Alabama republicans have had control of our state government since 2010, and what have they accomplished, other than crap bills like this? Absolutely nothing worthwhile. They spend the majority of their time promoting their controlling "morality" bills (gambling, abortion, taking money from public education to fund private schools, etc.) while our state continues to languish behind the rest of the country in everything.

With republicans having little to no opposition it seems all these wonderful plans they claim to have would be up and running full force by now and Alabama should be surging ahead of the rest of the country...yet we're not. That should tell people something.

People in Alabama need to be concerned. If the legislature can do what they did in secrecy yesterday with the governor's backing, then please realize they can do it about other areas where they do not want anyone to oppose them.

"The secret of what was really happening did not leak -- not to the press, not to lobbyists and not to Democrats. And it did not leak to state Superintendent Tommy Bice or the Alabama Association of School Boards; both had supported and worked to pass the original flex bill. Marsh kept them in the dark."I have no apologies keeping them in the dark," said Marsh. "We knew they would oppose what we trying to do"(AL.com)

Right now our legislatures and governor are being influenced by a powerful lobbyist group led by Michelle Rhee/Students First Organization out of Washington, D.C. Do your research. Is she someone that we need running our schools? She is going to take Alabama's schools down to a level that we don't want to go. Just ask the Washington, D.C. schools..

. Keep reading,please.. I have been researching Michelle Rhee and Alabama's association with her and her group since 2011 when Gov. Bentley hired Emily Schultz. Wake up Alabamians. I'd rather trust the people who have worked in education for years than someone like Michelle Rhee. Just google her name and read about her. Don't just take my word. Be educated. Right now we have Michelle Rhee and he rorganization influencing Alabama's schools. She attended private schools, did Teach For America taught very little, and then became in charge of deciding who was a good teacher and what was a good school. There is so much negativity about her especially her association with the cheating scandal in D.C. Everywhere her oganization goes it seems they leave a mess behind them Then our governor hired someone who worked under her to be his policy adviser.. " Gov. Robert Bentley's new education policy director has worked under some controversial regimes in high-profile efforts to turn around failing schools.

Emily Schultz, 28, began her job as Bentley's education policy adviser in November, (2011) with a top priority of getting a law allowing charter schools passed during the next legislative session.

Previously, the Birmingham native worked under Michelle Rhee, who became chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools after the mayor took control of the district.

Schultz worked under Rhee as nearly two dozen schools were closed, the teacher pay scale was changed and hundreds of teachers, principals and administrators were fired.

After the Washington job, Schultz worked as a consultant in Central Falls in Rhode Island, which made headlines in February 2010 when it fired all the teachers at a failing high school". By Marie Leech -- The Birmingham News

Schultz's position is a new one created by Bentley, who said he needed an education expert on his staff to guide him and to be a liaison to K-12, post-secondary and higher education.

Schultz was raised in Birmingham and attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she received a bachelor's degree in political science. She then became a teacher through Teach for America in Atlanta public schools, where she taught second grade for two years.

Teach for America is a national program for recent college graduates who didn't major in education but commit to teaching for two years in a rural or urban school district. Teach for America teachers go through a six-week boot-camp-like training to learn how to teach.

After her stint in the classroom, Schultz said she knew she wanted to make a career out of education and went back to school.

She received her master's degree in education with an emphasis in public policy and organizational theory from Stanford University in June 2008. She immediately began working for Rhee. Schultz's first order of business under the governor is getting legislation passed during the next legislative session that will allow for charter schools in Alabama. (Marie Leech-Birmingham News) So as you can see we have someone who taught for 2 years (expert) who worked under someone who taught for about 3 years (expert)making the education policies in Alabama. We need to wake up before they run our education system in the ground.

We won't know what's in the bill till we pass it........LOL. It's rich hearing libs being highly offended that republicans are using lib tactics.

