Stephanie Bell of Montgomery is running for a fifth term (first elected 1994) on the State Board of Education, District 3. She defeated Skip Smithwick (AEA-funded) in the Primary.

She graduated from Auburn with a degree in English / Journalism, taught English in Taiwan, reported for the Montgomery Advertiser, and then worked for Education reform prior to her election to the Board of Education.

The State Board of Education members: Governor Bob Riley (R - President),  Joe Morton (Superintendent), Randy McKinney (R - District 1), Betty Peters (R - District 2), Stephanie Bell (R - District 3), Ethel Hall (D - District 4, VP), Ella Bell ( - District 5), David Byers (R - District 6, VP), Sandra Ray (D - District 7), and Mary Jane Caylor (D - District 8).

Note that the Board seems to vote along Party lines on most issues.

The Huntsville Times ran an editorial by John Ehinger today entitled “Schools scraping by.” The gist of the column is not that school tax revenue is falling, although Ehinger leads off by saying there is a “downturn in the taxes collected to pay for public education in Alabama.” In the third paragraph you get the real story.

For the first nine months of the current budget year, education taxes grew only by 1.4 percent. But the budget passed by the Legislature had estimated a growth rate of 5 percent.

So there isn’t a downturn in taxes. Tax revenue is actually growing. The problem is that the legislature increased the education budget beyond the growth in the tax base.

But whether or not tax revenue is increasing, decreasing, or flat is beside the point. Ehinger claims our schools are “scraping by.” I say give me a break.

In FY 2008 the Huntsville city schools had a total revenue of $270,287,292. That’s right, over a quarter of a billion dollars. They have about 23,000 students enrolled. (The most recent number I could find on their website was 22,724 from a 2005-2006 report, but recent reporting suggests that number is still pretty close) That works out to a per pupil revenue of $11,752. That is the amount of money they received for every student they have. Let’s compare that to some private schools in the area to see if they are really “scraping by.”

We’ll start at the top with Randolph Academy - easily the area’s premier private school. Their operating budget is $11 million and they have an enrollment of 876 students which works out to $12,557 per student. That’s right, the best private school that money can buy operates on less than $1000 per student more than Huntsville’s city schools.

Madison Academy’s annual budget is $5 million with an enrollment of 785 pupils, which equals $6,369 per student.

Catholic High School doesn’t have it’s operating budget listed on its website, but tuition, which is a reasonable proxy for per student revenue depending on the amount of help from the church, is only $6,075 per year.

Schola Maxima, a very well regarded school for elementary school age children, only costs $4,250 per year for the first student and $3,750 for each additional student.

Here’s the summary:

• Randolph Schools: $12,557
• Huntsville City Schools: $11,752
• Madison Academy: $6,369
• Catholic High School: $6,075
• Schola Maxima: $4,250

So the government run schools in Huntsville get about the same financial support as the area’s best private school.  They get roughly double two other good area private schools.  When you get down into elementary education the government schools cost roughly triple what good privately operated schools cost.  Yet despite the considerable funding, the Huntsville school system includes four high schools defined as “dropout factories.”  People don’t pay $12k to send their kids to a privately funded dropout factory, but the taxpayers are paying that amount for the city of Huntsville to operate four.

Huntsville’s government schools get about half of their revenue from the state.  What if the state simply cut them off completely?  I’m not talking about increasing their contribution less than planned or even decreasing it just a little.  I mean what if they flat out took it away?  Then the city of Huntsville’s schools would have to get by on about the same amount of money that two very good area high schools get by with.

Are our schools are “scraping by”?  Give me a break!  Our schools are flush with cash.  If Dr. Ann Roy Moore complains about needing any more money I say we just shut down their whole operation and ask the people who run Randolph School to take over.  They manage to provide a much better education for the same money.

The Huntsville Times article Sales tax hike unlikely in cities provides the following opinions and quotes from public officials (thanks to The Times for getting them on record):

Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer has not considered asking the council to approve one.

(Madison) Mayor Sandy Kirkindall said with 57 percent of Madison residents voting against the recently proposed half-cent sales tax, it was clear to him that Madison residents don’t want it.

“I’m not in favor of raising taxes on the people, certainly not with everything going out of sight like gasoline and food prices,” said (Huntsville) Councilwoman Sandra Moon.

(Huntsville) Councilman Bill Kling said the nearly 2-to-1 defeat of the sales tax, coupled with the city’s special tax districts that have provided more than $75 million in recent years for new and renovated city schools, also makes him not inclined to support a sales tax hike.

(Huntsville) Council President Glenn Watson wants to know specifically how city schools would spend the money before committing to a position on a higher city sales tax… he’s more in favor of helping schools with a TIF (tax increment financing) plan than with additional sales taxes.

(Huntsville) Councilman Mark Russell seemed receptive to a sales tax hike for schools, but only if the money is shared for other city needs such as roads and improvements to the Von Braun Center… “I’d like to see the school system make some changes, which they seem to be in the process of doing with consolidating schools and maximizing their resources”.

(Madison) Councilwoman Cynthia McCollum said she believes that for a sales tax increase to work it would have to be a regional effort.  “I think what has perhaps been lacking is that all of us, the County Commission, Huntsville and Madison all need to sit down together and hammer out a solution to this problem and if that solution means a collective sales tax for the entire region then I would support it”.

