The future of education

In November, the 10th annual legislative roundtable, sponsored jointly by the Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook PTO Councils, was held at the Library in the Forest. Educators from each school system addressed a panel of senators and representatives with their education concerns. The members of the panel were Sens. Jabo Waggoner and Slade Blackwell and Reps. David Faulkner and Jack Williams.

Vestavia Hills Superintendent Sheila Phillips and Mountain Brook Superintendent Dicky Barlow spoke at the meeting.

“Funding for our schools continues to be depleted,” said Barlow. “We need to figure out what quality education is and fund it appropriately. We don’t want to do anything that severs local control.”

“Our job is to get this done, not put it on the backs of others,” said Phillips. “We need to use our resources wisely in hiring employees.”

Below is a summary of some of the topics discussed at the roundtable. 

2015 Education Budget

“The state budget for 2015 looks dire,” said Emily Frost of Mountain Brook High School. “Medicaid will not have enough funds, and prison funding is ridiculously low. What can be done to secure funding for our schools and our children’s future?”

Blackwell said he surveyed a small sample people of ways to increase funding for schools. He mentioned possible options to fill holes in the General Fund could include increasing sales tax on certain items such as tobacco, soft drinks, beer and wine. 

Waggoner said there was a correlation between low graduation rates and increased number of prisoners in the state's prisons.

Accountability Act and Common Core

“The Equity Funding and Accountability Act hurt Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. Both take money from our budgets with no benefit,” said Pam Maldia of Crestline Elementary.

Williams argued that helping other schools has benefits for all.

“When others have the opportunity to excel, we benefit,” he said. “We are helping these families escape ignorance and poverty. It does not take away from us to do well.”

Furthermore, Stacy White, legislative representative from Cherokee Bend Elementary, expressed concerns that the cost of implementing measures to determine standards could lead to money being taken from local schools to fund schools across the state performing poorly.

Faulkner said many people were unclear about what the Accountability Act means.

“I see a major disconnect between what people say and what’s actually happening,” he said.

Phillips encouraged the representatives and senators to come take a tour of local schools to see how standards are being met.

“Come and visit us, we know how the resources are being used,” said Phillips. “This is where local control over higher standards is happening.”

Teacher evaluations and educator raises

Mandy Hilsmier, legislative representative from Vestavia Hills Elementary West, asked the panel their feelings on high-stakes testing and teacher evaluations and also whether raises for educators were a possibility.

Williams noted that teachers have not had a raise in four or five years and that it was definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. Waggoner agreed.

 “This is something we will look at very seriously,” said Waggoner.

Additional funding to allow for computer-based assessments

“With the advent of additional computer-based assessments this year, how will education funding be made available to school systems across the state for the purchase of additional equipment?” asked Shannon Black, PTO president of Vestavia Hills Central Elementary.

Waggoner said they are aiming to increase the state’s graduation rate in order to increase funding.

“There is currently an 80 percent graduation rate in Alabama,” said Waggoner. “If we can raise it to 90 percent, it would be like attracting a company like Mercedes-Benz every year. It would have a huge economic impact.”

Charter school funding

Martha Cook, legislative representative from Vestavia Hills High school, asked the panel where they stand on charter schools. Charter schools are schools that receive public funding but operate independently. Williams said the system does not need them. 

“They don’t have anything to offer that Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook don’t already offer,” he said.

Summarizing remarks from the representatives included the following:

“What I learned from knocking on 3,000 doors is how important schools are to people in this district,” Faulkner said. “The top of my agenda is to make sure our schools are protected. I believe education is an answer to a lot of our problems in the state.”

“What sets our communities apart is that education is a priority,” Williams said. “We need to encourage every system in the state to emulate what we do.”