Decatur High Developmental????!!!!! Are you KIDDING ME!!!!! It is the best school for Developmentaly Handicapped students in the State of Alabama. People move here to have their severely handicapped students attend the Developmental program! SERIOUSLY? Please do you research!

AEA members' greatest fear is that private school teachers conforming to community standards will produce better graduates for far less money. Private schools forgo sexual education, condoms, birth control pills, homosexual tolerance, cell phones in class, and, are not permitted to lower standards when tax revenue slows. Private school teachers do not organize against their neighbors and fellow citizens, and, are more accountable to parents. The private school curriculum, particularly in the realms of history, literature, and social studies, conforms to a more accurate portrayal of western civilization with a focus on historical achievement rather than failure, a must in a society that was born into, and matured for two millennia under, the aegis of Christianity. Private school students at the elementary level learn and recite the Pledge of Allegiance and pray in the classroom, both crucial elements in the development of patriotism, and, are not taught that tax cuts lead to economic depression as public school textbooks are being politically so revised. These are but a few of the many reasons teachers have lost the respect and support of the parents and the wider electorate whose anger is now palpable. The more furious the public school teachers rant in this comment section, the less parents are willing to commit their children to public school learning. Public teacher rage against the citizenry is viewed as political and is wholly unappreciated. Few would place their children in classes taught by previous commenters.

Right on Otis.

Oops! "furiously" - my apologies.

That is funny Otis. I teach several students everyday that have been pulled out of a certain private school in this city. The reason the parents give for this, "they were not getting the education I thought they were going to get ". Ok Otis here is a scenario for you, since you know so much about public education. According to the failing list, Brrokhaven is a failing school. These students, around 200, show up next week to the private school that you send your kids to, because under the current bill just passed, they now have that right. How will you and the other parents who have been sending your kids there handle this situation? I think I know what will happen. Most of the parents of the original private school kids will be outraged and will look to start another school or move their kids. You see it was never about a better education for their kids to start with. It was always about white flight. I have several friends who send their kids to that certain private school. I have never been bitter about them doing so because I feel parents have the right to do whatever they want with their own kids when it comes to educating them. But most of the ones that I know always have a wink and a nod answer about why they are really sending their kids to that school.

Brookhaven ...sorry

Well, Otis, I attended public schools in this area, my kids attended public schools in this area and somehow we missed the passing out of condoms, the sex education classes, and free birth control pills. I am not sure what private school's rules and regulations are on tolerance of homosexuals, but sex in public school campuses is frowned upon regardless of who it is between! period! I am not sure about textbooks either because from everything I've heard most schools haven't seen money for new textbooks in a lot of years. Obviously, you have seen them since you know that they are being politically revised. I salute you on keeping up with current events. Maybe you could share those books with the teachers. They'd love to have them. I haven't lost respect for teachers. I salute them. Yes, there are some not as good as others. You had them. I had them, but you know what there are good and bad people in the world, in all jobs all over this world today. What do you say we just get rid of all bad people that don't meet our expectations?. This is not about AEA which a lot of people like to say like it is a bad word. .AEA is made up of a lot of hard-working dedicated teachers. This is about taking public money from public schools that are already struggling to get by and giving it to private schools. I am not against charter schools or private schools. If there is money for both, fine, but right now there is not. This is about a governor and legislature who are publicly saying as Bentley just said: Gov. Robert Bentley said today that accusations about a secret plot on a bill to offer tax credits for children in failing schools will blow over and the substance of the plan is what matters.

Bentley said he was willing to see public money going to private schools if it helps fix failing school systems.

Bentley said the secrecy was a necessity.

“The bill would not have passed had all the school systems, AEA, and everyone known about it,” the governor said. “There were about three of four senators who probably would not have voted for it and I don’t think it would have passed.” (Excerpts Al.com) This just reminds me too much of times in History where leaders thought they were all powerful.

every republican legislator in this state should resign because they broke the oath they took. Here it is

"I,.........., solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I continue a citizen thereof; and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, to the best of my ability. So help me God."

