2010 Fall Alabama School Boards Magazine

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Inside

fAll 2010 vol. 31, no. 1

www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

22 feWer tests, MOre CAreer PreP

Next five years will bring dramatic changes in how public schools equip students for the future.

9 President’s PersPeCtive: steP uP, sPeAK uP fOr students Board members must herald positive messages about what’s happening in their schools, communities.

10 fACe tO fACe: COnGressMAn MiKe rOGers Rep. Mike Rogers looks forward to debating reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

14 trussville Wins 2010 MAGnA AWArd

FEATURES 8 exeCutive direCtOr’s PersPeCtive AASB can count exciting grants, beneficial business partnerships and key legislative victories among its accomplishments in the past fiscal year.

PUBLICATION POLICY Alabama School Boards is published by the Alabama Association of School Boards as a service to its members. The articles published in each issue represent the ideas or beliefs of the writers and are not necessarily the views of the Alabama Association of School Boards.

Subscriptions sent to members of school boards are included in membership dues.

Complimentary copies are available upon request to public school principals throughout the state. Additional annual subscriptions can be obtained for $30 by contacting AASB. Entered as third-class mail 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 or e-mail info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

System honored for program that prepares students for engineering, manufacturing jobs.

16 COver stOry: PlAn strAteGiCAlly fOr yOur next PrOPerty tAx referenduM homewood’s successful 2001 bid for a tax referendum to build a new middle school stands as just one example of how planning can develop support while avoiding needless conflicts.

28 sChOOl bOArd serviCe: An investMent in the future Local school boards address a myriad of challenges while serving as vital links between their communities and their classrooms.

IN EVERY ISSUE 4 UP FRONT 6 EdUCATION & ThE LAW 27 CALENdAR 30 hELP On the COver: photo©istockPhoto.com

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AlAbAMA redefines “GrAduAte,” every stAte tO dO the sAMe in 2012 Alabama and the rest of the nation plan to adopt a common high school graduation rate formula.

OFFICERS

BOARd OF dIRECTORS

PRESIdENT florence bellamy Phenix City

dISTRICT 1 stephanie Walker Brewton

PRESIdENT-ELECT steve foster Lowndes County

dISTRICT 2 bill Minor dallas County

VICE PRESIdENT Katy smith Campbell Macon County IMMEdIATE PAST PRESIdENT sue helms Madison City

STAFF ExECUTIVE dIRECTOR sally brewer howell, J.d.

ChIEF OPERATINg OFFICER Ken roberts, C.P.A. dIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS denise l. berkhalter dIRECTOR OF gOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS lissa Astilla tucker dIRECTOR OF BOARd dEVELOPMENT luAnn bird MEETINg/MARKETINg COORdINATOR Angela ing MEMBERShIP COORdINATOR debora hendricks ExECUTIVE ASSISTANT tammy Wright AdMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS nia Glaze donna norris CLERICAL ASSISTANT breyonah harris ALABAMA SCHOOL BOARDS EdITOR John e. hasselwander

dISTRICT 3 roxie Kitchens Troy dISTRICT 4 Charlotte Meadows Montgomery County dISTRICT 5 Jennifer Parsons Jefferson County dISTRICT 6 larry b. stewart Calhoun County dISTRICT 7 t. brett Whitehead Tuscaloosa County dISTRICT 8 Pam doyle Muscle Shoals dISTRICT 9 Jennie robinson huntsville STATE BOARd dr. Mary Jane Caylor huntsville Our MissiOn: To develop excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 3

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UPFRONT

Trends, Research&Dates Compiled by Denise Berkhalter

First Class Pre-K Ranked the Nation’s Best for Fourth Straight Year for the fourth consecutive year, the national institute for early education research rates Alabama’s first Class Pre-Kindergarten program, along with north Carolina’s, as the nation’s best in quality. both states continue to meet every nieer standard for pre-K quality.

“Even while facing difficult budget challenges, we’ve been able to greatly increase enrollment in First Class and maintain the highest quality pre-K program in the nation,” said gov. Bob Riley. “That’s a great accomplishment that will help change our children’s lives for the better in Alabama.” dr. Marquita davis, Commissioner of the department of Children’s Affairs and a member of the governor’s Cabinet, said maintaining high quality standards is critical. “gov. Riley has overseen an impressive expansion of pre-K while also making sure we remain the highest quality program,” she said. “That’s essential because every dollar invested in a high quality pre-K program pays off many times over as it lays a strong foundation for success in life.”

The budget for Alabama’s First Class program has increased from $3.3 million in 2005 to $18.3 million for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. during that same period of time, enrollment in the program – which is voluntary and open to the state’s 4-year-olds – has grown from 990 students to 3,870 students. More online at http://nieer.org/yearbook/.

2,700

BY THE NUMBERS New federal legislation that created the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund program brings Alabama $149 million to protect, save and create education jobs during the 2010-2011 school year. JOBS funds may be used to pay the salaries and benefits of teachers, school administrators and other essential staff. Funds may not be used for general administrative expenses, overhead or other support services by school systems. The program enables schools to keep an estimated 2,700 jobs in Alabama and 160,000 or more education jobs nationwide. guidance for the Education Jobs Fund, is posted at http://www2.ed. gov/programs/education jobsfund/.

Pre-Kindergarten-20 School ‘Unique to the Nation’ The Aurora Public Schools system in Colorado has begun the first phase of what will eventually be a new preschool to 20th-grade campus, reports the Denver Post. The superintendent describes the project as “unique to the nation” and “a cutting-edge model for 21st century education.”

A Pre-Kindergarten-8 school is now open on the Vista PEAK campus that will include a high school next August and opportunities for students to earn master's and Ph.d. degrees. Students can focus on career pathways and receive hands-on training in their desired fields to prepare them for college and career success. Voters approved bond money in 2008 to construct the facilities. To learn more, visit www.vistapeakcampus.org.

4 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

New Website Takes on Bullying and Harassment Looking for effective strategies to prevent or address bullying? The U.S. department of Education recently launched www.bullyinginfo.org, a “one stop” site for federal resources on bullying that also captures the Office for Civil Rights’ reinvigorated efforts to investigate complaints of bullying and harassment. The site includes articles on Electronic Aggression/Cyberbullying and Ways to Get Involved in Bullying Prevention.

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SAY WhAT? Textbooks Slowly Give Way to eBooks A number of Calhoun County schools, reports the Anniston Star, have begun the shift from traditional textbooks to digital books and reference materials.

Oxford and Piedmont high School Principal trey holladay reportedly said the move helps engage tech-savvy students. Since every student does not have Internet connectivity at home, school officials in Calhoun County and in Jacksonville and Anniston, where the idea has been considered, say it’s difficult to embrace a complete switch to online textbooks.

“Every year the bar gets higher and higher, and every year Alabama’s students show improvement. While every state in America is required to have100 percent compliance with No Child Left Behind, no state will be able to meet that requirement because there is no leeway in the requirement of 100 percent of the students in our nation meeting the challenge (proficiency in reading and math by 2014).”

— State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton at

digital Learning Council Formed Education Week recently announced the newly formed Digital Learning Council’s plans to create by December a list of best practices for providing a customized digital education to every student. The council will then encourage states to adopt the roadmap. Best practices will range from online and virtual schools to technology in the classroom and approaches to security and equity issues. The council is made up of 50 state and federal officials as well as technology and education experts intent on moving digital learning out of what the council calls a “niche role” and into the forefront of education. The 2010 report Technology in Alabama Public Schools outlines progress the state has made in keeping pace with the knowledge and skills students need in the 21st century.

Find the report online at www.alsde.edu.

a news conference calling for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, currently in Congress, to include a growth model compliance that recognizes academic improvements. Slightly more than 75 percent of Alabama’s public schools — 1,033 of 1,375 schools — made adequate yearly progress this year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

$7.5 Million POCKet ChAnGe?

If Alabama served 40 children in summer nutrition programs per 100 children served during the school year’s National School Lunch Program, the state would receive $7,474,295 in additional federal reimbursement. In July 2009, there were 26,471 children in the state’s summer nutrition program.

