2006 Fall Alabama School Boards Magazine

Official Publication of the Alabama Association of School Boards

FALL 2006

SUPPORT AMENDMENT 2: 10 Absolute Mills Help Level Playing Field

FACE TO FACE:Gov. Bob Riley & Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley

MAKING AYP:A Short Distance on the Student Progress Ruler

NSBA/Southern Region a Huge Success

SUPPORT AMENDMENT 2: 10 Absolute Mills Help Level Playing Field

FACE TO FACE:Gov. Bob Riley & Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley

MAKING AYP:A Short Distance on the Student Progress Ruler

NSBA/Southern Region a Huge Success

How’s the Atmosphere in Your Schools?Are teachers and students eager to arrive and excited about learning?Or, are far too many just dragging themselves around, waiting for theschool day to end? School climate is sometimes dismissed as thetouchy-feely side of education. But it actually strikes at the heart of yourmission: raising achievement for every child. Schools that act and feellike good places to learn and work achieve at higher levels even whendemographics and other risk factors are working against them. Whether your schools’ climates are toxic or just anemic, this AlabamaAssociation of School Boards Academy conference can help you:

■ Create a culture of high expectations

■ Find and use the tools for assessing your current climate

■ Learn what the world’s greatest managers do differently

■ Identify the climate & performance indicators that really matter

Sunday, October 221:30 p.m. Registration Opens4:15 p.m. WHERE WE LEARN:

TOOLS FOR ASSESSING YOUR CLIMATEDr. Brian PerkinsChair, Council of Urban Boards of EducationChair, Educational Leadership and PolicyStudies, Southern Connecticut State University

5:45 p.m. Break6:05 p.m. WHERE WE LEARN (continued)7:15 p.m. Recess

Dinner on your own

Monday, October 237:00 a.m. Registration Opens7:00 a.m. Breakfast Buffet8:00 a.m. POTENT LEADERSHIP TEAM

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A POWERFUL SCHOOL CULTUREWinton Goodrich, Associate Director, Vermont School Boards Association

9:45 a.m. Break10:00 a.m. POTENT LEADERSHIP TEAM STRATEGIES (continued)11:45 a.m. Adjourn

Academy CreditSchool board members will earn six hours’ credit in AASB’s SchoolBoard Member Academy and satisfy the Academy’s core curriculumrequirement for Leadership to Create the Optimal Learning Environ-ment. While all school board members earn credit for attending, youwill not receive the Optimal Learning Environment core credit if youearned it at an earlier conference. Superintendents also may earn professional development credit toward certificate renewal.

Alabama Association ofSchool Boards Academy

October 22-23, 2006The Wyndrey Hotel • Birmingham

“EARLY BIRD” WORKSHOPROLES & RELATIONSHIPS: LEADERSHIP II (A) CORE COURSE

Part of AASB’s Orientation for New Board Members and SuperintendentsSunday, October 22, 2006 • 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2006 3

IN THIS ISSUECOVER STORY

Pandemic Flu Nothing to Sneeze At . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

National health experts say it’s just a matter of time before a novel virus spans theglobe with high rates of illness and death. The pandemic flu of 1918 killed 675,000in the United States and millions of people worldwide without the benefit of airtravel and crowded public transportation. The threat of widespread and sustainedtransmission of bird flu from human to human is a reminder that Mother Nature’sfury tends to come in cycles. Are school systems and local communities preparedfor a pandemic?

FEATURES

Face to Face with Gov. Bob Riley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Face to Face with Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Urban Kids Say School Climate Needs Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Making AYP: A Short Distance on the Student Progress Ruler . . . 25

NSBA/Southern Region 2006 Conference a Huge Success . . . . . . . 26

DEPARTMENTS

Alabama Education News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Education & the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Executive Director’s Perspective Support Amendment 2:10 Absolute Mills Help Level Playing Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

At the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Potpourri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

PUBLICATION POLICYAlabama School Boards is published by the Alabama Association of School Boards as aservice to its member school boards. The articles published in each issue represent the ideasor beliefs of the writers and are not necessarily the views of the Alabama Association ofSchool Boards. Subscriptions sent to members of school boards are included in member-ship dues, and complimentary copies are sent to public school principals throughout thestate. Additional subscriptions can be obtained by contacting AASB. Entered as third-classmail at Montgomery, AL. Permit No. 34.

Alabama School Boards is designed by J. Durham Design, L.L.C., Montgomery, AL.

Address all editorial and advertising inquiries to: Alabama School Boards, Editor, P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488. Phone: 334/277-9700.

OFFICERSJim Methvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentAlabama School of Fine ArtsSue Helms . . . . . . . . . . President-ElectMadison CityFlorence Bellamy . . . . . Vice PresidentPhenix CityTommy McDaniel . . . . . Past PresidentCherokee County

STAFFSandra Sims-deGraffenried, Ed.D.Executive DirectorSally Brewer Howell, J.D.Assistant Executive DirectorDenise L. BerkhalterDirector of Public RelationsEditor, Alabama School BoardsSusan Rountree SalterDirector of Membership ServicesLissa Astilla TuckerDirector of Governmental RelationsDebora HendricksAdministrative AssistantDonna NorrisAdministrative AssistantKay ShawBookkeeperLashana SummerlinReceptionistTammy WrightExecutive AssistantAeryca EzellClerical Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPatsy Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District 1Monroe CountySteven Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . District 2Lowndes CountyJeff Bailey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District 3Covington CountyKaty S. Campbell . . . . . . . . . District 4Macon CountyJennifer Parsons . . . . . . . . . . District 5Jefferson CountySue Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District 6JacksonvilleSusan Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . District 7Winfield Dr. Charles Elliott . . . . . . . . . District 8DecaturLaura Casey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District 9AlbertvilleSandra Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . State BoardTuscaloosaRobert A. Lane.. NSBA Board of DirectorsLowndes County

Fall 2006Vol. 27, No. 4

4 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2006

Voters Say No to School Tax Renewal

Voters in Escambia County chose not torenew a total of 4 mills in ad valorem taxesbenefiting county schools in Septemberspecial elections. The 1-mill countywidetax and 3-mill district tax had been in placefor more than eight decades and were lastrenewed by voters more than 30 years ago,according to the Brewton Standard. Hadvoters approved the taxes, they would havebeen extended for another 28 years.Escambia County and Brewton school sys-tems were depending on the property taxdollars to continue school improvements.

Though Escambia County schools lost 4 mills, including the 1 mill it shared withBrewton schools, voters in Brewtonrenewed a 3-mill tax that goes to threeschools within the city limits. Brewton’sloss amounts to about $70,000, butEscambia County’s new Superintendent

William Hines said the voters’ rejectionmeans $1.2 million will have to betrimmed from the system’s budget by Oct. 1, 2007.

Hines became superintendent July 1.

Selma and Dallas CountySchool Taxes Renewed

Voters renewed a countywide and dis-trict taxes for Dallas County and SelmaCity Schools in August special elections.The voters continued a 3.5-mill and a 5-mill countywide tax that are shared bySelma and Dallas County schools. Votersalso renewed Dallas County schools’ 3-mill district tax and Selma schools’ 3-milldistrict tax.

Dallas County Superintendent Dr. FannieMajor-McKenzie told the Selma Times-Jour-nal county schools get about $1.2 millionfrom the countywide taxes and about$400,000 from the district tax.

Optimal Learning Environment Focus of Oct. 22-23 AASB Conference

The Alabama Association of SchoolBoards training conference at The Wyn-frey Hotel features the theme “ClimateControl: Making Schools Great Places toLearn and Work.” Attendees will learnstrategies for measuring student and staffmorale and how those and other intangi-bles affect student achievement. The con-ference goal is to help participants learnhow to transform schools into good placesto learn and work in order to raiseachievement for every child.

On the roster of speakers are Dr. BrianK. Perkins, chair of the Council of UrbanBoards of Education and of EducationalLeadership and Policy Studies at SouthernConnecticut State University, and WintonGoodrich, assistant director of the VermontSchool Boards Association. Perkins,author of a recently-released study ofschool climate for CUBE, will talk about“Where We Learn: Tools for AssessingYour Climate,” and Goodrich will discuss“Potent Leadership Team Strategies forBuilding a Powerful School Culture.”

Also, on Oct. 22, the AASB SchoolBoard Member Academy will offer aworkshop titled “Roles and Relationships:Leadership II(A)” at the Wynfrey. The 2-4p.m. workshop is the second installment ofAASB’s four-part orientation track, andrelatively new school board members andsuperintendents attending the workshopwill learn how to work effectively with theschool board attorney and each other.Workshop attendees will also learn tips for

AlabamaEducationNews

October is Statewide Parent Visitation MonthThomas Falkner, a stu-

dent at Susan Moore Ele-mentary School in BlountCounty, had a vision.That vision became aposter, and now his art-work graces billboardsaround the state.Falkner is the winner ofthe state Departmentof Education’s 2006Family Poster Contest.His poster now sym-

bolizes the heart of Statewide Parent Visitation Month celebrated throughout October.

This year’s theme is “Children Are the Future: Share the Vision.” School boardsacross the state will invite and welcome parents to their schools in an effort toincrease parental involvement. Parents are encouraged through a variety of pro-grams, events and communications to come to their children’s schools and learnmore about parent-school partnerships and what key role parents play in theirchildren’s education.

For more information on Statewide Parent Visitation Month, visit www.alsde.edu and click on Hot Topics or contact Judy Bohannon at 334/242-8199.

Perkins Goodrich


cultivating a strong working relationshipbetween the board and superintendent.

The conference is sponsored by AASBin conjunction with its School BoardMember Academy. Established in 1986,the academy is an ongoing school forschool board members designed toimprove skills and knowledge in all areasof boardmanship.

For conference information, contactAASB at 334/277-9700, toll free in-state at800/562-0601 or visit www.theaasb.org.

Awards Seek Alabama’sTop Youth Volunteers

Encourage young Alabama volunteers tocompete for $1,000 and a paid trip to thenation’s capital for outstanding servicethey’ve given to their communities.

The 12th annual Prudential Spirit ofCommunity Awards will honor students ingrades 5-12 who exemplify communityspirit for outstanding acts of volunteerism.Students must submit completed applica-tions by Oct. 31.

The 2007 Prudential Spirit of Commu-nity Awards application is available onlineat www.prudential.com/spirit or by callingtoll-free 888/450-9961. Application formsalso are available from middle and highschools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-Hagents, American Red Cross chapters,YMCAs and member Volunteer Centers ofthe Points of Light Foundation and Volun-teer Center National Network.

In February 2007, Alabama’s top twocandidates — one middle school and one

high school student — will be named statehonorees. Each state honoree receives a$1,000 cash award, an engraved silvermedallion and an all-expense-paid trip toWashington, D.C., with a parent or guardianon May 5-8, 2007. All state honorees are eligible to become one of 10 national hon-orees, who will receive additional awards of$5,000, gold medallions, crystal trophies fortheir nominating schools or organizationsand $5,000 grants from the PrudentialFoundation for nonprofit, charitable organi-zations of their choice.

Sponsored nationwide by PrudentialFinancial, Inc., in partnership with theNational Association of Secondary SchoolPrincipals, the Prudential Spirit of Com-munity Awards have honored more than70,000 youth volunteers at the local, stateand national levels since 1995.

Nov. 2 is National Mock Election Day

America’s largest voter education pro-gram, the National Student/Parent MockElection, now in its 26th year, is staging its2006 Mock Election on Nov. 2, five daysbefore the congressional elections.

Votes will be cast by students, parents,teachers and participants in all 50 statesand in American schools around the worldon state and national issues and candidates.

To participate, educators and parents canenroll at www.nationalmockelection.org,

by mail to the National Student/ParentMock Election, P.O. Box 36653, Tucson,AZ 85704; by fax to 520/742-3553; or byphone 520/877-VOTE (8683). Free cur-riculum materials, for grades K-12, arealso on the Web site.