I WILL FAITHFULLY AND HONESTLY DISCHARGE. I guess the word honestly means nothing to the republicans. They are a pathetic group.

every republican legislator in this state should resign because they broke the oath they took. Here it is

"I,.........., solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I continue a citizen thereof; and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, to the best of my ability. So help me God."

I WILL FAITHFULLY AND HONESTLY DISCHARGE. I guess the word honestly means nothing to the republicans. They are a pathetic group.

Otis you are a total idiot

People voted down charter schools but Republicans violates our vote.

Bubba loves secret stuff

"Decatur High" I invite your thoughts on the the social sexual agenda, school sponsored birth control, cell phones in class, the abhorrent curriculum, the loss of respect and support for public school teachers, the anger of the electorate, the........ in other words, the substance of the comment. That you have managed to boil these issues down to one, race, is remarkable. The citizenry awaits enlightenment.

All this will do in the end is bring about lawsuits because there will be consequences with racist implications. Private schools can screen the students, unlike public schools. Minorities and special needs students will be under-represented, because they will not be accepted at the same rates in private and Charter schools. This legislation will use public funds to fund racially segregated schools, and lead to expensive federal legal action and control that could drag on for decades.

"Wst Morgan" good to have you aboard again! While the name-calling bores me, I would be delighted to entertain your spirited argument. Please favor us with your thoughts.

Hey Otis you dont know a dang thing about public schools in Alabama. You need to get off the forum and quit making a fool of yourself.

It is not name calling. You should have a clue about what you are saying before you open your mouth. One of my college professors told me in class one time . "It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

"Wst Morgan" of all of your qualities, it is your depth I most admire.

How quickly did the legislators' pledges for transparency turn to secrecy? And their main reasonfor keeping this "secret" with "no apologies" is that they feared being confronted by their constituents? How is that representation? We must vote to end this "super majority" in the next election, or we will continue to be duped by those who abuse their power. By the way, I consider myself a Republican.

Answer my question first Otis? You never gave me an answer to the scenario that I posed to you. I am sure that the original founding members of said private school used the some of the factors that you mentioned when starting the school, but that is not what is used by most of the parents today. There are no cell phones in the school where I teach or you are written up for it. Go pull the discipline records for the two public high schools and you will see this for yourself. Besides, cell phones should be used in the classroom. They allow a major advancement in technology to be utilized. What is wrong with that? The loss of respect comes from parents such as yourself or the lack of parents I should say. Sex education isn't being taught at home by parents Otis, that is what I have been trying to tell you. Everything has fallen back to the educator. In my years as an educator I have seen many so called moral or ethical programs installed in the state curriculum because kids were not getting it at home. Character education was the latest one that was placed on educators. If parents were teaching it at home, like it used to be then we would not be teaching it at school. You honestly think we want to teach sex education, not counting Biology here Otis, to a bunch of 7th and 8th graders. Look at where private schools really thrive Otis, if it's not about race. Look at Mobile County schools. Why do you think that the schools in Mobile struggle and fail on a consistent basis. It wasn't always this way. Someone started a private school and the people that could afford it left the public schools. The public schools that they left didn't used to be failing schools; it wasn't until the affluent parenst started pulling their kids out did they become chronic failures. Do some research Otis.

By the way, in the past 24 hours I have had a change of heart about this bill. I hope it does what the Republicans want it to do. I have contacted several people who reside in the failing school zone, in this city, reported by this paper and they have started a secret grassroots campaign to inform as many parents as possible about this bill, many through interpreters. I have informed them of the private school options that they have in this city and that they will be able to attend there maybe as soon as next year.

When they take funds from high poverty areas and give them to affluent private schools, there will be lawsuits. The OCR will eat them alive. Now we will have lawyers making big bucks to sue over this ill-conceived legislation. I say send the lawyers bills to those who sponsored this legislation and the governor if he signs it. They tried to be sneaky and underhanded by not publishing the true agenda of this legislation. Let THEM pay for what they have done.

