State Republican leadership pushes charter schools, greater flexibility in education agenda

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and state Republican legislative leaders today proposed an education agenda for the state that included charter school legislation, a tax credit for classroom supplies for teachers, a modified teacher evaluation program and legislation to allow schools greater flexibility in teaching methods.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley

Charter schools are the most significant item on the agenda, which was announced by Bentley, House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) and Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) in a press conference at Wilkerson Middle School in Birmingham, which is one of the state’s high-performing schools.

According to a press release detailing the education agenda, the proposed charter schools will be public schools “that exchange operational autonomy for increased accountability.” The ability of a school to remain open will be pegged to certain student achievement scores. Underserved areas will be targeted by the legislation, the release says.

The Alabama Education Association, a historically powerful education lobbying group, has opposed charter schools and some other changes to Alabama’s education system in the past. Last week,  AEA executive secretary Dr. Henry Mabry spoke of charter schools as the beginning of the “dismantling [of] the entire public education system of the state,” the Mobile Press-Register reported.

Increased flexibility in current schools is also on the agenda. “The School Flexibility Act of 2012 will allow local school systems the opportunity to implement innovative strategies currently restricted by state law and policies,” the release stated. “This legislation would give traditional district schools the flexibility to implement innovative strategies to best meet the needs of their students.”

“Governor Bentley, Senate President Pro Tem Marsh and I agree that, while we work to improve our overall education system from the ground up, we must also allow parents, educators and community leaders the flexibility to fix local problems in the short term,” Hubbard said.

The old teacher evaluation system is also on the chopping block. Instead of using what Bentley and friends called “a formative tool that lays out specific areas of support and appropriate professional development,” — a tool they derided as ineffective — student achievement data could, instead, serve as an important new benchmark for teacher evaluations.

Bentley, Marsh and Hubbard also proposed a $300 tax credit for teachers to purchase classroom supplies.

The 2012 legislative session is set to begin at noon on Feb. 7, 2012.