Alabama Politics in
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NOTE: Sen. Hank Sanders has written a weekly column for papers in his legislative district for the past twenty years. These rural, weekly papers lack a web presence, and therefore a link to the publication is not available. The column below is provided by Sen. Sanders’ office for inclusion in the Daily News Digest.

Senate Sketches # 1089

By

Senator Hank Sanders

***************************************

Sometimes we choose. Sometimes we have no choice. As we struggle to forge an education budget in the face of many cuts, we have made many choices. However, we have no choice is rejecting Higher Education (four-year colleges and universities) demand for $50 million more than the Governor recommended in these desperate times.

In funding public education (K-12), Alabama ranks near the very bottom - 43^rd out of 50 states. That’s a dismal statistic for Alabama’s children in particular and our people in general. We have no choice.

On the other hand, Alabama ranks 5th among states in funding Higher Education based on percent of personal income. It ranks number 15th on per pupil state support. If you don’t believe me, read State Policy Report Volume 26, Issue 5. We have no choice.

We must cut the education budget at least $400 million from current (2008) funding levels. We don’t have the money. We have no choice.

In truth, we should cut the Education Budget by $573 million as projected by the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO). Rather than cut education further, we chose to gamble with only $400 million in cuts. Any shortfalls (proration) will hurt K-12 much worse.

Governor Bob Riley proposed an Education Budget based upon 2007 funding levels for K-12 and Higher Education. The 2007 level is a reasonable place to start because the 2008 budget contained big increases that distort everything. Some adjustments for raises, benefits and other factors were made for K-12. Other adjustments were made to the Higher Education base.

Most of the education community bought into this approach: two-year colleges; the Alabama Association of School Boards; the State Superintendent of Education; the School Superintendents (the Alabama Association of School Administrators); the Alabama Education Association (AEA); etc. Higher Education rejected this approach. They are demanding another $50 million.

In spite of the situation, we tried to help Higher Education. We raked and scraped, pulling together $25 million. Higher Education rejected it outright. Some threatened to kill the education budget. It was $50 million or nothing. We have no choice but to fight.

We can either cut K-12 so that it falls below our dismal 43rd ranking, or we can keep higher education at its lofty 5th and 15th rankings. We cannot drop K-12 even lower to help Higher Education rise even higher. We have no choice.

Worse than rankings, we will have to stop growing critical programs that are helping our children better prepare and graduate to meet Higher Education’s demand. All four of these programs have received national recognition. None of them reach all children in need, but each helps make up for other deficiencies in our education system.

Let me explain. The Reading Initiative must follow up on grades 1-3 with help in grades 4-6. The Math and Science Initiative covers only 40 percent of our students. The Distance Learning Initiative is in just 170 of 410 schools (42 percent). The Early Childhood Pre-K Program covers just 2358 of 58,000 students (4 percent). It’s one of the highest rated Pre-K Programs in the nation, but the lowest funded. By comparison, 70 percent of Georgia’s 4 year-olds participate in Pre-K.

None of these programs were started by Governor Riley. Three commenced before he became Governor. He champions them all. So do I. So must you.

If we don’t better prepare all our school children, many will drop out while more will graduate without being fully prepared. Then Higher Education will not have the prepared students it needs. We have no choice.

From 2001 to 2007, we increased funding for Higher Education by 49 percent. Still, Higher Education raised tuition by 60 percent over the same period. Some of us never get enough.

Higher Education has something to fall back on. They all have monies from student tuition. Many raise lots of money. Some have foundations with as much as $1 billion dollars.

K-12 has nothing to fall back on. There is no tuition. Even students fees are limited by law. K-12 cannot raise large sums of monies. All they have is public funds. We have no choice but to protect them.

To fund Higher Education an additional $25 million, we have to cut out the foresaid programs or the following programs: Early Childhood Intervention; HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-School Youngsters); ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens); At Risk; Advance Placement; High Hopes; JAG (Jobs for Alabama Graduates); English as a Second Language and many others. We cannot weaken the education foundation to build better windows and doors for Higher Education. We can stand or we can slide back. We have no choice.

Now on to the Daily Diary.

Saturday - It was my granddaughter’s first birthday, but I was unable to reach her. She was visiting in California. I participated in a Unity Breakfast, attended the funeral of E. Randall Osborne in Perry County, and worked on the Education Budget, Sketches and other matters. I talked with the following: Representative Rod Scott; Dr. Carol P. Zippert of the Greene County Democrat; Greene County Board of Education member Lester Brown; and Bobbie Coley, Principal of Francis Marion High School. I worked on many issues.

Sunday - I did Radio Sunday School with Dr. Margaret Hardy, Radio Education with Perry County School Superintendent John Heard, and Sunday Review. I taught Sunday School and attended Church. I visited J. L. Chestnut, Jr. who is recovering from illness. I talked with Ife Major who just had a greatly premature baby and Sam Sanders and Ainka Sanders about the same. I also talked with the mother and baby. I worked into the night.

Monday - I completed Sketches and worked on various issues including the Education Budget. I traveled to Lowndes County, back to Selma and participated in a conference call. I talked with the following: Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little; Sharon Wheeler about Sketches; Selma City Attorney Jimmy Nunn; Joyce Bigbee, Norris Green, and Kelly Butler of the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO); Eddie Mae Moye of Montgomery; Senator Bobby Singleton; former Senator John Amari; Maria Alexander of Montgomery; and Amanda Taylor and Geraldine Ingram of Lowndes County. I worked into the night.

Tuesday - I worked on several issues and still made it to Montgomery by 8:30 a.m. for a series of meetings about bingo, the education budget, and other matters. I participated in a Senate Session and worked into the night on the Budget. I also participated in a dinner session about corporate taxes and a late night Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC) conference call. I returned to Selma.

Wednesday - I worked at my Selma office and still made it back to Montgomery for an 8:00 a.m. meeting. I participated in the following Committee meetings: Education Finance Committee and Taxation; General Fund; and Judiciary. I also chaired a meeting of the Finance and Taxation Education Committee and worked on the Budget into the night. I attended a late dinner for the Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee and returned to Selma.

Thursday - I was back in Montgomery for an 8:00 a.m. Senate Democratic Caucus meeting; a Senate Session; a meeting on taking the state sales tax off food. I had multiple meetings on the Education Budget and talked with many persons about education, gambling and other issues. I worked into the night before returning to Selma.

Friday - I had to return to Montgomery on a budget issue. I had lunch with Selma businessman Mike Reynolds and talked with the following: Chip Hill of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office; Sid McAnally about an industry in the Black Belt; Lowndes County Commissioner Charlie King; Judge John England of Tuscaloosa; Bob Johnson of the Associated Press about taking sales taxes off food; Dr. John Wheat of the University of Alabama; Dr. Paul Hubbert of AEA; and Norris Greene of LFO. I participated in several conference calls on budget and Senate operations. I traveled to Tuscaloosa to speak at the Rural Medical Scholars event and returned to Selma.

EPILOGUE - Sometimes our choices are six in one hand and a half dozen in the other. Then we agonize. Sometimes our choices are so clear, we have no choice. Such is the situation we face with Higher Education and K-12.

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