Here is a little research for you to ponder Otis if it isn't about race.

http://southernnationalist.com/blog/2013/02/17/birmingham-schools-get-computers-designed-for-third-world/

Good post Otis. I see the teachers are out in force doing what Mabry told them to do.....get on any venue they could and raise hell. It's too bad they don't put their energies into educating our children instead of promoting Chicago style thuggery.

Decatur High from Decatur> Are you black?

For all you AEA stooges -- Why did you elect a leader like Mabry who sent HIS kids to private school?

For all you AEA stooges -- Why did you elect a leader like Mabry who sent HIS kids to private school?

No Ted, I am not black and I have never belonged to AEA. Let Otis speak for himself Ted. I am also or have been a Republican for the last 15 years. I don't think it is your kids that you are talking about educating Ted. You seem smart enough Ted and probably did a good job of helping educators educate your kids. I just xall it like I see it. America has changed in the last 30 years. We are not educating the same student that you or I was Ted. How many years have you spent in public education Ted? What do you do for a living?

Call .... sorry for the typo.

“Decatur High” you are the essence of the reason there is backlash against the education establishment/union mentality that has held power for decades and continues control of Alabama education. You express spitefulness, even hatred, toward a private Christian school, not only for providing a better education opportunity than the public monopoly, but resentment for the parents paying your salary through taxes in addition to the tuition and all else they pay at the private school [they are paying double]. Public, read government, schools have evolved into mills for “educating” the progressive, socialist, statist line of thinking and have kept the AEA expanding and educators such as yourself in a high paying/high taxpayer supported benefits and lifetime retirement costs. Do you expect us to believe you have our students lives and education at heart? Because, if you did, your system would not have ABANDONED and FORBIDDEN the very things that made American education the shining star of the world for years. In the last 40+ years your establishment, union and Democrat allies in government have dismantled what used to work, and you have successfully labored for and substituted the failing system we have now. Student achievement has been declining, dramatically, for decades now. Your experiments and solutions have all been shoved down our collective throats. For once, the Republicans learned and used your tactics and turned them to benefit students and parents at the expense of establishment control. Hats off to competition for government big-ed. Let us see how good they can be, and if they will try to improve. I suspect, even expect, they will be like "DECATUR HIGH" and resort to spiteful, vindictive methods to sabotage and savage private competitors. Actually, perceiving a threat to their fiefdom, they already are. Just look at the comments in this forum. After all these are the same union minded robots allowed to be in charge of putting devolved educational drivel into our children’s minds. It is really refreshing to see the beginnings of a rebellion against the government monopoly education establishment.

Question! When all these students leave the "failing schools", will the private schools be required to take them even if they don't make their standards? Public schools must take any school aged child reguardless of their education ability and try to make them ready for college, some of which don't what to be here. If private school was forced to take everyone who showed up on their door step, even if they don't make their standards and then force them to preform to the highest standard could they do it. Did I mention you do it with little or no funding for text , equipment, etc.. and you can't ask the parents for funds. Let see how many lawsuits will be filled against the private sector for discrimination.

Outstanding comment "Kenneth," your courage in the face of unmitigated hatred and scorn is admirable. I, for one, commend you.

I spent my entire working career in education, and also have been a Republican my entire voting life; however, the legislation that has just been pushed through is quickly changing my mind about these particular politicians. The educators that are speaking out about this legislation and the damage it will cause are also Republicans so this is more a matter of principal than politics. Anything that is changed in secret at the last minute without giving those concerned ample time to study it, is suspect from the start. We should all dig deeper into this interest in Charter Schools. This also appears to be an underhanded way to bypass the wishes of voters and undermine the Education Trust Fund. Public schools have not been properly funded nor have educators been properly compensated in years. It is time we all woke up to the realization that this has very little to do with education and that it has more to do with control and manipulation of those who accept without question the decisions of a few with questionable agendas. I received a call today asking me to thank those who pushed this legistration; I thank them for the list of names so that I know who caused this damage. I seriously doubt that robbing "Peter" to pay "Paul" is the answer to anyone's problems in education.

