in advance of the store openings to show that they are the most serious shoppers. At the college I went to, students had a tradition of camping out in advance of hockey season tickets going on sale. The first students in line were the most serious supporters of the team. Positional goods can involve other forms of competition. Neighbors sometimes engage in positional contests to put up the most amazing Christmas light and decoration displays. The costs include the decorations and higher electricity bills. Having the newest, latest, and shiniest computer, big screen TV, or car is a positional contest as well. Competition in positional contests uses scarce resources just trying to move ahead of others when in the aggregate this isn’t possible. Even if parents waited all day in line after dropping off our children, only one would be at the front of the pickup line. Everyone engaged in a positional contest might agree that we would be better off spending less time and money. And yet our incentives work against us here. If all other Troy Elementary School parents arrived at 2:55 p.m., I would show up at 2:50 p.m. Economist Thomas Schelling explained how sometimes people might choose to have someone limit our freedom to compete. Government can perform this role, or associations which can enforce rules on their members. Two factors complicate limiting competition. First, competition may also improve contest quality. Consider high school football. Winning has a positional element – only one team can win the state title in each class each year. Extra practices, voluntary off-season workouts, and attending college camps may be seen as providing only a relative advantage. Yet this might also increase the quality of play, benefitting fans, coaches, and the players. A pure positional contest has no element of quality. Beyond this, working hard in pursuit of our goals is an important part of life. The players may enjoy working hard together during the offseason and may be building life-long friendships. The freedom to outwork others is integral to America’s opportunity society. To see this, imagine if students were not allowed to prepare for the SAT exam. An SAT score affects college admissions and scholarships; it matters for life. Aptitude tests do have a positional element. All students spending $1,000 on prep classes may not change their percentile rankings. Yet being denied the freedom to study hard and improve one’s performance seems profoundly unfair. We need to be aware of positional contests, of the times in life where we simply are trying to get ahead of others. We may want to accept limits on such contests to curb wasteful competition. But we also need to remember that the freedom to work and create opportunities for ourselves is a crucial part of life. ••• Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Alabama school system closes over threat
An east Alabama school system is shutting down for the day as a precaution because of a threat. WSFA-TV reports that officials closed schools in Macon County on Monday because of a threat posted on social media. Sheriff Andre Brunson says the decision was made to close the county’s school in consultant with the superintendent, Jacqueline Brooks. Brooks posted about the threat on Facebook, calling it “credible” but not explaining it further. She says the system’s switchboard will remain open for parents who have questions. Macon County has about 1,900 students enrolled at seven schools. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Alabama Education Association files lawsuit to block sale of Georgia Washington Middle School
The Alabama Education Association (AEA) has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) employees aimed at halting the sale of Georgia Washington Middle School to the neighboring Pike Road school system. AEA filed the lawsuit on Friday — against interim State Superintendent Dr. Ed Richardson, Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone and Chief Administrative Officer Reginald Eggleston — claims does not have the legal authority to sell the school and questions whether or not the sale is a conflict of interest for Richardson who was previously involved with Pike Road Schools as executive director of the Pike Road Leadership Council. The lawsuit requests a temporary halt of the sale until the legality of Richardson’s involvement in the sale is resolved. Richardson issued a statement in response to the suit explaining his only concern is the children of Montgomery County. “My concern is now, and has always been, the children of Montgomery County. My resolve is to make sure the students who attend Montgomery Public schools get a quality education. The student achievement in Montgomery’s non-magnet schools are some of the lowest in the state,” said Richardson. He continued, “In more than 50 years of education experience, and having been involved in numerous school interventions all across this state, I have never witnessed this kind of dismal student achievement. It is wrong, deceptive, and dishonest to sit by and continue to watch young people, who are full of potential, graduate from high school with reading and math scores that are unacceptable and don’t even approach Alabama’s average – much less other states. My primary concern is the proper education of children – not inconveniencing adults.” Richardson announced the sale of the school earlier this month during a press conference when an intervention plan of the Montgomery Public School System was released. He said if the school isn’t sold, layoffs will have to be made. “If Georgia Washington is NOT sold, we anticipate approximately 200 MPS teachers and 75 support staff will have to be laid off in order for MPS to meet its financial obligation,” Richardson added. A hearing for the lawsuit will take place Monday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. The plaintiffs are Edwards Simms, a Robert E. Lee High School teacher with a child at Georgia Washington, Chisholm Elementary Child Nutrition Program manager Edwina Relf and Tislam Ellis, a Sidney Lanier High School teacher.