In 2008-09, there were 337,535 children participating in the school year program, according to the Food Research and Action Center’s publication, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2010.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 5

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EDUCATION & THE LAW

A Closer Look at the Anti-Harassment Act

By Lucy Hester Sellers

T

he Student Harassment Prevention Act represents the Alabama Legislature’s first attempt to codify prohibitions against “student-on-student” harassment in the state’s public schools (Act 2009-571 signed on May 20, 2009).

The act prohibits students from “engag[ing] in or be[ing] subjected to harassment, intimidation, violence, or threats of violence on school property, on a school bus, or at any school-sponsored function by any other student in his or her school system.” It also prohibits “persons” from “engag[ing] in reprisal, retaliation or false accusation against a victim, witness or other person who has reliable information about an act of harassment, violence or threat of violence.” While the basic prohibitions (harassment, intimidation, violence or threats of violence) apply only to conduct involving students who are in the same school system, the retaliation prohibition extends to “persons,” without textual qualification. The enforceability of the retaliation provision in cases not involving students or school system employees will likely require regulatory or judicial interpretation.

the Act defines Prohibited harassment as follows: A continuous pattern of intentional behavior that takes place on school property, on a school bus or at a schoolsponsored function including, but not limited to, written, electronic, verbal or physical acts that are reasonably perceived as being motivated by any characteristic of a student or by the association of a student with an individual who has a particular characteristic, if the characteristic falls into one of the categories of personal characteristics contained in the model policy adopted by the department or by a local board.

To constitute harassment, a pattern of behavior may do any of the following: a. Place a student in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property. b. Have the effect of substantially interfering with the educational performance, opportunities or benefits of a student. c. Have the effect of substantially disrupting or interfering with the orderly operation of the school. d. Have the effect of creating a hostile environment in the school, on school property, on a school bus or at a school-sponsored function.

6 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

e. Have the effect of being sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for a student.

Other prohibited conduct — violence, threat of violence, intimidation — is not defined by the act itself. However, the model policy that has been promulgated by the state Department of Education under the mandate of the statute provides definitions for those terms: • Violence: the infliction of physical force by a student with the intent to cause injury to another student or damage to the property of another student.

• Threat of violence: an expression of intention to inflict injury or damage that is made by a student and directed to another student.

• Intimidation: a threat or other action that is intended to cause fear or apprehension in a student, especially for the purpose of coercing or deterring the student from participating in or taking advantage of any school program, benefit, activity or opportunity for which the student is or would be eligible.

The statutory definition of “hostile environment” appears to include both a subjective component (the victim’s actual perception) and an objective component (whether the victim’s perception is reasonable under the circumstances).

the Act defines hostile environment as follows: The perception by an affected student or victim that the conduct of another student constitutes a threat of violence or harassment and that the conduct is objectively severe or pervasive enough that a reasonable person, under the circumstances, would agree that the conduct constitutes harassment, threat of assault or assault.

Boards should apply the definition of harassment carefully.

For example, while it expressly includes “electronic ... acts,” such as all conduct prohibited by the act, such activities must take place “on school property, on a school bus or at a school-sponsored function.”

download the state department of Education’s model policy at www.Alabamaschoolboards.org/Policyreview.htm.

To learn more about AASB’s Policy Review Service, call 800/562-0601.

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The act prohibits students from “engag[ing] in or be[ing] subjected to harassment, intimidation, violence, or threats of violence on school property, on a school bus, or at any school-sponsored function by any other student in his or her school system.”

Additionally, the act only prohibits harassment (and presumably violence, threats of violence and intimidation) based on at least one of the enumerated “personal characteristics” that are identified by local board policy or in the model policy adopted by the state Department of Education.

The better, although not necessarily the only, view is that local boards are required to adopt the personal characteristics enumerated in the model policy. That list may be supplemented but not reduced by local boards. The personal characteristics that are found in the model policy (race, sex, religion, natural origin, disability) are unsurprising.

Nonetheless, the “personal characteristics” provision of the act is arguably its most important and sensitive but among its least clearly articulated requirements.

Adding to the confusion is the uncertain general significance of the model policy for local boards. The act contains a lengthy recitation of the “minimum” components that must be included in the state Department of Education’s model policy: (1) A statement prohibiting harassment, violence and threats of violence.

(2) Definitions of the terms harassment ... intimidation, and threats of violence.

(3) A description of the behavior expected of each student.

(4) A series of graduated consequences for any student who commits an act of intimidation, harassment, violence or threats of violence.

(5) A procedure for reporting an act of intimidation, threat of suicide, harassment, violence or threat of violence.

(6) A procedure for the prompt investigation of reports of serious violations and complaints.

(7) A response procedure for a school to follow upon confirmation of an incident of intimidation, harassment, violence or threats of violence.

(8) A statement prohibiting reprisal or retaliation against any person who reports an act of intimidation, violence, threat of violence or harassment, including the consequences of and any appropriate remedial action that may be taken against a person who engages in such reprisal or retaliation.

(9) A statement of the consequences of and appropriate remedial action that may be taken against a person who has deliberately and recklessly falsely accused another.

(10) A procedure for publicizing local board policy.

(11) A clearly defined procedure for students to use in reporting harassment.

(12) A procedure for promulgating rules to implement the act.

(13) A procedure for the development of a nonexhaustive list of the specific personal characteristics of a student which may often lead to harassment.

While the act required local boards to establish policies that are “in compliance with [the] act on or before July 1, 2010,” nothing expressly required local boards to adopt the state Department of Education’s model policy or, with the possible exception of the specified “personal characteristics,” its particular features. It is doubtful that the Legislature would have required a detailed treatment of these points in a model policy had it considered them to be merely optional, but inferred intent does not always carry the day in court. In any case, boards should have adopted a policy that at least approximates the state Department of Education’s model policy.

Local boards are also required to meet other requirements that are largely administrative in nature, including preparation of a complaint reporting form and development of plans or programs to encourage students to report incidents of harassment, violence or threats of violence.

Individual schools are required to develop and implement evidence-based practices to promote a school environment that is free of harassment, intimidation, violence and threats of violence. Finally, subject to the appropriation of funds by the state or other sources, school systems are required to implement standards, policies and programs that are designed to prevent student suicide.

The act is not a model of clarity and requires a careful, line-by-line review to reconcile its sometimes inconsistent provisions. The state Department of Education’s model policy is a useful starting point for implementation by local boards. Local boards should do everything that is required by the act to implement its requirements but should be careful not to gratuitously approve compliance standards and enforcement measures that cannot be met consistently or that may conflict with existing board policies and procedures.

■ Lucy hester Sellers is an attorney formerly with the Birmingham firm of Bishop, Colvin, Johnson & Kent, LLC. She has practiced education and municipal law.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 7

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

By Sally Howell, Executive Director, Alabama Association of School Boards

AASB Celebrates a Year of Accomplishments

T

he Alabama Association of School Boards celebrated key accomplishments in this past fiscal year, including a collaborative focus on the board-superintendent relationship, exciting grants, mutually beneficial business partnerships, groundwork for new strategic initiatives and important legislative victories.

A recent study shows an alarming rate of superintendent turnover in Alabama. Because of the potential impact such instability in leadership may ultimately have on student learning, AASB has joined forces with the School Superintendents of Alabama to address the problem. Both associations held back-to-back summer conferences in 2010 with programming addressing the board-superintendent relationship, roles and responsibilities, superintendent evaluations and correlating research.

AASB’s two grant-funded initiatives showed great progress in 2010. The Alabama Governing for Achievement Project, funded by the state Department of Education, now includes 10 boards of education. Using the Iowa Lighthouse tools, the school boards and superintendent teams engage in research-based training that prepares policymakers to take actions that create the conditions proven to improve student achievement.

AASB also hosted NSBA’s national Pre-K Network, which comprises grant-funded school board associations in Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas. Representatives of the grant recipients converged on Montgomery in March for a loaded agenda about Alabama’s early education efforts. The grant, which concludes in October, funds AASB’s work to build awareness among school board members about the impact voluntary, highquality pre-kindergarten programs have on school readiness and achievement.

8 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

In 2010, strategic business partnerships with eBOARDsolutions and High Ground Solutions have expanded AASB’s communication and informationsharing options, while growing interest among members in improving their efficiency using these technological tools. EBOARD has even helped the AASB Board of Directors and AASB staff go paperless for their meetings, while High Ground has created a useful application for school board members who own iPhones or Blackberry phones and want to receive the latest information from AASB. The association has also beefed up communication using Facebook and Twitter.