The National Student/Parent Mock Elec-tion is the nation’s largest and most suc-cessful voter education project. Studentsand parents in American schools aroundthe globe cast 4,044,885 votes. Since theprogram began 26 years ago, almost 50million students and parents have partici-pated in the project.

Registration Open for 2007 NSBA ConferenceEarly registration discounts are available through Dec. 27 for the National

School Boards Association’s April 14-17, 2007 conference in San Francisco. Allwho register by Oct. 13 will have their confirmation identification numbers intime to register for housing, which opens Oct. 20.

Confirmed speakers include Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female U.S.Supreme Court justice, and Golden Globe winning actress and best-selling chil-dren’s book author Jamie Lee Curtis. Early bird workshops planned for Friday,April 13, include training on such topics as school security and emergency plan-ning, positive board leadership in a standards-based environment, middle schoolreform and many others.

NSBA Conference 2007 also features a mentor program for first-time attendeeswho may be traveling alone to the conference. Interested mentees or veteranconference-goers who wish to be mentors may sign up for the program at theconference Web site.

To register or find out more, visit www.nsba.org/conference or call 800/950-6722.

(Continued on page 7)

The CSFO Must: • Verify the receipt of all funds to which

the board is entitled;

• Verify the payment of funds upon thewritten order of the superintendent;

• Keep an accurate record of receipts andexpenditures and provide such informa-tion to the superintendent and board;

• Make reports required by law by theboard and by the state board;

• Personally notify in writing each boardmember and the superintendent of any transaction which the CSFO deemsto be non-routine, unusual, withoutlegal authorization or not in compliancewith the fiscal management policies ofthe board. The president of the boardmust see that this notification isrecorded in the minutes; and

• Be bonded in the amount determined bythe state Board of Education.

Chief school financial officers — whomust meet minimum job qualificationsestablished by the local and state boardsof education — are appointed by thelocal board of education in consultation

with the superintendent. If the CSFOposition remains vacant for 30 days andthe local board is not actively seeking tofill the position, the state superintendentof education designates the CSFO.Unless the CSFO has been put in placeby the state superintendent under provi-sions of the law, a majority vote of theschool board could remove the CSFOwithout superintendent recommendation.

While the statute makes no reference tocontracts between the board and CSFOs,it will be very difficult to obtain qualifiedCSFOs if the position remains solely anemployee-at-will of the board with no jobprotection. Further legislation is neededto clarify contracting issues, but here aresome thoughts for developing a contract:

• The board enters into a contract withCSFO setting a probationary period ofapproximately one year and during thistime the CSFO is an at-will employeeof the board, giving the board theauthority to unilaterally remove theCSFO upon payment of minimal com-pensation (perhaps one month).

• After the probationary period, theCSFO and board enter a contract with a set term (perhaps three years) requir-ing the board to pay a lump sum of salary to the CSFO upon termination earlier than the contractperiod if the board exercises its statutory authority to unilaterallyremove the CSFO for any reason otherthan cause. (The lump sum paymentcould be, for example, the lesser of one year’s salary or the compensationdue for the remainder of the term of the contract).

• CSFOs who have already earned non-probationary status should not beoffered contracts unless the CSFO voluntarily relinquishes his or her non-probationary status in return for acontract for a set term that provides for lump sum compensation, should the board, for reason other than cause, exercise it unilateral authority to remove the CSFO. Still, whethersuch a contract is lawful, remains a serious issue.

• The contract with the CSFO could provide that the CSFO voluntarilyrelinquishes any non-probationary status he or she may earn for duties outside the statutorily defined duties of a CSFO in return for the right, uponpremature termination of the contractby unilateral action of the board for reason other than cause, a payment of a lump sum payment. This raises ques-tions, however, regarding the ability of an employee to waive substantiverights under the Fair Dismissal Act.There is longstanding authority inAlabama that substantive tenure rightsmay not be waived.

&Education theLaw

Contracting with Chief School Financial Officers

By J. R. Brooks, Attorney, Lanier, Ford, Shaver & Payne

T he new School Fiscal Account-

ability Act requires school boards

to hire a chief school financial officer.

The CSFO works under the direct

supervision of the superintendent

(even though he is neither appointed

nor removed by the superintendent) and has a

fiduciary responsibility to the board.


Brooks


Issues Raised by the New Act

1. The status of CSFOs who becamenon-probationary prior to June 1,2006:

Possible answers:

• CSFOs retain non-probationary sta-tus. But, the school board now mayunilaterally relieve the CSFO of his or her statutory CFSO duties. If thathappens, the former CSFO mayvery well retain the same level ofpay for whatever remaining dutieshe or she has unless the board initi-ates partial termination proceedingsto reduce a CSFO’s pay or transfershim or her. The CSFO would havethe right to contest both the partialtermination and the transfer underthe Fair Dismissal Act.

• CSFOs hired after June 1, 2006, and those who did not earn non-probationary status before June 1,2006, cannot earn non-probationarystatus as a CSFO. However, manyCSFOs have additional dutiesbeyond those outlined in the statuteand probably can earn non-proba-tionary status in regard to thoseduties beyond the scope of the statu-torily defined duties of a CSFO.

2. Whether the law requires localschool boards to take additionalaction to appoint a CSFO if theboard already has designated orappointed a CSFO prior to June 1, 2006.

Probable Answers:

• The law does not require additionalaction as long as the earlier appoint-ment is reflected in school boardminutes.

• As soon as possible, local superin-tendents should recommend to theboard and the board should act tochange the CSFO title of anyemployee performing the duties of aCSFO, and the CSFO’s job descrip-tion should be changed so it accordswith the act. ▲

Alabama StudentsOutscore National SAT Averages

Reading, writing and math are areas inwhich Alabama’s college-bound SAT tak-ers have once again excelled past thenational average. Results released recentlyby The College Board indicate Alabamahigh school students taking the 2006 SATReasoning Test college entrance examscored above the national average for the15th consecutive year. Students scoredabove the national average in each minor-ity group.

Overall, Alabama students earned acritical reading average score of 565 compared to the national average of 503;a math average of 561 compared to 518 nationally, and a writing average of 565 compared to the nation’s 497. Collectively, the 3,879 graduatingAlabama seniors taking this year’s SAThad a total score of 1,691 (up from 1,126 last year) compared to the nationalaverage of 1,518 (up from 1,028 lastyear).

Of the graduating Alabama seniors who took the SAT, the percentage offemale students was 54 percent, upslightly from last year at 52 percent. Thefindings indicate 23 percent of minoritystudents took the SAT, which is even withlast year’s numbers but up three percentfrom 2002. The number of Alabama students taking Advanced Placement(AP) exams increased a significant 7.8percent from last year, with 7,774 students taking the test.

SAT 2006 data indicates the three mostpopular intended college majors forAlabama’s college-bound females arehealth/allied services, business and com-merce, and social sciences and history.For college bound males, the popularmajors are engineering and engineeringtechnologies, health professionals andallied services, and business and commerce.

For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com

Replica of Model SolarSystem Available toSchools/Communities

In 2001, the Voyage scale model of the solar system was permanentlyinstalled on the National Mall in Wash-ington, D.C. The National Center forEarth and Space Science Education isnow making replicas of the exhibitionavailable for permanent installation incommunities across the United States.The Voyage program was designed to takean entire community to the frontiers ofexploration.

Undertaken in collaboration with theSmithsonian Institution and NASA, Voyage portrays the sun, planets andlargest moons at one ten-billionth actualsize. Complementing the exhibit areactivity guides promoting use of the exhibition as a Solar System laboratory;grades K-13 lessons on solar system science; workshops for educators; andprograms for students, families and the public.

Voyage can be installed at a cost oncampus, providing outreach opportunitiesto the community. For more information,visit www.voyagesolarsystem.org or con-tact Stacy Hamel at 202/689-1295 or bye-mail at [email protected]. ▲

Alabama Education News...

Continued from page 5

Class Size Data Available Online

If you’re getting questions from the public about class sizes,direct them to the new Class Size Analysis Reports section of thestate Department of Education’sWeb site. The site publicly dis-plays class size enrollment data by system, school, teacher andgrade for each Alabama publicschool.

Available at www.alsde.edu/ClassSizeAnalysis/default.aspx,the Web page uses data reportedfrom school systems to the SDE. For more information, call334/242-9755.


▲ Methvin: Where did you grow up, and where did you go toschool?

■ Riley: I grew up and lived all my life in a little town called Ash-land in Clay County. I went to elementary and high school inClay County and all my kids did, too. We’ve been there now 26years. We have a farm that we raise cattle on now, and the firstpastor of the little church right at the foot of the hill was mygreat, great grandfather in the 1840s. My family actually goesback six generations in Clay County.

▲ Methvin: When you made the transition from Congress togovernor, was that an easy transition for you?

■ Riley: It hasn’t been as much an easy transition as it is so com-pletely different from what I did in Washington. In Washington,you’re one of 535 people, 536 counting the President. Every-thing there is very slow and very deliberative. In Congress, youhave to build a consensus to get anything through. You’re a partof moving something forward. Here in the governor’s office, itis day-to-day direct contact with people who honestly canchange the way this state operates.

When I started to run for governor, I went and talked to Tom Ridge (the first secretary of the Department of HomelandSecurity and a former congressman who served as Pennsylva-nia’s governor from 1995 to 2001). Tom Ridge had served inCongress on the same committees that I served on before heran for governor, and I asked him what the transition was likeand if I should do it. He said, ‘Do it because the first weekyou’re in office as governor you’ll make more decisions thanyou did all the time that you were in Congress.’ And he wasright. It’s a totally different job.

▲ Methvin: As you know, school boards stay focused on K-12public education throughout the year. We know you are a moststrong supporter of K-12. Can you tell us a little bit about whenyou first started as governor and the difference you see now andfour years ago in your support or your interest in K-12?

■ Riley: We have pockets of excellence in this state. We had thebest school in the United States up in Irondale last year (Jef-ferson County IB High School as ranked in Newsweek’s “Best100 High Schools” edition), and it was second best this year. Ifyou go into certain sections of Alabama, I would put ourschools up against any anywhere in the nation.

But, it has always bothered me that we have habitually ranked48th, 49th and 50th with our national test scores. It’s been thatway all of my life, and I have never understood why. Well, afterI became governor, we really began to look at it and foundgood and bad news. The bad news is we were always last, andthe good news is we knew how to fix it. This is evident whenyou have a program like the Alabama Reading Initiative andyou see the phenomenal results they’re getting with it inschools. Calcedeaver Elementary School down in Mobile is anexample. It’s nearly all Native American with 100 percent ofthe kids on free and reduced lunch. Put the reading program in,and they were ranked No. 3 in reading throughout the entirestate last year.

We’ve made the stereotypical excuses that kids don’t succeed because they don’t have the social structure, the environment or the parental support others have. Put the reading program in place, and with the same parents, same

FACE TOFACEwith Gov. Bob Riley

Jim Methvin, president of the Alabama Association of School Boards and Alabama School of Fine Arts school board vice chairman, met with Gov. Bob Riley at the state Capitol in August for the latest installment in a series of features recapping conversations between state leaders and school board members serving as part of AASB's grassroots Leader to Leader program.A trusted resource to lawmakers and government officials on education policy and issues, Leader toLeader also furthers school board members' role as a voice for schoolchildren and public education.



▲ Bellamy: We’re so happy you’ve allowed us to interview you.I’d like to start by asking you to tell us a little bit about your-self.

■ Baxley: I grew up in the very southeastern part of the state ona farm in Pansey, Ala., and attended Houston County publicschools. It was in Pansey that I learned to lean on my faith toget me through difficult times. My faith and simple ruralupbringing shaped the values I maintain today.

I started my career in public service in city government. I alsoworked in real estate in 1993 in Birmingham and was the No.1 agent with a company with 400 agents. Later in my career, Ireally did some soul searching and asked myself, ‘Can you justfollow your heart and do what you want to do?’ I served foreight years as Alabama’s Treasurer. In 2002, I became the firstfemale ever elected lieutenant governor of the state ofAlabama. Now, I’m the Democratic nominee for governor.