Decatur from Decatur High makes a valid point. Public schools take those who come to them regardless of race, income, abuse, neglect, IQs, etc. and, most of the time, do the best they can with little funding,outside support, or praise. The rewards come from knowing a difference was made in a student's life from time to time. Of course there are teachers who shouldn't be teaching as there are those in every profession who shouldn't be on the job. For the most part; however, teachers spend hours preparing rooms, lessons, counseling, and sleepless nights of concern for students in difficult situations. Whether public, private, or charter, teachers either love to teach or they don't. The setting will not change education; dedicated educators with a little help and encouragement will.

"Decatur High," the comment to which you respond is a comparison and should not be confused with advocacy. What remains unclear in your thoughtful reflection is how the removal of sexual education, lower academic standards, cell phones, and homosexual tolerance from the academic setting, public or private, black or white, could be deemed racist. When teachers organized against the citizenry there was no racial element or protest, and, you may rest assured the AEA is not a racist organization. The introduction of prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance could not be even remotely construed as racism. The readership fails to see the role of race in the comment. Kindly elaborate. For instance, you might explain how removing homosexual tolerance from the public or private school setting is racism. Does it somehow affect black children disproportionately? White children? Hispanic children?

I do not nor have not used spitefulness or hatred toward private schools on this forum. I have many friends who work in them. I just would like a level playing field. The private schools are the ones that follow and allow hatred under the guise of Christianity . Who else in the United States today get's away with turning away children with disabilities or children of another race. Look and see how many kids with disabilities go to private schools. Look and see how many kids of color go to private schools compared to public schools. Private schools were, in the beginning, created because they didn't like some of the principles of public education, but have turned into vehicles used to discriminate against people of certain races and disabilities. Why wouldn't Brookhaven students want to go to the private school in Decatur. The education, according to the people on here, is much, much better. So I have pledged to help start this movement. That seems more Christian like than letting them stay at a failing school Kenneth. That is what the Republican leaders stated in their comments to the people of Alabama. Let's give them a choice. I will not rest or stand by and watch these students get the same old status quo from us, the educators of Decatur. I promise, with my own money to help get them the paperwork needed to get enrolled into the private school in Decatur so that they may get a better education.

Your "friends......follow and allow hatred under the guise of Christianity," but, you "have not used spitefulness or hatred toward private schools.....?" Now the readership is thoroughly addled. Will you please reconcile your two statements? Are you of the opinion one must utter profanity in order to slur another?

The thing that is funny to me is that Nichols was mad about it being done in secret and not having input BUT where is our input on one school for Decatur??

All board meetings are open to the public, announced, and ,when requested in the proper way, open to input. That was not the case with this bill. It was discussed one way and passed with added and undiscussed agendas. School boards are bound by law to be open and above board.

Back up your comments with some facts like I have and not opinions. I didn't say my friends were right. I just said they were friends. We have agreed to disagree on the matter, but we don't let that stop us from being friends. Go look up the enrollment at private schools and see what you will find. It is strange to me that Randolph or Decatur Heritage do mostly Christian work for a certain clientele.Go see how many disabled kids are in those schools Otis. You have not answered one question. You have only stated the party line as it was told to you. Give me some statistics on what and who go to thses schools. I may be incorrect, but give me the numbers. It is under the guise of Christianity. We can go to church with them or pray for them, heck we will even send them money, but heaven forbid we have to allow them in our schools. Why do you think that tuition is set at such a high level? It sure isn't to pay for teacher salaries or retirement. It is to keep certain people out. What do you do Otis? I mean you like to discuss my line of work on an open forum, so let's put all of our cards out there on the table. Let's discuss what you do for a living. I may have some opinions on how to help you raise your bottom line.

1. If there were/are no "failing" public [read government] schools, there is no source of students for this system. Educators who have not done the job are the only source for fueling the system this legislation fosters. Straighten out the failures and the system, as written, dies a natural death. Mission accomplished.