Members who want quick access to their School Board Member Academy records don’t have to wait. New association database management software, known as eMEMBERSHIP, allows members to log in and view their academy statements, update their profiles and receive electronic newsletters.

In the first full year of the association’s ambitious five-year strategic plan, preparations to launch a variety of new services were made. The first of those, aB@SE, went online in August. This dynamic new arbitration database service for the Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys and member school boards provides detailed, vital information about education personnel termination, transfer, suspension and related Teacher Tenure Act and Fair Dismissal Act cases. Data can be analyzed for how hearing officers have ruled, for counsels’ win/loss records and to discover the rationale for hearing officers’ decisions.

On the advocacy front, gambling squabbles and a bailout debate for Alabama’s Pre-paid Affordable College Tuition program sent K-12 under the radar last (Continued on page 11)

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

By Florence Bellamy, Phenix City Board of Education

Step Up & Speak Up for Our Students

Michael bellamy

W

neWs flAsh: Michael Joseph Bellamy, sophomore at Central high School, Phenix City Board of Education, wins first place (grades 10-12) in the Alabama State Bar Law day Essay Contest.

e can find great stories of student achievement like the one above in every public school system in Alabama. As board members, do we step up and speak up in our communities about the many positive things that are happening in our schools, or do we allow the negative issues to become the center of attention?

Right now it appears that the media attention is geared toward local, state and national elections. We can expect significant change to the political landscape following the general elections in November 2010.

While a number of education advocates are likely to hold their own at the polls, others may not. There are campaign platforms being thrown about that, if made reality, threaten very crucial progress in public education and education funding.

The next governor of this state will help shape the next four years of Pre-K-12 public education, and even the state Board of Education will welcome freshmen members into its fold.

If ever there were a time for high-power public education advocacy, that time is now. These are the times to withdraw from your vast accounts of political capital and good will. As school board members, we serve as a powerful voice for our communities and the constituency of our elected leaders in the Alabama State House and in U.S. Congress.

Prior to the Jan. 11-21 Organizational Legislative Session, the Alabama Association of School Boards has an

opportunity to educate our newly elected and reelected legislators, as well as our city and county leaders. The Jan. 17 inauguration of our new governor also serves as a golden opportunity to introduce ourselves and our cause to Alabama’s chief executive.

So, let us speak before those we represent in our hometowns and remind our communities of what our goals and objectives are — as local school boards and as members of a statewide association of school boards. Let us be determined to personally shake hands and have a word with every person elected and appointed to represent us, so we are not late to the party when there are strategic collaborations at city hall, when the state board debates education rules, when our U.S. congressmen need a sounding board or when Alabama’s 2011 Regular Legislative Session begins March 1.

Your association has determined its mission is to develop excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services. Excellent school board members understand ensuring the best possible education for schoolchildren isn’t for the faint at heart. have the courage to be a voice for schoolchildren. Understand your political value. Know that if you speak with the knowledge of a hometown constituent, your contingency in Montgomery will listen. have the conviction to fight the good fight and to settle for no less than the best for our students. It’s that conviction that prevented faulty bills and bad proposals for Pre-K-12 education from seeing the light of day during last year’s session. It’s that conviction that led to a far more realistic $5.6 billion education budget for 2011 and that once again defeated age-old threats to local decision-making. stay committed to our cause — to become excellent school board members who take the actions necessary to improve student achievement in Alabama. have the courage, conviction and commitment to step up and speak up for Pre-K-12 education in our state. The academic success of our students depends on it.

■ Florence Bellamy of the Phenix City Board of Education serves as president of the Alabama Association of School Boards

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FACE TO FACE

By Larry Stewart, Calhoun County School Board

Congressman Mike Rogers

L

arry Stewart, a member of the Calhoun County school board, offers the latest installment in ongoing interviews with the state’s governmental and education leaders. The interviews are conducted by members of the Alabama Association of School Boards’ grassroots advocacy group, Leader to Leader. Stewart, also AASB’s larry stewart District 6 director, brings us the following conversation with Alabama 3rd District Congressman Mike Rogers. ▲ Stewart: What’s your opinion on Race to the Top? ◆ Rogers: Race to the Top is an interesting concept but doesn’t address the systemic issues in our education system. Instead, Congress should get to work on reauthorizing important pieces of legislation like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. ▲ Stewart: You’ve had a chance to work with public education in both the Alabama State House and in Congress. Can you tell us what education issue has been either the biggest accomplishment or biggest disappointment? ◆ Rogers: I was not in Congress when No Child Left Behind was passed and signed into law. When holding education roundtables, or meeting with teachers or parents on education, the need to improve the No Child Left Behind Act is always the main topic. I look forward to Congress debating its reauthorization, so we can address issues such as standardized testing, Adequate Yearly Progress, teaching and test standards for children with disabilities and Englishas-a-second-language kids. I am also continuously concerned about the needs of students, teachers and administrators in rural areas. ▲ Stewart: Sounds like you’re passionate about public service. What brought you into it? ◆ Rogers: I got involved in public service at an early age when I was first elected to the Calhoun County Commission. I have always had a strong interest in public service and have been deeply honored to serve in Congress on behalf of the folks in East Alabama. I feel blessed to do so.

10 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

▲ Stewart: From your vantage point, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing public education today? ◆ Rogers: Aside from the ever-ongoing budget and financing issues, determining the best way to gauge overall effectiveness of students, teachers and schools as part of reauthorizing No Child Left Behind is a major challenge, among many.

As an aside, I also believe career and technical education should be a part of a high school student’s curriculum.

“School board members occupy positions of extraordinary challenges and rewards, and on behalf of all parents, teachers and students, we thank you for your work.

— Congressman Mike rogers

▲ Stewart: And your goal for our state is? ◆ Rogers: Alabama has many issues facing it today. In terms of education issues, it is critical for all children and families to have access to the best possible education because it is such an important stepping stone for their futures. ▲ Stewart: What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure in Washington, D.C.? ◆ Rogers: I have many priorities for East Alabama, but most assuredly, I am working tirelessly to advocate for legislative solutions that help turn our economy around and protect and create more jobs for our rural areas. ▲ Stewart: In the K-12 education world, local school boards struggle for every dollar they can as they strive to help our students achieve and succeed and to address the many needs in our schools. How do you suggest we address the costs of unfunded mandates that are impacting our classrooms?

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◆ Rogers: Especially in these tough economic times, local school systems and their state counterparts are struggling to make ends meet. I don’t think the federal government should place unfunded mandates on local communities for any reason, if possible, especially ones dealing with education. For one, Congress should live up to its promise on IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

In another area, flexibility in grant funding is an issue that Congress can address to help out. Ultimately however, all important decisions should be left to state and local administrators, teachers and parents. ▲ Stewart: Is there a message you would like to send to local school board members across the state as they work with members of Congress? ◆ Rogers: For starters, thank you for everything you do.

School board members occupy positions of extraordinary challenges and rewards, and on behalf of all parents, teachers and students, we thank you for your work. In terms of communicating with Congress, please never hesitate to contact me or any of my staff. We are here to serve you and are eager to hear your concerns and whatever we may do to help support your efforts. ▲ Stewart: Is local control by school boards for their schools and communities at risk in your view? ◆ Rogers: I will continue to do everything I can in my role to help keep school boards, principals, teachers, and parents in charge of local schools. ▲ Stewart: What grade overall do you give state government and federal government for its support of Alabama’s public education? ◆ Rogers: There is always room for improvement. I hope all parties are at the table in agreement when Congress moves to reauthorize NCLB. ▲ Stewart: Well, on behalf of AASB, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for school board members. What is it local school boards can do for you to help make your job easier? ◆ Rogers: Just keep us informed early on issues important to you, so we can help in any way possible.

■

ABOUT CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS A fifth generation resident of East Alabama, Mike Rogers earned both his undergraduate degree in political science and master’s of public administration at Jacksonville State University. he was sworn in to the U.S. house of Representatives in January 2003 and represents East Alabama’s Third Congressional district. Rogers and his wife, Beth, live in the Saks community and have three children.

What he does: Rogers is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response, and serves on the house Armed Services Committee and the house Committee on Agriculture.