In every step of my career, I’ve really worked hard to seehow far I could go. I am in state government because I like tobe in a position to help people and do things for my state. Theposition from which I can do that the best is governor. It’s a nat-ural climb in my career.

▲ Bellamy: I live in Phenix City, Ala., which is just across thebridge from Columbus, Ga. I was surprised to hear you havesome Columbus, Ga., ties.

■ Baxley: (Laughs) Let me tell you, the only time I’ve ever livedoutside of Alabama in my life is the two years after I got mar-ried very young and moved to Columbus, Ga. I was a kid freshoff the farm. I got a job at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer as a

switchboard operator and later transferred to the accountingdepartment. From there I went to work for the city of Colum-bus, Ga. That was the first time I ever worked in the public sec-tor. I absolutely loved working for the city, and I loved publicservice. Very shortly thereafter, I moved back home to Dothan.

▲ Bellamy: Was the realtor-to-political-leader transition an easyone for you?

■ Baxley: I found my work as a realtor to be a great benefit to mein the political arena. One of the necessary traits of a success-ful realtor is the ability to really listen to determine the needsof your customer and then working to fulfill those needs basedon what is available and what they can afford. Those sameskills — listening closely to your constituents and working tofind solutions to their needs — have proven invaluable to me asI moved into political leadership.

▲ Bellamy: Do you think determining a start date for schools isa state issue or a local issue?

■ Baxley: My basic feeling is that things that can be handled ona local level ought to be. Let people decide their own businessas much as they possibly can. I don’t know all the argumentsfor the state decreeing when you can start school. I have beengiven the economic reason about vacations, summer camps andabout more tourism and lodging business and so forth. I needto delve into this more because I don’t know the difference indollars it means to the General Fund. But, I lean toward lettingthe people on a local level decide what they are going to do andwhat’s best for them.

FACE TOFACEwith Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley

AASB Vice President Florence Bellamy recently spoke with Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, the Democratic candidate for governor. The Phenix City school board member interviewed Alabama's first female lieutenant governor as part of the AASB Leader to Leader program's Face to Face series. The interviews for Alabama School Boards magazine facilitate communication between grassroots education advocates and government leaders.



community, same building and same teachers, these kids canstart tying more affluent schools in reading scores.

We knew how to solve the problem, but you had to fund it.We can do the same with math and science that we’re doingwith reading.

▲ Methvin: How do you address the disparities?■ Riley: There is still such a disparity of opportunity in the

rural areas. In Mountain Brook, you can take 20 advancedplacement courses, but in Clay County you take maybe one.Lineville doesn’t offer any. It’s the same thing in much of theBlack Belt. We have kids who are going to these schools andwho are as bright, as capable and talented as any kids in thecountry. But, they will never know if they have a natural affin-ity for a foreign language, because foreign language or othercourses are not offered. This is why you have to make strate-gic comprehensive investments in programs, such asACCESS Distance Learning (Alabama Connecting Class-rooms, Educators and Students Statewide) that you knowaffect results.

It has been a real learning experience for me, but I told peo-ple that in the last four years we built a new economic model,and today we’re leading the country. If we build a new educa-tion model based on data-driven results, I honestly believeAlabama’s can be one of the most effective education systemsin America. If you keep doing things the way you used to do it,you never will.

▲ Methvin: You have the infrastructure. You have several stateBoard of Education initiatives — the four-by-four curriculum(fours years of mandatory English, mathematics, social stud-ies and science), ARI, the math, science and technology ini-tiative. You have statewide school board members’ interest.It’s all there. It’s just a matter of pulling it all together.

■ Riley: You’ve got to convince the people of Alabama that it’snot only possible, but we really can move the numbers dra-matically. Go into any school where a parent has a kid whocouldn’t read but is now reading above grade level and try totake ARI out. They’ll fight you for it. Same thing is true withmath and science, but we’ve got to push it. If not, it’s notgoing to go into the classroom.

It’s kind of like ACCESS. With $45 million we could putACCESS in every high school in this state. It’s a distancelearning concept that works. I was up in Madison recently,and there was a teacher teaching Latin to her class in Tus-cumbia, two classes in Madison and one at Alma Bryant inMobile all at one time. What was so significant about thewhole experience is that none of those kids would’ve beenable to take Latin if it hadn’t been for the distance learningprogram.

▲ Methvin: How does your role as governor and your interac-tion with the legislature impact education?

■ Riley: It has a tremendous impact. I think we’ve broughtmore reform to education in the last four years than any timein the last 20 or 30. I really do believe that we have changedthe whole education model in the state of Alabama. We’redoing today what they did in North Carolina 12 or 15 yearsago and what Texas did 10 or 11 years ago. We’re late gettingthere, but the reason we could do it and get it through the leg-islature in this last session is that we had the ability and rev-enues necessary to give teacher raises, keep benefits in placeand expand effective education programs at the same time.There will come a time when you have to make a decisionwhether you’re going to continue to fund these programs evenwhen it’s more difficult to do so. The legislature has to notonly understand the need to continue these programs, butthey’ve got to become advocates for it.

▲ Methvin: What do you feel are other key issues in education?You’ve mentioned ACCESS, ARI and AMSTI (the AlabamaMath, Science and Technology Initiative).

■ Riley: Two other things. We started a state congress on school leadership. Go into

any school, and by the time you walk into the door you cantell how effective the principal is. Too often we’ve just takenpeople out of the classroom and moved them into administra-tion. If somebody wants to be in administration, we shouldgive them a clear career path, and every time they progressand move up through the levels, you increase their pay andreward them for the extra work they do and the results theyget. There needs to be a career path that leads you to the pointof becoming a master principal. At that level, principals

About Gov. Bob RileyAlabama’s 52nd governor was sworn into office in

January 2003 after serving three terms in Congress from1996-2002 representing Alabama’s third district. Under-pinning his campaign was a promise to fight for bettereducation.

Prior to launching his political career, Riley was a busi-nessman and operated a trucking company, a car deal-ership, a real estate company, a grocery store and asmall pharmacy. In 2003, Governing magazine namedRiley “Public Official of the Year,” and Time magazinedescribed him as one of the nation’s “most courageouspoliticians.” This year during Riley’s tenure, the heraldedAlabama Reading Initiative received enough funding toexpand into every K-3 classroom in the state. He alsostrongly supports the Alabama Math, Science and Tech-nology Initiative and ACCESS, a new distance learningprogram.

The Clay County native raises cattle and lives on asmall farm in Ashland where he was born and raised.Riley and his wife, Patsy, have four children and fivegrandchildren.


Face to Face: Gov. Bob Riley...



▲ Bellamy: You’ve made it quite clear that one of the thingsyou would think about as governor would be to repeal theannual reappraisals.

■ Baxley: That’s correct. I am on record stating emphaticallythat I will revoke Gov. Riley’s executive order for annualreappraisals, and let me tell you why. I feel Gov. Riley oper-ated outside his authority — and contrary to law — when heunilaterally ordered annual reappraisals. He bypassed thevoters, whom I believe should be the ones making the finaldecisions on ad valorem taxation in Alabama.

The people of this state feel betrayed by the fact that oneindividual by a stroke of the pen can change taxes and causetaxes for them to be higher. It is the way that it is done that Idisapprove of.

▲ Bellamy: School systems now are using those resources totry to meet the needs of schoolchildren and to provide teach-ers with the resources they need.

■ Baxley: I understand that. It does not make it OK, in my opin-ion, to put a tax on the people without them agreeing to it.

▲ Bellamy: If you are elected governor and are successful ingetting the reappraisals done every four or five years, whatare you going to tell local school systems once those moniesare gone? Where can they make up those losses?

■ Baxley: That is something that will have to be resolved. Ibelieve we can address the funding needs of local schoolsthrough existing revenues in the Education Trust Fund with-

out continuing this ill-conceived mandate. Again, it is the wayannual reappraisals got there that I find wrong. We havemany, many needs in this state, not just in the Education TrustFund but in the General Fund. But, those needs should befilled by the people saying I agree to do it and not by some-body saying you will do it without having a say in it.

▲ Bellamy: The 10-mill issue will soon come before voters inthe fall. What’s your position on having 10 absolute mills ofproperty tax in every school system go toward funding edu-cation in Alabama?

■ Baxley: Before we can ever begin to move Alabama’s publicschools toward the top of national rankings, we must per-suade our citizens that the first step to improving localschools is by assuming local responsibility for those schools.A 10-mill minimum is, by all definitions, minimal local sup-port. We can all look at those Alabama school systemsdeemed to be our best and see that those communities supporttheir schools at a level well above the 10 mills before the vot-ers in November; however, I believe that it must be left up tothe voters — for this and all other similar proposals — as towhether taxes are to be increased. When the voters are con-vinced of the need to assume local responsibility for theirschools, I am confident they will make the right decisions.

▲ Bellamy: Do you think the public is ready to support the 10-mill issue this fall?

■ Baxley: We won’t know until that vote is cast. It is a matterof persuading people that this is an elevation of quality thatyou want enough to part with some of your money for.

▲ Bellamy: Indeed we do have many needs in education. Giveme a sense of what your spending priorities for the educationbudget would be.

■ Baxley: We have to address the conditions in the classroomand the discouraging issues teachers must deal with to be ableto teach. Let’s address discipline and parental support and getthem the supplies, materials, equipment and continuing edu-cation they need.

How do we address the learning environment and the con-ditions in the classroom? We need dedicated teachers who arein the profession for the right reasons out of a passion to bein the field. We need to require high standards. I’m not say-ing this does not exist, but the school administration must cre-ate an environment that is supportive and encouraging to theteaching staff in the schools.

I’ve visited several schools, but I was deeply influenced byMae Eanes Middle School in the poorest section of Mobile. Iwent into the reading lab where the teacher’s room was col-orfully painted and pretty. I complimented her, and she saidshe and her husband painted it. She had computers and pro-grams she used to teach reading at this school that starts at 6thgrade. She said, ‘I get kids in here who come in reading on a1.5 grade level, and in one quarter, I can have them readingon grade level.’ I said to her how rewarding it must be to real-

About Lucy BaxleyLt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, the Democratic candidate for

governor, grew up on a farm in Houston County,where she attended public schools. In 1994, Baxleymade her first run for office, serving for eight years asAlabama’s treasurer. In 2002, Baxley became the firstwoman ever elected to serve as Alabama's lieutenantgovernor. During her term, she fought off raids ofAlabama’s Education Trust Fund and earned theFriend of Education award from the Alabama Educa-tion Association, their highest honor.

As lieutenant governor, Baxley serves as the presid-ing officer for the Alabama Senate and serves on morethan 30 state boards and authorities. Baxley hasworked at the city, county and state levels of govern-ment and in the offices of a probate judge and a dis-trict attorney. She served as executive assistant to theattorney general of Alabama for six years, in anadministrative position for the state Department ofTransportation and in a real estate career in Birming-ham before running for office.


Face to Face: Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley...



should make more, should benefit from continuing educationand should be judged and rewarded based on merit andresults. If you do that, you create a reservoir of talent out there,so you don’t have to just pick people who have never had thetype of institutional training that allows them to become greatin their field.

▲ Methvin: I and others from AASB, including Dr. SandraSims deGraffenried, were on the Governor’s Congress onSchool Leadership. We’re glad to see it coming into fruition.

■ Riley: My second point is that we must also do the samething with teachers. It concerns me when somebody tells methat after five years, half of our teachers leave for other fields.Well, if within a few years you’ve pretty well capped out inwhat you can do with your profession, there isn’t a lot ofincentive left to stay in it.

Everyone knows that there are excellent teachers in our edu-cation system — as good as you’ll find anywhere. The realityis, however, that we have some who are very good teachersand we have some who aren’t. We need to award excellenceat every opportunity. So, we need that same type of careerpath for teachers, one with gradations that lead teachers tobecome mentors and eventually master teachers.

(2003 National Teacher of the Year) Dr. Betsy Rogers isheading up the Governor’s Commission on Quality Teachingto try to develop the same type of program for teachers — aprogram that rewards excellence and hard work and givesteachers the opportunity through ACCESS to continue theireducation with less difficulty.