‘Cremate the cougars’ themed pep rally upset parents at Ala. school
In the small town of Valley, Ala. in Chambers County, W.F. Burns Middle School is making the news for all the wrong reasons, according to some parents. Rather than hosting a typical pep rally in anticipation of the championship football game against the Long Cane Middle School cougars, the school hosted a “cremate the cougars” themed pep rally last Thursday. According to WVTM, the pep rally was a “funeral service [for the cougars] and the players and cheerleaders ripped the opposing team’s mascot, the Long Cane Middle School Cougar’s, into shreds.” “I commented under a teacher’s post and told her I thought they went too far with that and literally ripping to shreds a cougar by the players and cheerleaders to me was promoting violence,” one parent told WVTM.com. The parents are not alone in thinking the school took the pep rally too far. “I know I’m going to make some people mad, but this is middle school people, I totally get it was a hype thing to build moral for the team but actually carrying a real casket is morbid as it comes, they could have made a box out of card board or something and decorate it with their slogans, but I honestly think that a real casket is pushing it a little to far!” Amy Kathryn Hinkle, a Valley resident, posted in response Tuesday on Facebook. But not all locals agree. “This is so dumb. People will do anything to start a fuss and get on the news,” posted Madison Jarnagin. Bradley Morgan, a Southern Union State Community College student and W.F. Burns graduate said this isn’t the first time the school has done this. “I️ did this is when I️ attended W.F. Burns and when I️ was in high school. This is so ridiculous for that women to cause this much trouble,” Morgan wrote on Facebook Monday. School Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hodge confirms Morgan’s history of the pep rallies, explaining these types have pep rallies have gone on for as long as she can remember. “I think we need to look at what it was intended for. It was a skit for a junior high school pep rally,” Hodges explained to WVTM. She said the pep rally was not intended to be offensive.
Bradley Byrne: Back to school leadership tips
Earlier this year, I was asked to compile my thoughts on leadership and what it means to be an effective leader. With students back in school, high school football season underway, and college football right around the corner, I wanted to share some highlights from my leadership journey with students, athletes, and others. Throughout my professional and personal life experiences, I’ve found these three simple tips, and I think they can apply to each and every one of us. (1) Leaders Trust Their Team: A leader is only as good as the people around them. But, just having a team is not enough. You have to be able to trust them to do their job. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and surrounding yourself with talented people who can help you achieve your goals. I honestly believe I have the most talented staff on Capitol Hill and an equally talented team working for me back in Alabama. I depend on my staff all the time, whether it is briefing me on a legislative priority or arranging my complicated schedule. I could never achieve all of my goals in Congress without my first-rate team. (2) Leaders Listen: Far too often we spend all of our time talking when we should actually be listening. Stopping to listen to the ideas of others allows you to be better at whatever it is you are doing. This is why I value holding town hall meetings. I have held over 85 in-person town hall meetings since being elected to Congress, and that number goes over 100 if you include telephone and online town halls. I don’t see these meetings as an opportunity for me to talk. Instead, they are really a chance for me to listen to the people I represent. To be clear, listening does not mean you always have to agree with the other person or change your opinion. Sometimes I agree with what the individuals say and sometimes I disagree, but that is the value in listening. It is always helpful to hear different perspectives on any issues or topic before making a decision, giving you a wider range of understanding. (3) Leaders Never Give Up: July 13, 2010 was a difficult night for me. It was the night I lost the runoff in the Republican primary to be the next Governor of Alabama. It had been such a grueling campaign for my family and me, but, most importantly, I truly believed we could have made a really positive impact on our state. However, it was not to be. It would have been easy for me to let that moment define the rest of my career. I could have given up on public service altogether. Honestly, the thought crossed my mind. Then, in May of 2013, Congressman Jo Bonner announced he was resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives. I once again had the chance to serve the state and people that I love. The message here is to never let the fact that one door closes force you to give up on something you are passionate about. The question is never whether you will experience some level of setback or failure, because every leader will. The real question is how will you respond and overcome the setback. That is what will define you. It is my hope that these three simple tips will help our young people as they head back to school, but the tips can apply to any of us, regardless of where we are in life. We should never miss an opportunity to learn from our friends and neighbors. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Alabama receives $100K Farm to School grant to buy more local produce