Contact him: Washington, 202/225-3261; Anniston, 256/236-5655; Montgomery, 334/ 277-4210

Executive Director’s Perspective Continued from page 8

year. Nevertheless, AASB’s grassroots advocacy did reap rewards in the 2010 Regular Legislative Session. By proactively informing members, AASB helped stop a flawed charter school bill and put the brakes on the perennial tourism industry push to mandate when school should start. The powerful Senate committee’s public hearing on an AASB tenure reform bill, sponsored by the committee chairman, was a first. Though AASB knew the bill wouldn’t move forward, the investment in research and carefully crafted testimony set the stage for changing the tenure law in the next quadrennium, which begins March 1 with the 2011 Regular Legislative Session.

The Organizational Legislative Session starts Jan. 11 with many new faces in the State House and a new governor in the Executive Mansion. Members have already come face to face with Alabama’s new governor during the association’s gubernatorial candidates’ forum last June. This February, AASB will join other education advocacy groups in a session for new and veteran legislators. Both efforts will go a long way when the daunting budget process starts.

There is little doubt that financing education in an economic crunch must be the top priority again this year. The state’s savings and line of credit have been depleted. Federal stimulus funds are gone. And, although I do not want to look a gift horse in the mouth, Congress’ recent approval of an Education Jobs Fund that promises nearly $149 million to save K-12 jobs in Alabama hardly fills the growing school funding chasm.

Two school systems have already had to seek the state’s intervention in their finances, and too many local school systems find themselves with dissipated reserves and nearly tapped out lines of credit. Bank loans may not even be an option for some. School boards are searching high and low for dollars not only for the classroom but to meet payroll and keep on the lights. Schools were hit in September with an additional 2 percent proration of the current school year’s budget, and boards have been warned to plan for 3 to 5 percent cuts in education funding for the coming year.

Continuing student progress on thin dimes isn’t impossible, but it won’t be easy. AASB will help, providing you with all the inspiration, information, training, advocacy and resources we can to ease the plight. We’ll do our best to work collaboratively with pre-K-12 education leaders and legislators to develop a more stable budgeting process and to protect schools from deep cuts to state funding during the school year. We will reiterate last year’s call for a realistic, sensible education budget. We’ll keep costs for School Board Member Academy training low and look for ways to save you money. That’s exactly what the board of directors had in mind when they granted dues relief for members that resulted in an effective decrease in AASB dues this fiscal year.

School boards have been known to tap into unbelievable resilience and have fought the good fight for students even in the most desperate of times. This is one of those times. This is one of those fights. We will prepare you for battle.

■ Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 11

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CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS Thursday, Dec. 2 • • • •

Annual Business Meeting/Delegate Assembly Bylaws Committee Resolutions Committee Welcome Reception Light refreshments courtesy of The Wynfrey Hotel and AASB. Get an early look at the annual exhibition, a virtual shopping mall of school products and services.

Friday, Dec. 3 • Gabriel Bol Deng The Power of Hope in Turbulent Times Hope is a beacon. No one knows that better than one of the Sudan’s famous “Lost Boys,” Gabriel Bol Deng. The refugee fled his homeland at 10 years old and ultimately arrived in the United States. He earned college degrees and has founded the Helping Offer Primary Education (HOPE) organization to expand education and good health in the Sudan. This voice of survival brings a message to school boards that promises to ring true: Even in turbulent times there is hope.

•

Antowaine Richardson Overcome Obstacles to Higher Performance Winning takes more than brawn. A certain mental stamina is involved, too. It is Richardson’s job as a Pacific Institute instructor to condition the game-day minds of athletic powerhouses like the University of Alabama football team.

He’ll delve into the power of thought. Thinking, he says, affects attitudes and behaviors which can affect results.

Walk away knowing you do have the power to win for all children if you clear the mental minefield to see what is truly possible.

Schedule and speakers subject to change.

12 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

It Pays to Att

end! You can All conventio ’t lose. n-goers win w ith inspirationa and informat l general sessio ion-packed cl ns inics. Attende of each genera es present at l session are el th e en d igible to win Beyond” spec an “Above an ial attendance d prize for their local school sy stem.

ACCOMMODATIONS • The Wynfrey Hotel AASB has secured special room rates of $119 for a standard room and $149 per night for a concierge room. Attendees can take advantage of the same room rate two days prior to and after the convention.

Check-in: 3 p.m. Check-out: noon.

Self-parking is $9 per day; valet parking is $11 per day.

• Reservations Reservations require a deposit for one night’s lodging and should be made by Nov. 17. Please note that AASB’s room block does not guarantee rooms will be available until Nov. 17. Early reservations are encouraged. Call 800/996-3739 or 205/987-1600.

Be sure to mention the AASB Group Code, 1B3456.

• NEW: Register Online using the following steps: • Log on to http://www.wynfrey.com and select the reservations tab • Enter your arrival date, departure date and the group code 1B3456 • Click “check availability” and select room type • Enter guest information • Click “confirm reservation” and print your confirmation number Cancellation Clause: Individuals will be responsible for paying for guaranteed rooms cancelled within 48 hours of the intended date of arrival.

• Hyatt Place Hoover Special room rates of $104 per night at the nearby Hyatt Place Hoover. For reservations, call 1-888-492-8847 or 205/988-8444 and ask to reserve a room with the AASB group block. Reservations should be made by Nov. 22.

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4 EASY WAYS TO REGISTER! Watch your mail for Convention Registration materials.

• ONLINE: www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org • MAIL: Send completed registration form to: Alabama Association of School Boards, P.O. Drawer 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488

• FAX: Fax completed registration form to 334/270-0000 • PHONE: 800/562-0601 or 334/277-9700 MARK YOUR CALENDAR! The deadline for early registration is Nov. 26, 2010.

CLINIC SESSIONS

AASB School Board Member Academy

Clinic sessions offer customized training to fit your interests and school system’s needs. Packed with motivational, realistic and creative ideas, the clinics are built around five strands: board leadership, student achievement, technology, legal and hot topics.

• Technology Promotes Student Achievement

This core course, designed for those with two years or less experience, focuses on school boards’ relationships with each other and their attorney as well as board meetings for higher student achievement.

Join Madison County’s winner of the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School Award, Owens Cross Roads, for an Alabama success story.

• Continuous Improvement Environment: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Bibb County High School began establishing an environment of improvement by focusing on rigor, relevance and relationships.

• The Board’s Leadership Role in Student Achievement Local school board members will share how they impact student achievement. Are you taking this leadership role?

• Board Presidents’ Roundtable AASB Immediate Past President Sue Helms will lead a discussion of challenges and best practices for school board presidents.

• Ask the Education Law Experts Veteran school board attorneys answer questions and offer useful tips on effective ways to address sticky issues with your board’s legal counsel.

• Fiscal Forecast A preview of the 2012 and 2013 state education budget — learn what economic situations and anomalies are likely to impact the tenuous state education budget in the coming years.

• Managing a Reduction in Force During Tough Times A layoff due to a “reduction in force” is tough. Do you know how solid your RIF policy is?

• Shared Decision-Making: A Working Leadership Team Do you want to implement a working leadership team in your schools?

Aliceville High School in Pickens County will demonstrate how the team promotes synergy and shared decision-making among faculty.

• Rescuing Students in Crisis: What Every School Board Member Should Know Crossroads School in Hoover developed a whole-child approach for students who are in danger of expulsion or experiencing other crises.

• Systemwide Infrastructure & Funding to Meet Students’ 21st Century Needs Learn how Mobile County Public Schools used multiple funding sources to improve infrastructure systemwide.

• Making School Nutrition Playful, Interactive and Memorable The Mobile Opera has developed a unique program to address obesity and to improve students’ food choices, athleticism and fitness.

• The Leader in Me The Leader in Me program is based on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Decatur City Schools has integrated this program into the school system’s core curriculum and everyday language.

• Getting Kids to College An Alabama school system sings the praises of the Advancement Via Individual Determination program that helps students in the “academic middle” – B, C and D students – tap their interest in college and willingness to work hard.

Effective Boards and Relationships Orientation

• The In’s and Out’s of Credit Recovery and Alternative Programs Horizon High School and the Center for Alternatives to Expulsion uses credit recovery and alternative programs to reduce dropout rates and increase the number of students graduating on time.