▲ Methvin: Do you think annual property reappraisals, ratherthan reappraising property every four years, are good for edu-cation?

■ Riley: I’m probably going to surprise you with this answer.There are certain areas annual reappraisals are going to help.There are certain areas in which it will have absolutely noeffect. In Clay County, for example, where property valuesreally haven’t changed that much through the years, it’s notgoing to make that much of a difference. As far as the statebudget, it is irrelevant if you look at the small percent of addi-tional dollars that come in from reappraisals every year —about $6 million on a $6 billion budget. We’re doing it becausethe law says to do it.

Overall, the first year or two of it (annual reappraisals) maymake a difference, but in the long term rather than seeing it goup 10 percent of the time it may go up 1 or 2 percent of thetime. In certain areas, that’ll make a difference, and in otherareas it won’t. As far as state funding, it will have absolutely noeffect.

▲ Methvin: We see that it allows county governments and schoolsystems to plan better and know what to expect instead of wait-ing every four years. So, it’s a positive aspect that the schoolboards association thinks is valuable.

The next question I have for you is related to the ballot inNovember, and that’s the 10 mill issue that provides a mini-mum tax base for all of our systems. Do you think the votersare going to support that?

■ Riley: Unless you get the counties to buy into it — unlessthey’re a participant in it — I just don’t believe you could evercoerce somebody into doing something they don’t want to doand be effective. There are not but 25 or 30 systems that don’thave it (10 absolute mills) now. For the more affluent countiesto come in and say we’re going to make you do it whether youwant to or not, well I think sometimes it may even be counter-productive. I think the best thing we could probably do is get agroup together and go into the counties and sit there and talk itthrough. Again, most of the counties that have that low rate —even if you did go to 10 mills — it’s not really going to meanany significant amount of dollars going into those systems.

I still believe in local control. I believe in local leadershipand local initiatives if it’s self-generated, if it’s something thatthey propose and support and push. I just think that’s so muchmore effective. The other way may give them a little moremoney, but that’s not what we need. We need people to do itfor all the right reasons. I think that begins with a differentmindset in each one of these counties that says, ‘We want todo it because we want a better life for our kids.’You go in andyou explain to them, ‘If you do this, I can get you anotherreading coach. If you do this, we can get somebody to comein and help with your discipline. If you’ll do this, we’ll try tocut your dropout rate in half.’ To have a tangible result fordoing something is probably going to be the most successfulapproach in the long run.

Face to Face: Governor Bob Riley...



If school board members in the state

of Alabama ever understood how

powerful they were, you could almost

dominate the conversation here.

I don’t know many school boards

that don’t have the leaders of the

community serving on their boards.

If they ever can get to the point that

you can agree locally and in a statewide

issue and effectively lobby your legislator,

your senator, your representative down

here, you can pass anything.

— Gov. Bob Riley

ize the difference she’s making in those children’s lives. Shesaid, ‘No, actually, it’s very sad. We only reach a fraction ofthem, and I know the others could be helped.’

So, what’s happening to those kids when we don’t rescuethem and get them on the right path? We really want these chil-dren to get out of school and be productive citizens. We cer-tainly don’t want them to be a burden to the state and the penalsystem, but it concerns me that we don’t understand now is thetime when we can head that off.

▲ Bellamy: During your tenure as lieutenant governor, what edu-cation issue has been your greatest challenge and what educa-tion accomplishment has been your greatest joy?

■ Baxley: The greatest challenge was overcoming the effects ofproration. The greatest joy was seeing the legislature this yearpass a fiscally responsible budget that repaid the Rainy Dayfunds, budgeted more resources for school nurses, physicaleducation and special education — all of which were undercutin the governor’s proposal — and boosted education employeesalaries.

▲ Bellamy: You’re Alabama’s lieutenant governor and by virtueof your office, you are the president and presiding officer of theAlabama Senate. Tell us a little about your responsibilities andwhat impact you have and have had on education in this state.

■ Baxley: As you stated, I serve as the presiding officer of theSenate, and as such I am precluded from actively participatingin debate on the issues. I do, however, vote in the case of a tieon any matter before the Senate.

I have been able to build and utilize my professional rela-tionships with members of the Senate to influence votes anddebate on public education. Through my position, I have beenable to take an active role in discussing issues facing educationwith members and lobbying for positive action to protect edu-cation funding and direct our resources toward the greatestneeds in the classroom.

▲ Bellamy: As a key leader in Alabama government and a can-didate for governor, what K-12 education issues are you stand-ing behind or are not in favor of?

■ Baxley: One of the most important issues surrounding ourschools is the decline of discipline in our classrooms. We mustraise standards of discipline for students in the classroom, soteachers can control their classrooms and prevent disruptivestudents from stealing education from those who want to learn.If we expect to hold our teachers accountable for student per-formance, we must also hold students accountable for theirbehavior.

As governor, I will require that we fund high school pro-grams to offer advance placement courses in the core cur-riculum by 2010; propose state funding for advance place-ment exam fees for low-income students; offer incentives forschool systems whose students have high scores on examina-

tions; and increase participation in dual enrollments for highschool students to permit simultaneous coursework at post-secondary institutions.

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of during mytime as state treasurer was expanding enrollment and solidify-ing the financial condition of Alabama’s Prepaid AffordableCollege Tuition Program. As lieutenant governor, I have con-sistently stood up against efforts to rob the Education TrustFund to bankroll tax cuts for the rich this spring.

▲ Bellamy: You promise, as governor, to “protect the EducationTrust Fund from greedy politicians,” attract teachers withhigher salaries and recruit retirees to work at at-risk schools.How would you do these things?

■ Baxley: I will serve as a bridge builder to bring together legis-lators and officials from the various education factions to worktoward our common goal: providing our children with a world-class education system. I will work to end the diversion of edu-cation money to all non-education projects currently fundedfrom the ETF. I advocated fully repaying rainy day funds. I willwork to put retired teachers in at-risk schools to use theirexpertise in schools that could most benefit from their experi-ence.

We have many teachers now who have taken retirement inAlabama and begun teaching in surrounding states. In criticalneeds areas, like math and science, in at-risk schools, we needto keep those teachers here in Alabama. They would retain theirretirement benefits — without earning any additional cred-itable service — and draw a salary.

▲ Bellamy: Now look ahead to the next legislative session andwhat some of the spending priorities for the education budgetshould be.





I am very eager to sit with the personnel

in the school, whether it be the

administration or the teachers, and ask

them what measures we can bring in

to encourage parental involvement.

The people right there working in the

schools know more about where the

missing links are. I can also tell you, that

when I’m elected governor I will attend

the meetings of the board of education

and keep up with what’s going on.

— Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley


Methvin: Let me ask you about the Education Trust Fund. Weknow it’s going to face its ups and downs. What do you fore-see, in the near future, using the ETF for to meet critical needsat the schools? We still have unmet needs.

Riley: There are a lot of unmet needs out there. I know it alwaysseems like I relate everything back to Clay County, but I guessthe reason is that I do. But our high school is 98 years old thisyear. Now, a lot of people say well we’ve got buildings thatwere built in the ’50s and ’60s. We have a high school that wasbuilt at the turn of the century. We have to be able to go in andmeet some of these needs. We have areas that are growing sofast now — Baldwin County, Shelby County, Madison County.You can’t keep up, so we have to prioritize. We have to saywhat our priorities are. In the past, far too many times we didn’t do that.

▲ Methvin: On the spending priorities for this coming year, whatdo you see as the top priority?

■ Riley: If I’m re-elected, the first thing I’ll do is push foranother capital program. I think we can do it with a bondissue. We’ve got the ARI now in every kindergarten throughthird grade. We need to expand AMSTI, and we need to do it this year. Over the next two or three years I want to make sure that every high school in this state has a distancelearning lab that at least offers advanced placement courses in math and science and English. That’s where you get to thepoint that you no longer accept mediocrity, and you startbuilding on a level of excellence. The more we do it and themore success we have, the easier it is to get funding. Becausepeople know the reading program works, they are willing tofund it.

Again, one of these days we’re going to have to make a toughchoice. But we’ve invested so much in training teachers todaythat if you ever cut back, it will be like starting over again. Andthat’s what we can’t let happen.

▲ Methvin: Thinking about the recently issued school reportcards, what grade do you give state government overall and theirsupport of K-12 public education?

■ Riley: Someone made a statement the other day, and I thoughtthen it was a pretty good indication. They were comparingAlabama to Virginia. They said Alabama gets a grade of B- onperformance with a D in funding. They said Virginia gets a B-on performance and I think an A for funding. So, for theamount of money we’re putting into it, I think we get a prettygood grade. Again, it’s the disparity that really causes me theproblem. It’s not just in the Black Belt Region, but if you goover into the eastern part of the state, we have exactly thesame thing over there in places like Coosa County, RandolphCounty, Clay County, Chambers County. We have the tech-nology today to give these kids a great world class educationif we will fund it. Even if it is in an old building — as long as it doesn’t leak, as long as it’s warm in the winter and

somewhat cool in the summer — you can make do. But we have to use programs that move numbers and programsthat energize kids. I’ll never forget the time that I saw a kidwith an AMSTI program studying electrical circuitry. Thestudents built flash lights and had 13 related vocabularywords. When they finished the project, they knew what aninsulator was because they had to insulate the wire, and theyunderstood what conductivity was because they knew they couldn’t conduct electricity through a toothpick. Whenthey got through, they knew exactly what those words were. In Huntsville, a teacher was teaching geometry by playing baseball in the classroom. Literally there was a first,second and third base, and it was all based on geometricangles. I’m being redundant now, but we absolutely knowhow to teach these kids.

▲ Methvin: We’ll be hearing about the issue of local school cal-endars this coming legislative session. We wonder what yourthoughts are regarding a uniform start date for all schools.

■ Riley: I can understand the debate, but it’s much like the debatewe had on the additional five days. There is going to be oppo-sition to anything you do. I still contend that local schoolboards will normally do what most of their communities want.I’ve just never have been a believer that because you have anoffice in Montgomery that you know more than the localschool boards. Local school boards talk to the parents. Theytalk to the kids. They understand what’s going on in that com-munity. I still contend that we ought to leave it up to the localschool boards.

▲ Methvin: Your statements are pretty important for schoolboard members and speak to your support of school boardmembers and what roles they play.

■ Riley: I’ve watched school board members for no pay gothrough pure Hades ... because they wanted to help their com-munities. How do you go in and start telling these people,‘We’re going to take the decision making power away fromyou?’They live it every day. They have to go to church with theparents of these kids. I’m sure there are some exceptions, butmost of the time these board members are going to make theright decision for the local community.




I still contend that local school boards

will normally do what most of their

communities want. Local school boards

talk to the parents. They talk to the kids.

They understand what’s going on in that

community.— Gov. Bob Riley


■ Baxley: The legislature likely will look at boosting the pro-gram to get more of our teachers board certified. This is a directindication of our improving teacher work force. I think we’lltry to boost education employee salaries close to the South-east average, and we need to put together a well-thought-outcapital improvements program by identifying where ourbiggest needs are.

▲ Bellamy: You serve on the advisory board of the Children’sLiteracy Guild of Alabama. What do you think should bedone in the public school arena to improve literacy in ourstate?

■ Baxley: The Alabama Reading Initiative offers reading spe-cialists to assist classroom teachers with students needingextra help in developing their reading skills to a proficientlevel. We must continue this program to ensure that K-5 chil-dren get the attention they need. As governor, I will increasefunding for the Alabama Reading Initiative.

I am also of the opinion that, by in large, the teachers aredoing the best they can with the time they have to spend withthe child — with all the testing, the number of kids in theclassrooms, instances of problems with discipline in theclassroom and a lack of parental support.