Alabama students will be seeing more locally grown produce on the school menus next school year thanks to a newly awarded $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, USDA Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. “Increasing the amount of local foods in America’s schools is a win-win for everyone,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Our children benefit from the fresh, local food served in their meals at school, and local economies are nourished, as well, when schools buy the food they provide close to home.” The state’s Farm to School Cooperative — a coalition of state and community partners including the Alabama Department of Education, the Foodbank of North Alabama/Farm Food Collaborative, the Alabama Farmers Federation, Feeding the Gulf-Coast Food Bank, food hubs, Druid City Garden Project, and EAT South — was one of 65 projects recipients from across the country of the USDA’s 2017 Farm to School Grant. The co-op encourages schools to serve fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to students, implement hands-on education in school gardens, and provide nutrition and agriculture education. Specifically, the state will use grant funds to assist farmers with GAP certification, revise the Alabama farm to school website, develop a state-wide promotional campaign, and support school garden curriculum development. The Tuscaloosa-based Druid City Garden Project, part of the coalition, will utilize funds to facilitate building mobile cooking units for schools to engage students in cooking demonstrations with produce grown in school gardens. “The Alabama Farm to School Collaborative provides farmers an opportunity to develop relationships with the students in their local schools districts,” commented Alabama Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan. “Not only do the students enjoy locally grown food, but now they can make a connection to the person who grew it for them.”
First lady: Barron Trump to attend private Episcopal school in MD
First lady Melania Trump announced Monday that her son, Barron, will attend a private Episcopal school in Maryland, beginning this fall. The announcement answered one of the lingering questions surrounding the first family’s unusual living arrangement. Mrs. Trump and 11-year-old Barron have been living at Trump Tower in New York since Donald Trump took office in January, while the president has lived at the White House. Trump has said his wife and youngest child will relocate to the White House after the current school year ends, which meant finding a local school for Barron. Mrs. Trump said Monday that they have chosen St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, for their son. “It is known for its diverse community and commitment to academic excellence,” she said in a statement. “The mission of St. Andrew’s is ‘to know and inspire each child in an inclusive community dedicated to exceptional teaching, learning, and service,’ all of which appealed to our family.” Annual tuition ranges from more than $23,000 for pre-K to more than $40,000 for students in grades 9-12. “We look forward to the coming school years at St. Andrew’s,” Mrs. Trump said. Founded in 1978, St. Andrew’s, a day school, has a total enrollment of 580 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, according to its website. Class sizes are small, with anywhere from 11 to 13 students, and all of its graduates go on to college, the school said. “As we came to know Barron through the admission process, it became clear that he, like all of our newly enrolled students, will be a great addition to St. Andrew’s,” school administrators wrote in a letter to parents on Monday. A spokesman said the head of the school, Robert Kosasky, would not have any additional comment out of respect for students’ privacy. The school is known for research-informed teaching and the use of neuroscience and other brain-based research, both to help high-achieving students unlock their potential and to tailor education to children with learning disabilities or differences. Barron currently attends Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. St. Andrew’s is located in the wealthy enclave of Potomac, about 17 miles northwest of the White House and a 30-minute drive in light traffic. “School leaders are working directly with the Secret Service to ensure that … logistics and security will continue to work smoothly and discreetly next year for all of our students and families,” the letter to parents said. The Trumps’ decision to send Barron to St. Andrew’s marks the first time in decades that the school-aged child of a president will attend a school other than at Sidwell Friends, an elite Quaker school with campuses in Washington and Bethesda, Maryland. President Bill Clinton‘s daughter, Chelsea, attended Sidwell. So did President Barack Obama‘s daughters, Malia and Sasha. Malia Obama, 18, graduated from Sidwell in June 2016. She is taking the year off, what is known as a “gap year,” before her expected enrollment at Harvard this fall. Sasha Obama, 15, is a sophomore at Sidwell Friends. Her parents decided to live in Washington after leaving the White House so she can finish her studies there. President George W. Bush‘s daughters had graduated high school and were headed to college when he was elected. President Jimmy Carter is the only recent president to send his child, daughter Amy, to a District of Columbia public school. 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.