• Meeting the Needs of Our Maternity Students The M.O.M.S. program helps maternity students continue their education in an alternative setting. Before M.O.M.S. program began in Morgan County Schools in 2007, teen pregnancies added to the dropout rate. Since then, no teen mom has dropped out.

• A Systemic Approach to Dropout Prevention Tuscaloosa City School System useds innovative ideas to decrease the number of dropouts while simultaneously boosting the number of high school graduates.

• Leader to Leader Training The Alabama Association of School Boards and state legislators will lead a training session specifically for members of AASB’s Leader to Leader network and those interested in participating in Leader to Leader.

• Communicating Budget Cuts to the Public You understand the nuances of funding and operating schools on a shoestring budget. The public may not. Baldwin County Schools Communication Director Terry Wilhite will show you how to craft your message.

• How to Avoid State Intervention It happened in 2002 and in 2010. State financial intervention in schools is rare, but it happens. State Deputy Superintendent of Education Dr. Craig Pouncey will tell school boards how to make the best of their bare-bones budgets to ward off state intervention.

• SchoolCast Super Charged!

Improving Communication on and Off Campus There is no time in an emergency for hesitation, and the need to maximize staff time is a priority. Find out how a parent alert notification and messaging system can improve communication on and off campus.

• Integrated Solutions for More Effective Governance The 21st century school board must create an environment for modernday education. Albertville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ric Ayer and eBOARDsolutions combine for a lesson on using Web-based tools for more effective governance.

• The Academy for Parent Leadership and Engagement Huntsville City Schools and the Alabama Parent Information and Resource Center unveil an all-hands-on-deck approach to increasing parental and family involvement.

THE ACADEMY School board members can earn eight credit hours through AASB’s School Board Member Academy for participating in the convention.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 13

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Trussville City Schools Wins First-Place honors in 2010 Magna Awards Trussville Engineering Academy student Emily dole presents her work on reverse engineering a hair dryer.

She measured and modeled all of the components that make up the hair dryer and presented the results to her class.

14 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

Trussville City Schools is a first-place winner in the American School Board Journal’s 16th annual Magna Awards program.

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T

he school system was recognized in the under5,000-enrollment category for its “Engineering Academy” program designed to prepare students for the engineering and manufacturing jobs now in demand in Alabama.

The school system was accepted into the national Project Lead the Way Engineering Program — which provides a national engineering curriculum — and received a state grant for instructor professional development and the purchase of classroom equipment. Seventeen percent of the student body is now involved in the academy, and it has encouraged more students to pursue college majors in engineering.

All the winning districts were recognized at the National School Boards Association’s annual conference in April in Chicago. The Mangna Awards competition is supported

by Sodexo School Services and the American School Board

Journal and recognizes school systems across the country for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools.

Trussville was the only Alabama winner. Winners were selected based on three enrollment categories: less than 5,000 students, 5,000 to 20,000, and 20,000 and above.

“As school districts face unprecedented financial challenges, the Magna Awards are an opportunity to showcase innovation and the bold steps that school leaders take every day,” said Marilee Rist, ASBJ’s publisher and associate executive director of the National School Boards Association. “This year’s entries reflect the hard work of school boards, superintendents, and staff who strive to meet their communities’ changing needs in creative and ■ innovative ways.”

(Left) Architecture student Ryan Freeman uses the Autodesk Revit software to design a house plan.

(Below) This team of Trussville students earned third place in the local BEST robotics competition, though they had only six weeks to design, build, program and test their robot.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 15

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Data compiled by the Alabama Association of School Boards on tax referenda since November 1988 shows school systems won at least 64 property tax referenda and lost at least 78.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

photo©istockPhoto.com

16 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

B

y all outward appearances, Albertville high School in its growing northeast Alabama community looked fine.

Originally built in the 1920s, the school’s brick and mortar held up well over the years. But inside, it was a different story.

Little had been done to update the building since the 1950s and 60s.

City officials cringed at the thought of any major problems with its infrastructure, such as the outdated air conditioning system blowing out. The school was a time bomb that weighed on the mind of dr. Ric Ayer even before he became superintendent of Albertville City School System.

“Outside it looked fine,” he says, “but inside was a disaster.”

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in fine.

The problem was that many of the residents of Albertville viewed the old school building as a historical landmark. Many in the community of 25,000 had attended the school, and no one was eager to see it torn down. It served its purpose well over the years, Ayer agrees, but it was time for the community to move forward and give high school students a better, safer, more up-to-date environment in which to learn. He just had to convince a skeptical public to see things his way.

Efforts to build a new school had been rejected in the past. In the early 1980s, long before Ayer became superintendent, residents voted down a property tax referendum that would have funded the building of a new high school. Getting residents to pass a similar vote in 2007 would be just as challenging. Ayer knew he had to think strategically.

“There is certainly an anti-tax sentiment out there,” says Sally Howell, Executive Director of the

ture, Alabama Association of School Boards, which immediately puts most Alabama school systems on the defensive when it comes to getting people to vote for tax hikes to fund vital school projects.

School boards must plan months, if not years, in advance to craft their message and then identify the right audience to communicate it.

It was a tactic that worked in 2001 when Homewood City Schools set out to pass a property tax referendum to build a new middle school, says Jody Newton, former

Artist’s rendering of Albertville High School.

Homewood City Schools superintendent. But it didn’t come easy.

It helped that Homewood had a large population of parents who were invested in their children’s education.

Yet, there were still plenty of residents who didn’t have school-aged children and didn’t see the need to build a new school.

Another challenge was money that would come from the property tax hike would fund not just the school board’s middle school but also the city’s plan to cover improvements to parks and the construction of new soccer fields.

“It put us in a very unique situation,” Newton says. “I think people were more inclined to support the schools than municipal purposes.”

Sharing space on a ticket with another agenda can complicate matters, Howell agrees. As with general elections, which bring more voters to the polls, voters tend to be less informed about specific issues such as property tax referenda when other, more publicized elections are on the ballot. “A special election isolates the issue,” Howell says, and makes it easier for campaigns to focus their message on their “yes” voters.

(Continued on page 18)

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 17

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Plan Strategically for Your Next Property Tax Referendum Continued from page 17

With its challenges identified, Homewood City School Board prepared for a directed campaign, focusing on those in the community with a vested interest in the schools, such as PTO/PTA members and parent groups. The effort paid off. The vote passed, and three years later, the new 180,000square-foot Homewood Middle School opened to students.

School systems that want to pass property tax referenda must learn to look at campaigns for what they really are, Howell says. “It’s a political campaign, not a public relations campaign. Sure, there is some PR involved, but for a property tax referendum, you must identify your ‘yes’ votes and get those voters to the polls.”

Howell’s advice is all too familiar to John Merrill, director of community relations and community education for Tuscaloosa County Schools. As both a resident of Tuscaloosa County and a 15-year employee with the school system, he has watched many property tax referenda get voted down over the years. The latest was in 1996.

During that last campaign, there was huge community and business support that brought in six-figure funding for a full scale public relations campaign that included yard signs, information sheets, direct mailers, and television and radio commercials. But when it came time for the vote, the massive publicity campaign did more to raise criticism from opponents of the tax hike than votes from supporters.

“We have one of the best school systems in the state. Our students’ test scores are better than most students. Why would (Tuscaloosa County residents) vote to raise taxes for the schools?” asks Merrill, who says that funding would have gone toward school improvements. “Because they see less value for their investment. They don’t see themselves being stubborn about it. They see themselves being smart.

“Just because voters are against a property tax doesn’t mean they are not good people. They just want to be sure the government is using its resources to the best of their ability,” he adds.

In communities like Tuscaloosa and Homewood where school reputations are good, it’s easy for board members to be blinded.

One simply cannot assume that a vote to increase taxes, even if it is earmarked for school improvements, will pass easily. “Not everybody wants to support the schools,” Newton warns. “Those opposed are looking for something to complain about. You have to anticipate those criticisms and know in advance what you can do to send a positive message about it.”

Unfortunately, there have been plenty of failed attempts to pass property tax referenda for school boards to learn from.

That’s why getting an early start is key.

Even before taking office, Ayer began planning for Albertville School System’s campaign. He first followed a formula to determine just how many votes were needed to pass the referendum.