One way we enhance that effort is through partners like theChildren’s Literacy Guild and other private sector and civicorganization programs that can be used to supplement class-room teaching. Say, ‘Look, here’s a chance to be a part ofhelping develop good citizens out of these children.’ Yester-day, I was invited to read to children at a pediatrician’s officethrough the Pediatrics Association’s Reach Out and Read pro-gram. It’s wonderful. At the same time the physician is treat-ing the physical needs of children, this program works withchildren and parents to encourage them to read together. Wehave many people out there who are concerned, but they needto know how to help supplement what’s being done in theactual classroom.

▲ Bellamy: Going back to a point you raised earlier, how canwe increase parental support?

■ Baxley: I am very eager to sit with the personnel in theschool, whether it be the administration or the teachers, and

ask them what measures we can bring in to encourageparental involvement. The people right there working in theschools know more about where the missing links are. I canalso tell you, that when I’m elected governor I will attend themeetings of the board of education and keep up with what’sgoing on.

▲ Bellamy: How will you work through political obstacles toget things done?

■ Baxley: My experience presiding over the Senate and devel-oping a rapport with them is certainly a helpful thing. Ispecifically know in minute detail how the Senate operatesand how you get things done over there. The majority in theHouse and Senate are Democrats, and I am a Democrat. Iknow the system. I know how state government works. Iexpect to be totally open and receptive to other ideas to seewhat we can thrash out. I have always believed that the wayyou accomplish things is by pulling people together and bycoalitions.

▲ Bellamy: What can school boards do in the state governmentand legislative arenas to move school boards’ educationagenda forward?

■ Baxley: My advice would be to coalesce when possible with the other elements of the education family and seekcompromise on those areas where there is disagreement. Myintent as governor will be to bring together the different factions of education to find common ground, so public education would benefit from concerted effort by the variousstakeholders. Too often, the school boards’ agenda gets lost inthe shuffle, the result of the differing sides becoming toofirmly entrenched in their particular position and losing sightof the overall objective, mainly, the improvement of our education system.

When I’m governor, I will go over my agenda with all ofthe legislators and sit down with them to explain where I’mcoming from. I will welcome the school boards and your rep-resentatives to share your part of this total picture. You are theexperts I need to hear the specifics from because you are deal-ing with it every day.

▲ Bellamy: It seems that there are some seniors and personswithout children in the system who do not support our publicschools or even taxes to improve our schools. What are yourthoughts about this?

■ Baxley: When I was selling real estate in Vestavia Hills,which had an excellent school system, the residents were wellaware that the value of their property was determined in partby the quality of the school system. How well our state goesdepends to a great extent on how strong our public educationsystem is. Public education is a tremendous economic factor.It’s about quality of life. Just like you might not drive a car,you still have to pay for the highways. You pay taxes for serv-ices of all kinds to improve quality of life. Some of them youmight not use.




How well our state goes depends to a

great extent on how strong our public

education system is. Public education is

a tremendous economic factor. It’s about

quality of life. — Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley

By Denise L. Berkhalter


Sounds exaggerated, but national healthexperts say it’s just a matter of time before anovel virus spans the globe with high rates of

illness and death. The pandemic flu of 1918 killed675,000 in the United States and millions of peopleworldwide without the benefit of air travel andcrowded public transportation. The last pandemicwas 38 years ago and not as deadly, but recent out-breaks of avian influenza A (bird flu) in poultry andwild birds in Asia are red flags.

Right now, bird flu is primarily contagious inbirds and does not easily transmit from person toperson. It can be carried by migratory birds but hasyet to reach North America. A strain of the avianH5N1 virus has, however, been confirmed in ani-mals in 53 countries. Some 228 people have beeninfected and half have died, according to the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.Experts fear the virus may become unrelenting andbegin to more efficiently infect humans.

The threat of widespread and sustained trans-mission of bird flu from human to human is areminder that Mother Nature’s fury tends to comein cycles. “With viruses, it’s their nature to evolveand mutate, so they can live longer,” said Pan-demic Influenza Coordinator Cindy Lesinger ofthe state Department of Public Health’s Center forEmergency Preparedness. “A pandemic is a natu-ral phenomenon, and it occurs on average every 30to 50 years.”

But, are school systems and local communities pre-pared for the next pandemic? Lesinger and Gov. BobRiley worry that too few people can say they are.

“We are not here today to panic or alarm people, butwe want Alabama and its citizens to be prepared forwhatever may happen,” cautioned Riley at this year’sPandemic Planning Summit at the University ofAlabama-Birmingham. Riley and U.S. Secretary ofHealth and Human Services Michael Leavitt signed ajoint planning agreement worth $1.6 million. The fed-eral funds go toward collaborations between the stateDepartment of Education, other state, national and localagencies to plan for a pandemic event.

PANDEMIC ALERTThe state Department of Edu-

cation assigned colors to signal the status of a pandemic event.

Blue - Readiness

Green - Alert

Yellow - Eminent

Orange - Pandemic

Red - Full Pandemic


Millions may die or fall ill. Social and economic devastation is possible. Schools and businesses could shut down. Already taxed hospitals would burst at the seams.


At a July state Board of Education worksession, the state Department of Educa-tion presented a draft of the PandemicPreparedness Response Plan. Once com-plete, the plan could be used as a modelfor local school systems, state Superinten-dent of Education Dr. Joe Morton said.

“Our plans are going to extend even tothe worst scenario, which is none of uscan come to work and that we have sick people at home,” Deputy Superin-tendent Dr. Ruth Ash told the board. “This is really a work in progress, buteach area has overview and specificresponsibilities.”

Maybe the preparation plan will gounused, but Ash said it is still a worthyeffort.

“During World War I, there were 21million troops lost in 4 years,” sheexplained, “and in the 1918 flu pandemic,21 million people or more lost their lives.

We are hoping nothing ever happens, butif anything does happen, we’ll be pre-pared this time.”

Morton agreed, saying he was struck byHealth and Human Services SecretaryLeavitt’s vow to keep his children homefrom school if a pandemic flu hits.

“That really struck me. We have to plan how we can continue some form ofeducation. With the expansion of the distance learning capability, the utiliza-tion of public television and those kindsof mechanisms, there are ways we canwork through the department and thelocal systems to deliver ... lessons to some number of people if they’re all athome,” he said.

Health and Human Services’ nationalfive-priority plan includes coordinatingfederal, state and local preparation, aswell as monitoring disease spread; devel-oping vaccines and vaccine productioncapacity; stockpiling antivirals and othercountermeasures; and enhancing outreachand communications planning. As of lateJune, the federal agency had investedmore than $1 billion in advancing cell-based vaccine technology, planned tostockpile 26 million antiviral drug coursesby year’s end and will spend $162 millionon essential medical supplies such as surgical masks and respirators. Congresshas allocated $100 million to states toidentify preparedness gaps, and states can apply for another $250 million to prioritize gaps, plan antiviral distributionand design a pandemic response exercise.

Lesinger said the departments of educa-tion and public health used $220,000 infederal money to purchase awareness kitsthat drive home the preparation messageto teachers, students and parents.

“The final project should be in all pub-lic and private schools in the next monthor two and will teach what a pandemic is,how to prepare for one and mention basichomecare. It’s a huge price tag, but if wedon’t go ahead and put in dollars now,we’re going to lose them on the back endplus some,” she said.

Lesinger also said the two departmentshave discussed using schools closed dueto a lack of teachers as alternate healthcare sites or storage sites. School buses,she said, could possibly transport sickpersons without at-home caregivers.

It’s all just a piece of a complex puzzle,alludes Leavitt in his June 29 “PandemicPlanning Update II.”

“State and local preparedness is crucialto pandemic readiness. Every level of ourcommunities must be prepared to be self-sufficient in the event of a pandemic out-break,” Leavitt said. “We are in a race, arace against a fast-moving, highly patho-genic avian H5N1 flu virus; a race to pre-pare in every possible way against apotential human flu pandemic.” ▲

DID YOU KNOW? ▲ There will be global susceptibility to the virus. Humans will not be

immune to it, and availability of vaccinations will be limited.

▲ About 30 percent of the overall population will become ill.

▲ Illness rates will be highest among school-age children, reaching about40 percent.

▲ Among working adults, an average of 20 percent will become infected.In the peak weeks of a pandemic, absenteeism could reach 40 percent.

▲ The typical incubation period (time between initial infection and onset ofillness) will be about two days.

▲ Those infected will “shed” (or spread) the virus and transmit infection fora half- to full-day before the onset of illness. Viral shedding and the riskfor transmission will be greatest during the first two days of illness.

▲ Children will play a major role in transmission of infection. They will shedthe greatest amount of virus and therefore pose the greatest risk fortransmission.

▲ Each infected person will transmit infection to approximately two otherpeople. In a severe pandemic, there could be about three secondaryinfections per primary case.

▲ In an affected community, a pandemic outbreak will last about six toeight weeks. At least two pandemic disease waves are likely.

Excerpt from the Washington State School Directors’ Association’s August 2006 “Hot Topics.”


Well-developed policy is key to coping with any crisis. The strength of a pandemic plan hingesupon a school system’s policies for preventing and controlling infection,maintaining core operations, continuing student productivity and communicating with the public.

As a governance team, a schoolboard has a responsibility toensure its school system is

equipped with policies to deal with a cri-sis situation, including an influenza out-break. It is not the board’s responsibilityto build an operational pandemic plan forthe school system. Rather, planning isdeveloped and presented to the board. Theboard, therefore, will be more active inapproving the plan than in authoring it.

To best facilitate this process, boardmembers should know the important pol-icy questions to ask. Following these keysteps should lead to those questions.

✔ Step 1: Find out if the school systemhas a pandemic plan. As a startingpoint, review your existing policies foremergency situations and dealing withinfectious diseases, assessing if andhow those policies address the chal-lenges that would occur during a pan-demic. If no such policies exist, this isan ideal time to develop them. If theydo exist, review the policies and deter-mine if the procedures offer a suffi-cient response to a pandemic.

✔ Step 2: If there is no pandemic pol-icy, strategically begin the process ofdeveloping one. Initiate the process bydirecting the superintendent to form apandemic planning team that includes

one or two board members. Policydevelopment should occur in collabo-ration with community partners, espe-cially the local health department.

✔ Step 3: Establish a team. Prepared-ness is a team effort. Form a team ofkey stakeholders and medical profes-sionals to help identify priorities andoversee the development of the opera-tional plan. In addition to systemadministrators and school board mem-bers, the team should include severalindividuals from across the system:emergency response agents, local pub-lic health experts, school health andmental health professionals, teachers,food services and transportation direc-tors and parent representatives.

✔ Step 4: Know the government’s role.Before the team begins to focus onplanning, it should understand theroles that the federal, state and localgovernment would play in an epi-demic.

In May 2006, President George W. Bush released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy (www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/nspi_implementation.pdf), which translatesthe national strategy for pandemicinfluenza into more than 300 actionsfor federal agencies and sets expecta-tions for state and local governments.“The implementation plan is like aroad map,” explains Brenda Greene,director of school health programs forthe National School Boards Asso-ciation. “It shows where to go, but it doesn’t say how to get there. The‘how-to’s’ have to be figured out at the local level in partnership with otherkey agencies.” States play a critical

role in helping local governmentsdetermine the “how-to’s” of the federalplan.

As local health departments beginpartnering with community-basedorganizations — including hospitals,health care providers, elected officials,service agencies and businesses — it isessential that school systems become apart of this network by establishing apartnership with their local healthdepartment.

✔ Step 5: Develop a checklist. (Seesample on page 20.) A checklist willhelp the school system’s team addressthe critical issues. The School District(K-12) Pandemic Influenza PlanningChecklist, a comprehensive list devel-oped by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (online atwww.pandemicflu.gov/plan/schoolchecklist.html), focuses on four mainaspects of preparation: planning andcoordination; continuity of studentlearning and core operations; infectioncontrol policies and procedures; andcommunication planning.

✔ Step 6: Build Awareness. After thepandemic preparation plan is com-plete, you must ensure that the staff,students and community are aware ofthe policies and the operational plan.