2. For each student a "failing" school loses, the gaining public school gets their $ allocation with each student gained; or, private school gets up to 80% of their allocation for each. The burden on the failing school is lessened by one, ten or 50 or more students, yet the “failing” public school [or system] retains 20% of the funding. Seems like a way to finance digging out.

3. The failing school either improves and thrives or dies. The money is there, the marketplace will fill the need.

4. Pretty sure most private/parochial/Christian schools would find 80% of state funding levels would be about a 30% increase over predominant tuition rates; and, on par with high schools for the most part. Private schools will aggressively compete for students and the funding by promoting and delivering excellence.

5. Besides it being patently obvious; Christian principles, and the principles of our nation, dictate accommodating those in need, we should jettison the pessimism and have every confidence private facilities will cope with the needs and return excellence. Failure to do so will assure that two thirds of the posters on this forum will beat everybody to the courthouse steps to assure our/their “values” are ENFORCED.

6. With the accomplishment rate of current public administrators, it is highly inappropriate to charge private facilities with making up, in one fail swath, for all of the presently existing failures and shortcomings.

My bet, adopting this will put “everyone” eligible in position to leave behind 50% or less graduation rates; and, “graduation” without the skills to read, and do basic math. The base of education will broaden. Self-esteem will grow, moral values fostered and generational cycles of poverty and illiteracy will begin being reversed. That done, on to statewide charter schools and parent directed vouchers steering education funds to the school/s of parent’s choice irrespective of race, creed or color and so on. Then competition will dictate excellence from and by all. We will never meet perfection, but odds are we will improve vastly! Public education should never need to serve more than 50% of students. The last sentence is, on one side, what this is quibble is all about.

You got it Kenneth. That is what has taken place in other states with Charter Schools. I'm done here. I haven't seen any facts or truths, merely opinions. I will sit back and wait on you to tell me what to do Kenneth. Make sure to keep Otis and Ted informed of your plans. By the way these private schools or parochial schools have never done what you are proposing, so I don't look for them to start now. Yes Christian values and principles tell us to take care of those who are in need and are less fortunate, but they don't or haven't in the past. I will also wait on the private schools to deliver the excellence that you have talked about. I know we will never meet perfection, but it should be alot better because the private schools and their teachers will have all the answers for the influx of kids with ADHD, ADD, Dyslexia, ESL,ELL, reading comprehension problems, test taking aprehension problems, anger management, as well as all the Special Education Students. I can't wait to see how you will change this state Kenneth.

Yes, Brookhaven is on the list! Let us not forget that it has an over 90% population of students of poverty, not to mention subgroups of special education and second language students that you do not see in the other schools. Brookhaven is on the list of failing schools because of a handful of special Ed. Students. The other students at Brookhaven are actually progressing thanks to the extremely hard work of their teachers. Does anyone honestly think that the sponsors of this bill care about those students or their teachers? Do we really think that private school is an option for them? Well, when this new plan for Decatur's middle schools is implemented and they are all at cedar ridge or oak park ( which also missed ayp this year) let's just see how everyone feels then. Administration and faculty at cedar ridge already despise having the Brookhaven students that moved because of school choice . Just wait until they all move! I'm betting the criticism will turn to a real quick defense !

Again I say, in order to receive the maximum State TAX CREDIT associated with this "law", you have to earn approximately six figures per year. Now, who is going to benefit??? I'm pretty sure that most "poor" people don't pay enough taxes to be eligible. Just my guess....

S, you are confusing a tax deduction with a tax credit. A deduction allows you to reduce your taxable income until you have zero taxable income. A tax credit is just like Federal Earned Income Credit - it counts as taxes already paid during the year. Low income families could get a refund for more than they actually paid through withholding during the course of the year. And if there is money to be made I'm sure some of the the new private schools that will open to take advantage of this will figure out a way to make even more money through some sort of student loan program.