The formula involved figuring the total number of registered vot18 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

In 2001, Homewood City Schools set out to pass a property tax referendum to build a new middle school.

Three years later, the new 180,000square-foot Homewood Middle School opened to students. (Above) new entrance; (left) modern media room attracts students. ers in the system and determining a percentage that generally turned out, which was about 40 percent, or about 3,600 people.

He knew he needed at least 60 percent of those voters on his side to comfortably pass the vote, which gave him a “magic number” of 2,160 people needed to vote in favor of the referendum.

Then, Ayer and the school board launched a low-key, grassroots campaign to target those who would be most likely to support a tax increase to fund the new schools and limit, if not eliminate, any opposition. Those supporters were identified through school, civic and PTO/PTA groups. “We did not try to change the minds of anyone who would be opposed to it,” says Ayer. They just focused on getting those who were most likely to support it to agree to go to the polls. And they encouraged those people to bring another 10 like-minded individuals with them.

Another strategy Albertville Schools employed was to address the issue some had with tearing down the old school, which would be necessary when building the new one. Before the campaign was under way, the school system had plans drawn up for the new building, with a design that reflected the old school. The cost would be around $36 million for the new campus, which consisted of an academic wing, fine arts center and gymnasium for up to 1,400 students.

With such an organized strategy in place, Ayer says he was confident when residents went to the polls for the 2007 special election. The vote passed, and the 30-year property tax increase went into effect in 2008. Construction on the new school began shortly thereafter. The new school opened for students in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

Bottom line, school boards can successfully pass tax referenda, Howell says, but they have to be willing to work hard and get an early start on a strategic campaign. Jumping in weeks before a vote and expecting it to pass simply won’t result in a positive outcome.

“Remember, it’s a political campaign,” she adds. “It takes a lot ■ of hard work and energy and grit, but it can be done.”

Jennifer Walker-Journey is a career free-lancer.

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TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PROPERTY TAX CAMPAIGNS

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Running an effective campaign to pass property tax referenda takes hard work and diligence. Here are some pointers school boards should consider when embarking on their own campaigns. ✔ Start early. The sooner you begin working on a strategic plan, the better your chances of winning. Planning should start several months before the election. A year would be ideal.

✔ Seek legal counsel. The Alabama Association of School Boards strongly suggests school boards consult an attorney familiar with school finance issues to guide them through the process.

✔ Shoot for a special election. A property tax referendum has better luck passing if the issue is isolated.

Phone Bank Checklist Planning a tax referendum and need to identify areas of voter support? Gather up volunteers and host a phone bank. AASB’s Phone Bank Coordinator Checklist should help.

✔ Take nothing for granted and state the obvious. If you’re seeking a property tax renewal, remind voters that this isn’t a new tax. If you’re attempting to renew a temporary tax, be ready to explain exactly why that tax is still necessary.

✔ Timing is everything. Don’t hold an election during the summer when many of your “yes” voters are on vacation.

✔ Identify your “yes” voters. Target groups with a vested interest in schools, such as PTO/PTA groups, booster clubs, etc. Using past data, determine how many voters will be needed to pass the referendum.

✔ Educate your staff and faculty. Explain the reasons the tax referendum is needed and keep them updated on the status of the campaign. Do not tell them “how” to vote. Simply keep them in the loop, so they have the most accurate information.

✔ It’s a political campaign, not a public relations one. Don’t try to sway the “no” voters. Work to get the “yes”

voters to the polls by walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors, using phone banks, and creating a speakers bureau to talk to civic clubs, and PTO/PTA and parent groups.

✔ Use the resources available to you.

Request AASB’s Boardmanship Series booklet Securing Financial Support for Local Schools - 3rd Edition, 2007 ($5 shipping & handling), which details the legal requirements for raising and renewing property taxes for public schools. Members can also help individual boards develop effective ■ strategies for their campaigns.

Get the Book AASB offers training for school boards on how to pass a tax referendum and provides a booklet on the issue, as well. To order your copy of Securing Financial Support for Local Schools, a sample phone bank guide or to schedule a workshop, contact AASB at 800/562-0601 or info@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org.

➧ Make sure there are enough volunteers. You’ll need twice as many volunteers as there are phones. ➧ Develop a phone bank schedule and shifts for your volunteers. Remember to schedule the phone bank

➧ ➧ ➧

during a time when most voters are at home and least likely to be “disturbed” by a call (usually 6-9 p.m. on weekdays and late afternoon on weekends).

Set your goal. If you plan a 2-hour phone bank with 10 volunteers and want each person to make 5 calls per hour, then your goal is 2 X 10 X 5 = 100 total phone calls.

Organize the voter list that will be used for calls by precincts. It makes it easier to identify precincts where there is high voter support.

Divide your volunteers into manageable teams (maybe of five) and assign a team captain to no more than three teams. Train captains to monitor and assist the teams.

➧ Use the data collected to get out the vote. ➧ Keep volunteers energized by leading fun games, competitions and “awards” to ensure morale remains high. ➧ Add the phone bank volunteers’ information to your contact list and keep them informed about the campaign and the outcome of the vote.

■ There’s an Elephant in the Room. See related article on page 20.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 19

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THERE’S AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

By Denise L. Berkhalter

Whatever you do, don’t think of an elephant! don’t imagine ivory tusks or peanuts or floppy ears — nothing associated with elephants. Now, as you read this sentence, are you thinking of an elephant?

Sure you are, and there’s a reason. “every word, like elephant, evokes a frame, which can be an image or other kind of knowledge,” explains inguistics professor George Lakoff of the University of California-Berkeley. Lakoff writes about framing and reframing messages in his book, Don’t Think of an Elephant.

“Elephants are large, have floppy ears and a trunk,” Lakoff wrote. “They are associated with circuses, and so on. The word is defined relative to that frame. When we negate a frame, we evoke the frame.” In other words, being told not to think of an elephant made you think of one.

These “elephants” can be found in a number of tax referendum campaigns. There is a reason for that, too. Taxes are a sensitive issue in Alabama — home to the nation’s lowest state and local property taxes and an upside down tax system that leans on the poor. The result is less money for education and other public services compared to other states and a general statewide groan when “tax reform” is uttered.

But, don’t give up on renewing or introducing tax support for schools.

Lakoff encourages his readers to creatively tap into the con ceptual framework that exists in our minds and helps us make sense of the world around us. Consider a reframe of the “tax hike” or “tax increase” or “tax burden” or offering “tax relief” to focus instead on American duty and patriotism.

In a 2003 UCBerkeleyNews interview, Lakoff used the “tax relief” example to explain.

“First, you have the frame for relief,” Lakoff said. “For there to be relief, there has to be an affliction, an afflicted party, somebody who administers the relief and an act in which you are relieved of the affliction. The reliever is the hero, and anybody who tries to stop them is the bad guy intent on keeping the affliction going.

So, add tax to relief and you get a metaphor that taxation is an affliction, and anybody against relieving this affliction is a villain.”

20 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

Lakoff suggested a more positive frame.

“Taxes,” he said, “are what you pay to be an American, to live in a civilized society that is democratic and offers opportunity, and where there’s an infrastructure that has been paid for by previous taxpayers.”

So, before launching your next tax referendum campaign, call stakeholders together to discuss the “common good” or “common need” that would result from the tax. Will there be a savings for taxpayers in the long term? Will a new school mean additional classrooms for students and more jobs for the community? Will local businesses enjoy a new pool of ready-for-work employees?

Once you select your campaign message, test it with a diverse group of voters. Ask them what subconcious meaning they apply to the message. Then re-evaluate.

The old adage that you can’t please all of the people all of the time applies, but understand that special elections are generally won by convincing your supporters to get out and vote. So, don’t “shoot yourself in the foot” with a faulty message.

■

FRAME IT RIghT Which phrase resonates more positively to you, and why?

• “Penny for education” or • “one-cent tax increase.”

• “nickels for the Classroom” or • “5-cent tax hike” • “reapprove tax support or • “Renew temporary tax” for schools” • “vote fOr MyCity schools” or • “Vote for continuation of 7-mill tax levy”

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FEWER TESTS, MOre CAreer PreP

By Rahkia Nance

Over the next five years Alabama’s students will see dramatic changes in the way public schools prepare them for the future.

u

nder the state’s new student assessment protocol, elementary students will be tested less, teachers will have more instructional time and students will be introduced to a variety of career paths as early as eighth grade. The changes come after state education officials decided to improve college and career readiness, said Malissa Valdes, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Education.