As more school systems address the pandemic threat, a statewide support network has begun to grow.Many school systems are willing toshare advice based on their own expe-riences with pandemic planning.School boards that join this conversa-tion, on either the giving or receivingend, help the education community at large. In a pandemic situation, one well-prepared school system — or ill-prepared one — can make all thedifference in the community’s abilityto sustain itself. ▲

Adapted from the Washington StateSchool Directors’ Association’s August2006 “Hot Topics.”

What is the Role of School Boards?


1. Planning and Coordination

Task: Identify the authority responsible for declaring a publichealth emergency at the state and local levels and for officially activating the school system’s pandemic influenzaresponse plan.❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Identify for all stakeholders the legal authorities responsiblefor executing the community operational plan, especiallythose authorities responsible for case identification, isolation,quarantine, movement restriction, health care services,emergency care, and mutual aid. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: As part of the school system’s crisis management plan,address pandemic influenza preparedness, involving all rele-vant stakeholders in the school system (e.g., lead emer-gency response agency, school system administrators, localpublic health representatives, school health and mentalhealth professionals, teachers, food services director, andparent representatives). This committee is accountable forarticulating strategic priorities and overseeing the develop-ment of the school system’s operational pandemic plan❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Work with local and/or state health departments and othercommunity partners to establish organizational structures,such as the Incident Command System, to manage the exe-cution of the school system’s pandemic flu plan. An IncidentCommand System, or ICS, is a standardized organizationstructure that establishes a line of authority and commonterminology and procedures to be followed in response toan incident. Ensure compatibility between the school sys-tem’s established ICS and the local/state health department’sand state education department’s ICS.❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Delineate accountability and responsibility as well asresources for key stakeholders engaged in planning andexecuting specific components of the operational plan.Assure that the plan includes timelines, deliverables, andperformance measures. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Work with your local and/or state health department andstate education agencies to coordinate with their pandemicplans. Assure that pandemic planning is coordinated with

the community’s pandemic plan as well as the state depart-ment of education’s plan. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Test the linkages between the school system’s Incident Com-mand System and the local/state health department’s andstate education department’s Incident Command System.

❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Contribute to the local health department’s operational planfor surge capacity of health care and other services to meetthe needs of the community (e.g., schools designated ascontingency hospitals, schools feeding vulnerable popula-tions, community utilizing school system’s health care andmental health staff). In an affected community, at least twopandemic disease waves (about 6-8 weeks each) are likelyover several months. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Incorporate into the pandemic influenza plan the require-ments of students with special needs (e.g., low income stu-dents who rely on the school food service for daily meals),those in special facilities (e.g., juvenile justice facilities) as wellas those who do not speak English as their first language. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Participate in exercises of the community’s pandemic plan. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Work with the local health department to address provisionof psychosocial support services for the staff, students andtheir families during and after a pandemic. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Consider developing in concert with the local health depart-ment a surveillance system that would alert the local healthdepartment to a substantial increase in absenteeism amongstudents. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Implement an exercise/drill to test your pandemic plan andrevise it periodically ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Share what you have learned from developing your pre-paredness and response plan with other school systems aswell as private schools within the community to improvecommunity response efforts. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning ChecklistLocal school boards and the school system administration play an integral role in protecting thehealth and safety of the system’s staff, students and their families. The U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed the fol-lowing checklist to assist school systems in developing and/or improving plans to prepare for andrespond to an influenza pandemic.

The key planning activities in this checklist build upon existing contingency plans recommended for school systems by the U.S.Department of Education in the “Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide For Schools and Communities.” For moreinformation, visit www.pandemicflu.gov.


2. Continuity of Student Learning and Core Operations:

Task: Develop scenarios describing the potential impact of a pan-demic on student learning (e.g., student and staffabsences), school closings, and extracurricular activitiesbased on having various levels of illness among studentsand staff. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Develop alternative procedures to assure continuity ofinstruction (e.g., web-based distance instruction, telephonetrees, mailed lessons and assignments, instruction via localradio or television stations) in the event of system school clo-sures. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Develop a continuity of operations plan for essential centraloffice functions including payroll and ongoing communica-tion with students and parents. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

3. Infection Control Policies and Procedures:

Task: Work with the local health department to implement effec-tive infection prevention policies and procedures that helplimit the spread of influenza at schools in the school system(e.g. promotion of hand hygiene, cough/sneeze etiquette).Make good hygiene a habit now in order to help protectchildren from many infectious diseases such as flu. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Provide sufficient and accessible infection prevention sup-plies (e.g., soap, alcohol-based/waterless hand hygieneproducts, tissues and receptacles for their disposal). ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Establish policies and procedures for students and staff sickleave absences unique to a pandemic influenza (e.g., non-punitive, liberal leave). ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Establish sick leave policies for staff and students suspectedto be ill or who become ill at school. Staff and students withknown or suspected pandemic influenza should not remainat school and should return only after their symptomsresolve and they are physically ready to return to school. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Establish policies for transporting ill students. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Assure that the school system’s pandemic plan for school-based health facilities conforms to those recommended forhealth care settings (Refer to www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/sup4.html). ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

4. Communications Planning:

Task: Assess readiness to meet communication needs in prepara-tion for an influenza pandemic, including regular review,testing, and updating of communication plans. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Develop a dissemination plan for communication with staff,students, and families, including lead spokespersons andlinks to other communication networks. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Ensure language, culture and reading level appropriatenessin communications by including community leaders repre-senting different language and/or ethnic groups on theplanning committee, asking for their participation both indocument planning and the dissemination of public healthmessages within their communities. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Develop and test platforms (e.g., hotlines, telephone trees,dedicated websites, and local radio or TV stations) for com-municating pandemic status and actions to school systemstaff, students, and families. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Develop and maintain up-to-date communications contactsof key public health and education stakeholders and use thenetwork to provide regular updates as the influenza pan-demic unfolds. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Assure the provision of redundant communicationsystems/channels that allow for the expedited transmissionand receipt of information. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Advise school system staff, students and families where tofind up-to-date and reliable pandemic information from fed-eral, state and local public health sources. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Disseminate information about the school system’s pan-demic influenza preparedness and response plan (e.g., con-tinuity of instruction, community containment measures). ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Disseminate information from public health sources coveringroutine infection control (e.g., hand hygiene, cough/sneezeetiquette), pandemic influenza fundamentals (e.g., signsand symptoms of influenza, modes of transmission) as wellas personal and family protection and response strategies(e.g., guidance for the at-home care of ill students and fam-ily members). ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Task: Anticipate the potential fear and anxiety of staff, students,and families as a result of rumors and misinformation andplan communications accordingly. ❍ Not Started ❍ In Progress ❍ Completed

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control ▲


The survey on urban school climateconducted by the council, alsoknown as CUBE, found that a

majority of students feel safe in theirschool, an indicator that experts sayimproves academic achievement.

“The findings are generally positive,but there are certain results that raise con-cerns for students, teachers and parents,”said Brian Perkins, the study’s principalinvestigator. Perkins is chair of theDepartment of Educational Leadershipand Policy Studies at Southern Connecti-cut State University and president of theNew Haven, Conn., Board of Education.He is also the chair of CUBE.

“Where We Learn” surveyed nearly32,000 students from 15 urban school dis-tricts in 13 states, including Alabama. Stu-dents indicated their climate perceptions inthe areas of school safety and bullying,among others. The survey was completedduring the 2004-05 school year.

In the area of school safety, almost 63percent of urban students report feelingsafe at school. However, nearly 20 per-cent of students believe that other studentscarry weapons in school. Students ingrades 9-12 expressed even more concernover weapons, with more than 40 percentnot sure if others came to school armed.

“When students do not feel safe atschool, they are more likely to becometruant, distracted from school work, andexperience lower levels of achievement,”Perkins noted.

In terms of fighting, about half ofrespondents in grades 4-6 and 9-12 saythere is a lot of fighting in their school.That number increases for students ingrades 7-8, where 60 percent say thatthere is a lot of fighting at their school.

Bullying is a top concern as well,according to Perkins, due to its effect onstudent performance. He noted that bothmale and female students feel much thesame about bullying and that there is nodifference in observance of this behaviorby girls and boys.

However, younger students report morebullying. More than twice as many stu-dents in grades 4-6 as students in grades9-12 say they are bullied regularly,according to the survey.

More than 50 percent of all surveyrespondents say they see children beingbullied at least once per month. And,almost 40 percents of students say they donot believe that teachers can stop the bul-lying. As the students get older there iseven less confidence that the school canprevent bullying. Almost half of highschool students say they do not believethat teachers can stop bullying.

“Climate is especially important inurban schools, which enroll almost 25percent of public school students,” saidDr. Anne L. Bryant, NSBA executivedirector. “A safe school environment iscritical in making sure our students suc-ceed academically.”

Improving School ClimateSchool climate is often overlooked in the race to enhance student learning,

but it is a key element in improving student achievement. The Council ofUrban Boards of Education researchers made the following recommendationsto refocus attention on school climate:• School systems should include a school climate assessment in their annual

evaluation processes.• Schools should identify one or more key areas on the basis of these assess-

ment findings and implement strategies to improve these conditions andstudents’ perceptions of them.

• Parents should be encouraged to participate in the discussion, developmentand implementation of strategies to improve school climate.

• Students should engage with their peers, teachers and administrators toaddress school climate issues and contribute to a healthy school climate.

• School officials should engage members of the community about the waysthey can participate in and support the creation and development ofhealthy school climate.

• Boards of education should establish clear policies to create a positive schoolclimate and clarify expectations for teachers and administrators around theirresponsibilities to carry out these policies.

Urban Kids Say School Climate Needs AdjustmentBy Linda Embrey, National School Boards Association

Almost one of four students say they are unsure of theirsafety at school, according to the recently released “Where We Learn” survey. In addition, more than half of all students surveyed by the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education say they see children being bullied at least once per month.


What bullying is:Bullying can range from teasing, to stealinglunch money, to a group of students physi-cally abusing a classmate. Even though bul-lying is very similar to other forms ofaggression, there can be some distinctivefeatures: • The intention of bullying behavior is pur-

poseful, rather than accidental • The goal is to actually gain control over

another child through physical or verbalaggression.

• Usually bullies make their attack withoutany real reason, other than they see theirvictim as an easy target.

• Bullies are usually more popular withtheir peers than children who are simplyaggressive.

Why bullies bully:• Boys will be boys — Bullying behavior,

especially among boys, can often be con-sidered normal behavior.

• Parental relationship — Bullies tend tocome from families that are characterizedas having little warmth or affection.Sometimes parents of bullies have verypunitive and rigid discipline styles, withphysical punishment being very com-mon.

• Bullies are usually not model students.Very often they are not doing well inschool and do not have good connectionswith their teachers.

• Peer rejection — Rejected children areactively disliked by many of their peersand well liked by few of their peers. Theyshow high rates of conflict, aggression,and immature play, and they have troubletaking the perspective of another person.

• Popularity — Although bullies tend tohave difficulty making friends, they dogain a certain level of popularity and peerstatus for their actions.

Indications that a child might bea victim of bullying: • Acts moody, sullen or withdraws from

family interaction • Becomes depressed • Loses interest in school work or grades

drop • Loses appetite or has difficulty getting to

sleep • Waits to use the bathroom at home • Arrives home with torn clothes, unex-

plained bruises • Asks for extra money for school lunch or

supplies, extra allowance • Refuses to go to school (15 percent of all

school absenteeism is directly related tofears of being bullied at school)

• Wants to carry a protection item, such asa knife

Tips for students who are bulliedor see bullying: • Find a trusted adult at school with whom

you can talk about what you see. • Be assertive rather than aggressive or

violent when confronted by a bully. • Never get physical or bully back. • Stand up for friends or peers who are

being bullied. • If there is no formal policy against bullying

at your school, get involved to start one.

Top tips for parents include: • Practice role playing with your child so

he or she can be prepared to react appro-priately to bullies or unsafe situations.

• Keep an open dialogue with your childby asking specific questions about whathappens during their day and take con-cerns seriously.

• Keep written records if you suspect yourchild is being bullied.