“There was nothing really negative (about the old protocol), but it wasn’t really preparing students for college and career,” she said. “We didn’t want students to just learn information to repeat and test for it. We want them to actually be able to use it.”

The state had been considering this type of protocol about 10 years ago, Valdes said, but decided against implementing it then. Dr. Tommy Bice, deputy state superintendent of education-instructional services, and others began putting the protocol together in the early part of

22 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

2009, looking at several other examples in other states, Valdes said.

The plan calls for consolidation of three tests: the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing, the Alabama Science Assessment, and the Alabama Reading and Math Test. Those will combine to become the ARMT+ test, administered to students in grades three through eight. That move will reduce testing to three days instead of the two weeks required for the three tests, Valdes said.

The protocol will do away with the Stanford Achievement Test, which had been used as an attempt to compare Alabama standardized test scores with other national scores.

“It doesn’t show us any national comparison any better than other tests,” Valdes said of the Stanford 10 test.

Combining the tests will free up as much as two weeks of instructional time, which is valuable to teachers.

The state will also pay for one ACT exam for students, which could help some students chart their post-graduation path better.

This modification is one of the most important parts of the new protocol, said Caroline Novak, president of A+ Education Partnership, a Montgomerybased advocacy group.

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“It will encourage students to aim for a higher level of learning and will also be a more meaningful assessment of student learning, “ she said “This new protocol will involve open-ended questions where students demonstrate what they’re learning.”

The setup allows students to work on their achievement and gives them a better understanding of how prepared they are for work and college after graduation, Novak said, adding 77 percent of Alabama students take the ACT. “Not all of them are planning to go to college, but it does give them an indication of how ready they are to do college level work,” Novak said. “Many straight-to-work jobs require critical thinking, writing and learning complex work issues.”

The new assessment protocol will help students plan their coursework and potentially take courses that are suited to their career aspirations, Novak said.

Or, sometimes students may find out early on that they are not suited for a particular field.

“A lot of students express interest in medical careers but haven’t reached levels of achievement in math and science that would prepare them for that,” she said.

Using the end-of-course exam instead of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam will hold students accountable for what they are responsible for learning and is also a better gauge of comprehension, Valdes said.

State education officials have not yet calculated the cost of implementing the new protocol but estimate that eliminating the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing and the Alabama Science Assessment will cover the cost of administering the ACT, Valdes said.

Despite the benefits of the new protocol, implementing it in the midst of a budget crunch will be difficult, Novak said.

“The challenge is going to be developing these very rigorous assessments in a time when funding is an issue,” Novak said. “An open-ended test is more expensive than children filling in boxes.”

■ Rahkia Nance is a free-lance writer.

ChANgES TO ALABAMA’S ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL The state department of Education is in the midst of implementing a new student assessment protocol that includes fewer tests, more career preparation and end-of-course exams for high schoolers. here is the timeline. ◆ 2009-10 Elementary students stopped taking Stanford 10 test and began taking the ARMT+ test, a combination of the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test, Alabama direct Assessment of Writing and the Alabama Science Assessment. ◆ 2010-11 Tenth-graders will begin PLAN, a pre-ACT test; eighth-graders will begin ExPLORE, an ACT-related job skills assessment. ◆ 2011-12 high school seniors will begin taking end-of-course exams instead of the Alabama high School graduation Exam and will be introduced to WorkKeys.

Eleventh-graders will begin taking the ACT test with the writing portion.

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 23

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By Rahkia Nance

Alabama has adopted a uniform and more accurate method of calculating high school graduation rates that defines a graduate as a student who secures a diploma on time.

24 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

T

he state Department of Education will track each student in an entering freshman class to determine if and when a high school diploma is earned. To meet federal No Child Left Behind standards, all states will be required to move to a new method of accounting for graduates, called the fouryear cohort graduation rate formula, by 2012, said Gloria Turner, director of assessment and accountability for the Alabama Department of Education.

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In 2005, the National Governors Association called for all states to use the four-year adjusted cohort method to calculate graduation rates. In October 2008, the U.S. Department of Education required all states to use a similar method at the high school level, Turner said.

Ninth-grade students will be tracked throughout their high school careers. Students who transfer in or out of school will be tracked so that their status does not skew the calculation.

Alabama is in line with a number of other states that adopted the cohort method in 2009-10, said Joydeep Roy, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute. The Washington, D.C.-based think tank focuses on several economyrelated issues, including education.

The cohort method is ideal, Roy said, because it takes into account “the dynamic nature of high school.” Previously, Alabama had calculated its rate using a method based on dropout figures instead of enrollment.

That method involved dividing the number of spring and summer graduates by the number of graduates, plus the number of

dropouts and transfers over a four-year period. “We just took who was a senior that year (to calculate the graduation rate),” Turner said. “It could have been a fifth-year senior.”

The new method defines a graduate as a student who earns a diploma within four years. It calculates the fouryear cohort graduation rate by dividing the number of on-time graduates in a given year by the number of firsttime entering ninth-graders four years earlier, adjusting for students who transfer in or transfer out.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton said recent research tells two definitive stories — one heartening, one disheartening. Citing figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, Morton said Alabama’s graduation rate for the Class of 2007 was 67 percent, compared with the national rate of 74 percent — a seven percent difference. Five years ago, Alabama’s graduation rate was 62 percent and the national rate was 73 percent.

“From this perspective, Alabama is headed in the right direction,” the superintendent said. Morton noted that the center calculated graduation rates using a formula similar to the four-year cohort method.

(Continued on page 26)

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 25

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 9:53 AM Page 26

Alabama Redefines “Graduate,” Every State to do the Same in 2012 Continued from page 25

Data for the Class of 2009, however, show that 7 percent, almost 4,400 students, dropped out of school, Morton said. More than 18,400 students, or 28 percent, weren’t counted as graduates for other reasons. They either didn’t graduate with a traditional diploma — as in the case of GED students or those who

testing protocol that replaces the high school graduation exam with end-ofcourse tests.

Linda Tilly, executive director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children, a Montgomery-based nonprofit, looks forward to the ability to compare graduation rates using the standard formula.

“I think we will get a clearer, more realistic picture of graduation rates,” she said. “We really don’t know exactly how the states compare.”

“States have been doing a lot of experimenting with exit exams. Exit exams prompt students to perform at a higher level, but they are also found to discourage completion of high school. It has a negative effect on students who have a higher propensity for dropping out.”

— Joydeep Roy, economist with the Economic Policy Institute

earned graduation certificates — or were retained, failed to earn enough credits or left school without being officially removed from the roll.

Morton said a four-year cohort graduation rate of 67 percent is unacceptable.

The state’s 2009 four-year cohort graduation rate was 65.06 percent. “In Alabama, we are moving forward with a host of initiatives that are intended to address the needs of students and not only keep them in school, but also have them graduate on time whenever possible while simultaneously increasing the rigor of coursework and preparedness for college, the work force, and life after high school for our students,” Morton said.

Morton points to the FIRST CHOICE graduation improvement plan adopted by the state Board of Education in 2008.

The plan, now under way, provides for credit recovery when a student needs to retake a segment of a course, credit advancement to meet course requirements in nontraditional ways, graduation coaches for at-risk students, and a new 26 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

Like other states, Alabama had been depending on individual schools to provide them with graduate data. Schools often don’t have the resources to devote staff to that particular task, resulting in inaccurate data. Under the new calculation method, each student receives a unique identification number. Still, that doesn’t mean tracking will be any less burdensome.

“It takes a lot of time and effort and money to track individual students,” Roy said.

Though the state Department of Education will track individual students, school systems will also have to monitor transfers, Turner said. Transfers will require more stringent documentation, and to fall into that category, students must transfer to a program that culminates in a high school diploma. Otherwise, students will not be considered graduates.

But despite the move toward uniformity, enough differences remain that could prove problematic for national com-

parisons and for students who transfer to high schools in other states, Turner said.

“States still can define a graduate any way they want to,” she said. “Some use an exit exam and others may use a number of credits, as an example. And even the number of credits may differ from state to state.”

Students who transfer to high schools in other states could struggle academically if “they have not had the background to prepare for the curriculum,” Turner said.

Still, a uniform method of measuring graduation rates is an important step for the education community and will give a more accurate measure of national trends.

“A non-uniform definition of a graduate can be a very misleading thing,” Roy said. He gave an example of North Carolina and South Carolina, two neighboring states that have had very polar graduation rates. The difference, he said, is that one state has a much lower diploma requirement than the other. Exit exams, he said, have especially been tricky to deal with.

“States have been doing a lot of experimenting with exit exams,” he said. “Exit exams prompt students to perform at a higher level, but they are also found to discourage completion of high school. It has a negative effect on students who have a higher propensity for dropping out.”

With the increased emphasis on fouryear graduation, the new method could also prompt local school systems to examine more closely the reasons students drop out of school or take longer than four years to graduate, Tilly said. Programs and initiatives addressing those specific problems could crop up across the state as school systems work to ensure every child graduates on time, she said.

State education officials anticipate a stricter definition of a graduate will initially result in a lower graduation rate.

However, that should reverse itself as school systems begin to expect students to perform to higher levels, Tilly said.

“Expectations drive performance,” she said. “What gets measured will ■ change.”

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 9:53 AM Page 27

✔ 2010

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2010 6 Streamlining and Enhancing Evaluation and Assessments Using eBOARd (free)

dECEMBER 2010 2

Academy Core Conference* Effective Boards and Relationships Orientation (Formerly Leadership II) Wynfrey hotel, Birmingham * 6 Academy hours

3-5 AASB Annual Convention* Wynfrey hotel, Birmingham * 8 Academy hours

2011

JANUARY 2011 January 11-february 10 AASB district Meetings district 2: January 18 district 5: January 20 district 6: January 24 district 8: January 25 district 7: January 27 district 4: January 31 district 3: February 1 district 1: February 3 district 9: February 10

Make Your Plans Today!

2011

MARCh 2011 18 AASB “Early Bird” Workshop* Wynfrey hotel, Birmingham * 2 Academy hours

18- AASB Core Academy Conference* 19 Leadership for Developing a Highly Effective Staff Wynfrey hotel, Birmingham * 6 Academy hours

APRIL 2011 9- NSBA Annual Conference and Exposition * 11 San Francisco, California * 3 Academy hours

JUNE 2011 9- AASB Core Academy Conference* 10 Roles and Responsibilities Orientation (Formerly Leadership I) Perdido hotel, Orange Beach * 8 Academy hours

10- AASB Summer Conference* 12 Perdido hotel, Orange Beach * 7 Academy hours

ALSO COMINg IN 2011 tbd Employment Law Review Workshop nOte: Every attempt will be made to follow this schedule, but minor changes may occur. * Core credit awarded only once.

■

Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 27

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 9:54 AM Page 28

BOARDMANSHIP BASICS

By Cindy McMullen, Central Valley School Board, Spokane, Washington

• It has alternately been described as “the most important volunteer job in our country” and “the toughest elective office in America.”

• It is the embodiment of democracy in action.

• It is fundamental to the future of our communities, our state and our nation.

• It is the job of an elected or appointed member of a school board.

(Continued on page 26) 28 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 9:54 AM Page 29

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 6:00 PM Page 30

School Board Service: An Investment in the Future Continued from page 28

Citizen school boards are at the heart of our public education system. Each school system is governed by a school board made up of locally chosen citizens who spend hundreds of hours each year making decisions designed to help all students achieve and have a successful life.

Right now school boards are working to address myriad challenges in public education. Improving student learning, reducing the performance gap for poor and minority students, providing for smaller class sizes and more early learning opportunities, promoting student health and safety — these are just some of the issues on the agendas of school boards around the nation.

The local school board serves as a vital link between the community and the classroom. School boards ensure that decisions on educational programming are made by local representatives who understand the community’s unique challenges, values, culture and circumstances.

As “governors” of the school system, school board members perform critical functions in four major areas: ■

VISION The board focuses the work of the school system and community on student achievement through a comprehensive strategic planning process.

■

STRUCTURE The board governs the school system through prudent financial planning and oversight and diligent and innovative policymaking.

Help.

Q.

May schools use money from students and other non-state sources to purchase meals for students in extracurricular activities?

A.

Yes. A recent attorney general’s opinion states that schools have the authority to accept public or private funds for any educational purpose, a term which has been interpreted broadly by the courts. As long as the school determines the purchase of such meals serves and educational purpose, the purchases are allowed.

—AASB Staff

30 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010

■

ACCOUNTABILITY The board infuses all programs and crucial policies with specific goals and a process for evaluating, reporting and recommending improvements.

■

ADVOCACY The board champions public education in the local community and before state and federal policymakers.

Each school board member brings his or her own style of leadership to board service.

While there is no ideal working style, there are certain basic characteristics that contribute to successful teamwork on a school board.

■

EFFECTIVE BOARD MEMBERS: • Have a sincere interest in public education and are committed to ensuring a quality education for the boys and girls in their communities.

• Are respected and involved in their communities and bring with them a broad base of knowledge and experience.

• Are willing to spend long hours working as a team with other board members to benefit the school system and the community.

Public education is a promise to our children — a promise that they will be prepared for the opportunities and challenges of being responsible citizens of our society.

Serving the community as a school board member means making a commitment to the children and being a part of honoring that promise.

■ Cindy McMullen served in 2007 as president of the Washington State School Directors’ Association, which granted permission to reprint this column. McMullen is a member of the Central Valley School Board in Spokane.

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/5/10 9:54 AM Page 31

Alabama Association of School Boards

Professional Sustaining Members

A Partnership That Works!

AASB appreciates these professional members for supporting association activities and you all year long.

PreMiere sustaining Members

• hoar Program Management Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/803-2121

• Johnson Controls

• david volkert & Associates, inc.

Architects and engineers Mobile, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251/342-1070

Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/217-6762

• Kelly services • ebOArdsolutions, inc.

Lawrenceville, gA . . . . . . . . 770/822-3626

dothan, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/673-7136

• McKee & Associates Architecture & interior design Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/834-9933

• schneider electric • furtal Media, llC

Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/356-3646

dallas, Tx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214/349-3385

sustaining Members • barganier davis sims Architects Associated

schoolCast Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . 205/988-5884

Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/834-2038

• Columbus bank & trust (Cb&t Card services) Columbus, gA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706/644-0283

• hecht burdeshaw Architects

business sustaining Member • Alabama beverage Association Montgomery, AL

Opelika, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/826-8448

• JbhM education Group Jackson, MS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .601/987-9187

• Krebs Architecture & engineering Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/987-7411

PlAtinuM sustaining Member • American fidelity Assurance Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/987-0950

• M.b. Kahn Construction Co. inc. huntsville, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 803/360-3527

• Payne lee & Associates Architects Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/272-2180

• Ph&J Architects, inc.

Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/265-8781

silver sustaining Members • ellis Architects Tuscaloosa, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/752-4420

• Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, inc.

Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/271-3200

• Alabama supercomputer Authority Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/242-0100

• Almon Associates inc.

Tuscaloosa, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/349-2100

• davis Architects inc.

brOnZe • high Ground solutions -

sustAininG MeMbers

• sACs CAsi Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/244-3163

• siemens building technologies, inc.

Pelham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/403-8388

• tCu Consulting services Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/420-1500

Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/322-7482

• energy systems Group helena, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/994-0490

• evan terry Associates, P.C. Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/972-9100

• Gallet & Associates, inc.

Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/942-1289

• information transport solutions Wetumpka, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334/567-1993

• KhAfrA engineers, Architects and Construction Managers Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/252-8353

• lathan Associates Architects P.C. hoover, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/988-9112

• seay seay & litchfield P.C. Montgomery, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334/000-0000

• southland international bus sales Birmingham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888/844-1821

• transportation south Pelham, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205/000-0000

• thompson engineering, inc.

Mobile, AL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251/666-2443 Alabama School Boards • Fall 2010 31

17526d_AlaSchoolBoards_Fall 2010 10/7/10 10:34 AM Page 32

Alabama Association of School Boards 4240 Lomac Street Montgomery, Alabama 36106

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Birmingham, AL Permit No. 3246