• Empower your children to tell adults ifthey see bullying.

• Reinforce the child’s positive behaviorsand model appropriate behavior yourself.

What schools can do:• Get an accurate assessment of the prob-

lem. An anonymous survey is a veryeffective way to learn about the truenature of a problem at a particular school.

• Maintain higher visibility. Most schoolsreport that most of their bullying problemsdisappear when playgrounds, bathrooms,etc., are properly monitored. Supervisingrecess is especially important.

• Have students develop class rules aboutbullying that are then consistently rein-forced. It is important to start this in veryearly grades to gain a handle on thisproblem before it gets out of control.

• Conduct inservice training for both teach-ers and parents. Stress that bullying is notjust boys being boys or high spiritedbehavior but potentially damaging for bothvictims and bullies. Bullying is not some-thing that people grow out of, but one ofthe first signs of more serious problems. Itis also important to remember that verbalharassment can be just as scary and intim-idating as physical attacks.

• Have serious talks with bullies andmake them realize that you are aware oftheir behavior and are not going to tol-erate it. It is also important to developways to help them learn more positivesocial skills. ▲

Sources: National School Boards Associ-ation; North Dakota State UniversityExtension Service’s “Bullies” publicationby Dr. Laura DeHaan, assistant professorof child development (For copies, call701/231-7881).

What You Should Know About Bullies

ON THE WEB: For the full report, Where We

Learn, visit www.nsba.org/cube/WhereWeLearn.


T h e A l a b a m aAssociation ofSchool Boards

fought hard to givevoters a right to choose10 absolute mills forschools statewide in aneffort to help level theplaying field and re-

lieve financial distress for 30 school systems.

On Nov. 7, voters will decide the fate ofAmendment 2, a constitutional amendmentthat requires every school system in thestate to levy and collect at least 10 mills oflocal property tax to support their school-children and schools. It’s a matter of pen-nies on the dollar. One mill is equal to 10cents on each $100 of taxable property.

When the 1995 Foundation Programwas established, to receive state funding,school systems had to contribute 10 millsof property tax or its tax-based equivalent.

Currently, 30 systems that don’t collect10 mills generally use local dollars, suchas sales taxes, to make up the differenceand meet the participation requirement.Those local dollars then become part ofthe state’s Foundation Program and arenot available to meet other local needs. Asproperty values increase, the “equivalentamount” also increases, putting these 30systems in financial distress. More andmore local sales tax dollars are needed tomeet the equivalent requirement. The lossof local dollars is causing a crisis for afew of these 30 school systems and othersare close behind.

Amendment 2 eliminates the need foran equivalency allowance. It requiresevery school system to levy at least 10mills of property tax and allows the otherlocally collected taxes to be used for localeducation needs. A statewide requirement

will free up local dollars in communitieswhere schoolchildren are in great need ofthose education dollars.

In addition, property values vary widelybut when everyone pays the same 10-mill

rate, everyone is doing their part to fundtheir schools. The statewide referendum is necessary to ensure that all Alabamapublic schoolchildren have at least theminimum level of financial support fromtheir community.

This constitutional amendment requiresa minimum level of local funding forevery child in every school — somethingthat 101 local communities already do.The 101 school systems already collect-ing at least 10 mills of property tax to sup-port their local schoolchildren won’t beaffected by Amendment 2, but they canencourage voters in their communities torequire the remaining 30 systems to reach10 absolute mills of property tax. Speakout and write letters to the editor demand-ing these 30 systems meet the minimum10-mill property tax funding requirementsto receive state funding.

Why should you care if your commu-nity is already collecting the minimum 10mills? The stakes are high now. The fed-eral No Child Left Behind law measuresthe state’s success by the victories andfailures of each and every public school.We are only as strong as the weakestamong us. All of Alabama’s schoolchild-ren deserve a fair shot at success, and theyought to have at least the minimum levelof local support from a stable fundingsource — their local property taxes.

If you live in one of the 30 school systems not collecting 10 mills, please do your part to inform your community of how much better off your schoolchild-ren and schools will be if local sales taxes stay in the community to meet your local student and school needs. It isimportant for each of us to educate ourcommunity and urge every voter to go to the polls on Nov. 7 and vote “yes” on Amendment 2. ▲

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PerspectiveBy Sandra Sims-deGraffenried, Ed.D.

Support Amendment 2 Nov. 7: 10 Absolute Mills Help Level Playing Field

Sims-deGraffenried

WHO DOES IT HELP?These 30 school systems

do not collect 10 absolutemills of property tax.

Autauga County Barbour County

Bibb County Blount County Chilton County

Conecuh County Covington County Crenshaw County Cullman County

Dale County Elmore County Fayette County

Hale County Houston County Jackson County Lamar County

Lawrence County Limestone County Marengo County Marion County

Montgomery County Pike County

Tuscaloosa County Walker County Andalusia City

Arab City Athens City

Daleville City Dothan CityLinden City


T his leads me to the issue on how werespond to the release of the AYP results.In Alabama, AYP is a comparison of year-

to-year student achievement on the AlabamaReading and Math Test, portions of the SAT-10test, the Alabama High School Graduation Examand the Alabama Alternate Assessment. However,these test results represent only a short distanceon the student progress ruler. During the schoolyear there are at least four additional testsrequired by the state, but all eight tests are notgiven to every student and at every grade level.My point is this: Data documenting our students’achievements is available to school boardsthroughout the calendar year.

We all know there are other inches on the stu-dent progress ruler. These include the percentageof students successfully completing their semes-ter work, the percentages of students passing APclasses, ACT and SAT results, and important —to me — communication among the teachers,principals and their superintendent that success-ful progress in student learning is taking place.

We need to ask our superintendents throughoutthe year for reports on students’ academic progressin all schools, whether our system has five or 50schools. NCLB has intensified school board focuson student achievement, and board membersshould be asking tough questions such as:

▲ What are the strengths and weaknesses in ourinstructional programs?

▲ What would raise achievement for poorly per-forming students?

▲ What additional training does the facultyneed?

▲ How are we addressing AYP issues?

▲ How should spending and budget prioritieschange in order to raise achievement?

Wanting, requesting and needing this informa-tion makes the board members’ focus on achieve-ment clear to the superintendent and the commu-nity. Conveying this focus and promoting oursuccesses will certainly contribute to “the posi-tive culture of learning” in our schools. ▲

Looking for Guidance?AASB has written an information and communication guide for school boardmembers, which was distributed at thespring 2006 district meetings. For a copy ofthe No Child Left Behind: Do You Know Where Your Schools Are? guide, call800/562-0601 or 334/277-9700 or [email protected].

MAKING AYP:A Short Distance on theStudent Progress RulerBy Jim Methvin, AASB President

On Aug. 7, the Alabama Yearly Progress Report was released with

impressive results. We can all take pride in the accomplishments

of our students. The state's goal of having 100 percent schools

at AYP is only 13 percent, or 170 schools and 73 systems, away

from its reality assuming the current 1,194 schools maintain their

AYP status. Every school that showed academic progress for

even one child should be congratulated in the news releases.

These successes must be communicated in our communities

and to our representatives.


E very state in the region — which includes Alabama,Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, NorthCarolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and

West Virginia — was represented at the July 23-26 event at theSandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Fla.

Attendees networked with school boards across the South andheard educational presentations from experts in education andrelated fields. The conference featured NBA Hall of FamerCharles Barkley and a slate of other famous Alabama natives.Those speakers included acclaimed actress Dr. Tonea Stewart,known for her starring role in the “In the Heat of the Night” tel-evision drama; renowned author and Southern folklore storytellerKathryn Tucker Windham; and motivational speaker LannyThomas of Gadsden.

National School Boards Association President Jane Gallucci alsoaddressed the conference participants. She reminded them that“education is the cornerstone of America” and to “speak with onevoice.”

“Imagine, all of us saying the same thing. ‘One Message, OneVoice. Success!’ You represent your constituency,” Gallucci said.“Together, we represent the American people. Most importantly,we represent the smallest and most vulnerable citizens, our chil-dren. To be powerful, we must speak with a unified voice. Never

question the power of unity ... the power of each and every one ofyou joined by many.”

Stewart’s ode to the man she affectionately called Papa Dallasmoved many audience members to tears, as she explained howeven one motivating influence in a child’s life can inspire him orher to greatness. Her grandfather, she said, foretold her career as a spokesman, and there she was before hundreds of education leaders, using her grandfather’s words to encourage educators tocontinue producing productive, educated citizens.

Windham also drew on her childhood to wow the audience,recalling lazy summer days when a treat from a Mom and Popstore, a hard day’s work and a nice nap were valued. She asked theaudience to love, respect and cherish the students in their care andsaid for some students that would be enough to encourage aca-demic success. She recounted the days when students were so

NSBA/Southern Region 2006Conference a Huge SuccessBy Denise L. Berkhalter

About 900 school board members and school leaders from across the South attended the recent National School Boards Association/Southern RegionConference hosted by the Alabama Association of School Boards.

NBA and formerAuburn Universitystar CharlesBarkley autographs basketballs for a silent auctionduring the July2006 SouthernRegion Conference.

Alabama Actress Tonea Stewart poses with Southern Region Conferenceattendees following her moving account of her wise, blind grandfather sheknew as Papa Dallas.

eager to please their teachers that being chosen to dust off theerasers was indeed an honor.

“I remember running home to tell Daddy, ‘Guess what happenedin school today?’” Windham said. “I told him, ‘I got to dust off theerasers.’ You see, that was important. Daddy told me, ‘No matterwhat you do, do a good job.’ He also used to tell me, ‘God gave youtwo ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk.’”

Barkley pleaded the educators to “stay on these kids” and don’tgive up on them.

“Tell them they only get one life, so they need to make sure it’sthe way they want it to be,” Barkley said. “Right now, they’ve gota choice and can dictate in the future how their lives are going toturn out. They have to get an education. Without an education, thisis a cruel world.”

A highlight of the conference was when AASB Immediate PastPresident Tommy McDaniel was saluted for his 2005-06 chair-manship of the region.

The region’s Resolutions and Bylaws Committee passed a reso-lution commending McDaniel for serving “with pride as chair ofthe National School Boards Association/Southern Region 2006Conference.”

McDaniel served as master of ceremonies for the 2006 conference’s general sessions and otherwise worked diligentlywith AASB, which hosted the highly successful event in Floridadue to hurricane damage and construction delays in Mobile.

AASB President Jim Methvin presented an emotionalMcDaniel with a basketball autographed by Barkley, aformer Auburn University basketball standout, andthe framed resolution.

McDaniel expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the region andAASB and encouraged those following in his footsteps to “dedi-cate yourselves to doing all you can to serve schoolchildren well.”

McDaniel was also lauded for serving with the region “with thesame hospitality, volunteer spirit, integrity and dedication he hasshown in his numerous positions of leadership at the AlabamaAssociation of School Boards.”

President and a member of the Cherokee County Board of Edu-cation for more than a decade, McDaniel served two terms asAASB president and has been a mainstay on the AASB Board ofDirectors, leading for two terms each as first and second vice pres-ident.

Another AASB Board of Directors member, Methvin, waselected at the conference to represent school boards throughout thesoutheastern United States on the National School Boards Associ-ation Policies and Resolutions Committee.

The committee recommends resolutions and amendments to thenational association’s delegate assembly, which establishes thenational education policies advanced by NSBA throughout theyear.

Methvin of Homewood currently serves as vice chairman of theAlabama School of Fine Arts Board of Education in Birmingham.

The Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys, a componentof the Alabama Association of School Boards, also gathered inDestin, Fla., in July for their annual meeting and to elect officers.ACSBA provides professional development opportunities for morethan 100 attorneys who represent Alabama’s local school boards.

Gadsden attorney R. Kent Henslee of the Henslee, Robertson,Strawn and Sullivan law firm was elected president of the council.Elected to the ACSBA Board of Directors were: Richard F. Calhoun of Troy, Darnell Coley of Montgomery, Pete Hamilton of Greenville, Dave Ryan of Tuscaloosa and Woody Sanderson of Huntsville. The council’s vice president is Whit Colvin of Birmingham. AASB Executive Director Dr. Sandra Sims-deGraffenried serves as ACSBA secretary/treasurer. ▲

AASB President Jim Methvin, chosen to represent the Southern Region on the National School BoardsAssociation Policies and Resolutions Committee,presents AASB Immediate Past President TommyMcDaniel with a resolution honoring his service as 2006 chairman of the National School Boards Association/Southern Region.Photos: Denise L. Berkhalter

Folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham, shown with NSBA’s board of directors, inspired school board members and education leaders from 12 Southeastern states to take children under their wings andencourage them to succeed.



Alabama Beverage AssociationMontgomery, Alabama 334/263-6621

Alabama Gas CorporationBirmingham, Alabama205/326-8425

Alabama Supercomputer Authority

Montgomery, Alabama 334/832-2405

Barganier Davis Sims Architects

Montgomery, Alabama334/834-2038

BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama205/220-5771

Christian Testing LabsMontgomery, Alabama334/264-4422

Council of Alabama Coca-Cola Bottlers, Inc.


Davis Architects Inc.Birmingham, Alabama205/322-7482

Exford ArchitectsBirmingham, Alabama205/314-3411

Fuqua & Partners Architects PCHuntsville, Alabama256/534-3516

Gallet & Associates Inc.Birmingham, Alabama205/942-1289

Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc.Montgomery, Alabama334/271-3200Birmingham, Alabama205/879-4462Mobile251/460-4006

Hoar ConstructionBirmingham, Alabama205/803-2121

Jenkins Munroe Jenkins Architecture

Anniston, Alabama256/820-6844

JH Partners Architecture/Interiors

Huntsville, Alabama256/539-0764

KHAFRA Engineers, Architects and Construction Managers


Paul B. Krebs & Associates, Inc.Birmingham, Alabama205/987-7411

Lathan Associates Architects PCBirmingham, Alabama205/879-9110

McCauley Associates Inc.Birmingham, Alabama205/969-0303

McKee & Associates Architecture and Design

Montgomery, Alabama334/834-9933

Payne & Associates ArchitectsMontgomery, Alabama334/272-2180

PH&J Architects Inc.Montgomery, Alabama

334/265-8781

Sain AssociatesBirmingham, Alabama205/940-6420

Sherlock Smith & Adams Inc.Montgomery, Alabama334/263-6481

Evan Terry Associates PCBirmingham, Alabama205/972-9100

Volkert & Associates Inc.Mobile, Alabama251/432-6735

AASB appreciates these professional members for supporting association activities and

you all year long.

Alabama Association of School Boards

Professional Sustaining Members


OctoberAASB Academy Programs

10 District 3 Academy ProgramAbbeville High School, Abbeville

12 District 4 Academy ProgramTuskegee University KelloggConference Center, Tuskegee

22 AASB Leadership II(A)Core Workshop“Roles & Relationships”Birmingham

22- Academy Core23 Conference

“Climate Control: Making Schools Great Places to Learn and Work”Birmingham

December6-7 AASB Leadership I

Core WorkshopBirmingham

7-9 AASB Annual State ConventionWynfrey Hotel, Birmingham

7 AASB Leadership II(B)Core WorkshopBirmingham

January 29-February 27, 2007Academy District Programs

March 20079 AASB Leadership II(C)

Core Workshop & “Early Bird” WorkshopBirmingham

9-10 AASB Core ConferenceBirmingham

April 200714- NSBA Annual Conference17 and Exposition

San Francisco, California

Books at BedsideLet's see, I have my Bible here and “Hinds' Feet on High Places” by Han-nah Hurnard, which is a classic. You can count on me having a MaryHiggins Clark mystery at my bedside, and the novel I have now is“Nighttime Is My Time.”

InspirationMy father, Travis Turberville, served on the Sheffield school board 15years before I did. He was very civic-minded as far as the school board isconcerned. He is a big inspiration for me. My sons, Travis and Thomas,are a great inspiration to me, in addition to my father.

Motto as a Board MemberPoverty and being poorly educated do not need to go hand in hand.

Walter Mitty FantasyI would love for the world to be a place where there is no poverty, noabuse, no hate and no prejudice.

Advice to New Board MembersTo forget everything they thought they knew about being a board mem-ber and to learn what it really means to be a board member. I highlyrecommend AASB's new board member training (Leadership I and Lead-ership II).

Greatest Accomplishment as a Board MemberSelecting a superintendent is a very big undertaking and is, I think, themost important thing a school board does. In my second term, we con-ducted a very successful superintendent search, and I think we found awonderful one.

Pet Peeve as a Board MemberThe underfunding of special education.

Reason I Like Being an AASB MemberIt's an invaluable source of information. Not only does AASB give me thetraining I need on current issues, but it has also been a wonderful edu-cational tool. AASB also helps me feel connected to other school boardmembers across the state.

My EpitaphShe loved because He first loved her. ▲

At the TableAt the Table

School BoardSheffield City Board of Education

HometownSheffield

A Board Member for12 years. I'm in my third term.

Lisa Lindsey

▲ Methvin: One role the association plays — one we’rereally proud of — is being both a resource for you anda resource for the legislature. How do you think schoolboards can make their voices heard better in the leg-islative process this year and in future years?

■ Riley: If school board members in the state of Alabamaever understood how powerful they were, you couldalmost dominate the conversation here. I don’t knowmany school boards that don’t have the leaders of thecommunity serving on their boards. If they ever can getto the point that you can agree locally and in astatewide issue and effectively lobby your legislator,your senator, your representative down here, you canpass anything.

The problem is you don’t believe it. A guy down in Clay County says, ‘I can’t go down there to Montgomery and lobby.’ These are the business leaders. These are the community leaders. All of theschool board should come down here and talk to their senator and their legislator and sit down and say: ‘You’ve got to do this and this is the reason whyand if you don’t, we’re going to go and explain to thepeople back home that you couldn’t support us. Yousupported another group in Montgomery over what’sbest for us.’ Game over. Now, how you get them to do that, I don’t know.

▲ Methvin: That brings to mind two things. One is effec-tive leadership and convincing school board membersthey are leaders. The second thing is to get them to bemajor role players in student achievement. Know whattheir role is and go after it and show interest in it.

■ Riley: If you get four or five phone calls in a day, all ofa sudden that becomes the No. 1 issue to anyone acrossthe street (in the state Legislature) when it comes timeto vote. Imagine what would happen if you had a unitedschool board come down here and say, ‘We need you tostand up for our interests and for the schools’ interests.’Before the legislative session even starts, you guysneed to call your senator and your representative beforethe school board in an open session and say: ‘Here areour priorities, and we want to know publicly tonight ifyou’re going to support these.’ If your school board isreally active and they stand up and say you’ve got tosupport this, at least they don’t get a free ride.

▲ Methvin: Thank you. I really appreciate the advice onhow we can approve and how we can go forth.

■ Riley: Well, we have some of the greatest teachers inthe world. If you talk to the secretary of education(Margaret Spellings) in D.C. today, she will tell youthat Alabama is doing more for education than anystate in the union. ▲


Q How do I earn Master School BoardMember status?

A AASB's School Board Member Academy educatesschool board members on a variety of school

system governance issues and equips school board members with the skills and resources they need to beeffective leaders. Academy participants earn credits andeventually reach one of four achievement levels forattending conferences and workshops in eight key areas:roles and responsibilities; policy and planning; financialaccountability; the optimal learning environment; academic achievement; staff development; board meetings and school law; and community engagement.Master School Board Members have completed all fouracademy levels and earned over 100 hours of credit.

— Denise L. Berkhalter

HELP!



By and large, however, I believe most of our senior citizens areno different than the average voter regardless of age. They seethe problems facing public schools and understand the chal-lenges educators face in finding solutions. What, in my opinion,is a definite factor in losing senior support for public educationis the failure on the part of the local education community toadequately explain to the public what the local system’s prob-lems are and how they are proposing to solve those problems.

▲ Bellamy: Well, Lt. Gov. Baxley, on behalf of AASB, I want tothank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to allow meto interview you. I would like to conclude the interview by askingyou to tell me what you do for fun.

■ Baxley: Oh, I love to have fun. I love to fish and cook. Thankyou. I enjoyed our conversation. ▲




PEOPLE▲ A pat on the back to the new

appointees to the Board of Trusteesfor the Alabama Risk Managementfor Schools. Ron Glover, Mont-gomery Public Schools’ assistantsuperintendent for finance, andMidfield Board of Education Super-intendent Donnie E. Breasealewere both appointed to ARMSrecently. Cullman County schoolboard member Steve Freeman wasre-appointed to the Trust.

▲ Welcome aboard Linda Robinson.The Montgomery Public Schoolschief of staff is now the interimsuperintendent. She has served theschool board for more than 30 yearsas a teacher, assistant principal,principal and in the central office.She succeeds Dr. Carlinda Pur-cell, who resigned.

▲ Congratulations to Madison CityBoard of Education President andAASB President-elect Sue Helms,Curriculum Specialist Sue Hall andACCESS (distance learning) Coor-dinator Dr. Anne Davidson. Theyhave been invited to present “Goingthe Distance for Learning” as partof the National School BoardsAssociation’s “Share the Success”program during NSBA’s nationalconference in San Francisco inApril.

▲ Congratulations to Dr. Cynthia S.Elsberry, Talladega County Boardof Education superintendent, who

was the only Alabamian chosen forthe 2006 Keizai Koho Center Fel-lowship. Elsberry traveled to Japanfor a two-week tour that allowededucators to learn first-hand aboutcontemporary Japanese society toenhance their classroom teaching ofglobal perspectives.

▲ A nod to AASB District 6 Directorand Jacksonville board member SueJones, director of the statewideFOCUS initiative that is led by stu-dents and addresses HIV/AIDS,STDs and other issues facing teens. Jones, the state Department of Edu-cation and the state Department ofPublic Health will sponsor theannual Statewide Youth Council forHIV Education and PreventionConference in October.

▲ Best wishes to Russell CountyInterim Superintendent LillianBaker, who temporarily replacesDr. Rebecca Lee. Lee resignedeffective Oct. 10, and Baker, for-merly assistant superintendent,plans to retire this year.

▲ Good job to Kacey J. Vardaman,the 10th-grade and advanced place-ment U.S. history teacher at Brew-baker Technology Magnet HighSchool in Montgomery County.Vardaman is one of only 50 recipi-ents nationwide of the 2006 JamesMadison Fellowship, which sup-ports the graduate study of Ameri-can history by aspiring and experi-enced secondary school teachers.

▲ Hats off to AASB District 8 Direc-tor and Decatur school board mem-ber Dr. Charles Elliott, who trav-eled to Washington, D.C. Sept. 28for the “National Academy of Sci-ences: Rising Above the GatheringStorm” conference.

▲ Sympathies to the family of formerMorgan County Board of Educationmember Tyrus “T.P.” Turney, whodied at age 70 in July. Turneyserved two terms on the board andfirst joined the board in November1976.

▲ Compassion goes to the family ofthe late Osbie “Hot” Linville, whoserved five terms as LauderdaleCounty superintendent of educa-tion. His service began in 1968, andhe retired in 1994. Linville died inJuly at age 72.

▲ Condolences to the family of for-mer Albertville school superintend-ent James “Jim” Pratt, whopassed away.

▲ Compassion for the family of CarlRodney Walters, who served since1988 on the Phenix City Board ofEducation. He passed away in Juneafter an extended illness.

▲ Condolences to the family of GuyHowell, a Calhoun County Boardof Education member, who passedaway in June. Howell, the recipientof AASB’s prestigious All-StateBoard Member award for 1999-2000, served on the board for 12years. ▲

Potpourri

Helms

Jones

Elliott

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDMontgomery, ALPermit No. 34

Alabama Association of School BoardsPost Office Drawer 230488Montgomery, Alabama 36123-0488

Documents

2006 Fall Alabama School Boards Magazine