(Madison) Council President Steve Haraway said based on how Madison residents voted on the issue in the June 3 election that he would not support a city sales tax increase.

(Madison) Councilman Jerry Jennings said he has serious reservations about the consequences of a unilateral sales tax increase…  He said if Huntsville agreed to it, he’d have no problem following suit.

(Madison) Councilman Tim Cowles said he’d rather see a citywide ad valorem increase. “I just don’t think a sales tax increase is a good idea,” Cowles said. “And the reason why is because we can float bonds against ad valorem taxes and if it’s going to be used for infrastructure, really the way to do it is through bonds.” Cowles said regardless, he’d want it to go before the residents for a vote.

(Madison) Councilman Tommy Overcash said he believes after the results of the recent election that “I would really have to look at all the information before making a decision.”  “It hasn’t been asked for yet and I know they’re regrouping and looking at their options and who knows, it could be a countywide push for an ad valorem tax increase…”

(Madison) Councilman Larry Vannoy said he wants to understand more about the financial straits the system is facing before he gets into a sales tax conversation. “I’d like to see what other solutions might be out there and have a public debate on the issue,” Vannoy said. “If the public is going to support it, I think they need to be more informed and be assured that it will fix the problem.”

(Madison) Councilman Bob Wagner said he would only support it if a vote of the people showed they wanted it.  “In the recent election it was overwhelmingly shot down by residents of Madison”.

Madison School Board President Sue Helms said she expects the board will approach city leaders about a city sales tax increase after the Aug. 26 elections. Regardless of what happens, she said the portables that will be needed at Bob Jones High School will be put out front, not hidden behind the school.

Keep in mind that Municipal Elections are coming soon… August 26.

UPDATE:

 The Madison County Record in Commission fends off talk of tax increase gets the Madison County Commission on the record (thank you to the Record):

Commissioner Roger Jones, District 1, said he wanted to put an end to the rumors the commission may pass the tax even though the voters had said no… “The voters voted and they voted overwhelmingly in support of not putting this tax on, almost two to one, and I respect that vote”.

Commissioner Faye Dyer, District 2, agreed she would not vote for a sales tax increase unless the voters of Madison County approved it as well. “The people have spoken”.

Commissioner Bob Harrison, District 6, said he would entertain the idea of a sales tax but he would have to see how it would benefit the people of his district. “The caveat that my district has given to me is that there should be a no vote unless there is something in it for them”.

Commissioner Mo Brooks, District 5, wanted to see if there was any way to lock down the tax so it would not come before the commission again during the next four years…  “If there had been a way for us to do that it would have been important for us to do that so the school boards will know that they need to address their problems with their mayor and their city council’s”.

The Huntsville Times reports that the ” Madison County Board of Education is meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in a retreat at the Marriott Shoals Hotel in Florence”. “Superintendent Terry Davis has pointed out the already-overcrowded district has $160 million in needs today…”

I guess one of the needs is for the Board to take a two-day meeting in Florence, staying at an “elegant” “spa resort”.  Will the school principals (”seek input from principals”) shlep over to Florence and back or do they get “plush guest rooms” too? More:

Adding to their concerns are cuts in Alabama’s Education Budget for the 2008-09 year. The district already knows it can expect 3 percent less overall from the state program that pays for teachers and other instructional needs. And there will likely be an 8 percent cut in transportation funds.

Madison County Schools held a similar retreat at the same location last year. 

Note that the Times URL page is aptly named: “madison_county_school_board_ho”.

The Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa “invites you to experience a new level of refinement and charm among hotels in Florence, Alabama. Plush guest rooms feature comfortable luxury and modern conveniences, as well as private balconies providing stunning views of the river… Indulge in a lavish treatment at this Alabama spa resort, offering the pinnacle of rejuvenation”.

 UPDATE:

John Ehinger of the Huntsville Times says Let’s annex the Marriott Shoals:

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, every time the Madison County or City of Madison school boards go on retreat, they hop in their cars and race to the Marriott Shoals, where for a few days, apparently, they engage in the kind of heart-to-heart dialogue they seem unable to engage in here.

I guess they sit in a circle on folding chairs and wail about how the people just don’t understand. But I don’t know.

In short, they take serious discussions of a serious issue - public education - out of the community they serve. And while the sessions (because of that darned state open-meetings law) are open to the public, how many parents can drop what they’re doing, find supervision for their kids and follow the entourage out of town for a few days?

The latest to frolic at the Shoals Marriott was the Madison County school board and other school officials. Superintendent Terry Davis was careful to note that the money spent was mostly federal money. That means, I assume, that it arrives from Mars every other week by bus and is thus paid by Martians and not by Alabamians or Americans.

I have a lot of respect for Ehinger’s professionalism, and now I’m gaining more respect for his humor as well.  Madison County Schools Superintendent Davis just got schooled; let’s hope he realizes it…

A committee chartered to determine how to consolidate some of Huntsville’s schools gave its recommendations to the board tonight.  Here they are:

• Consolidate Terry Heights and University Place elementary schools and build a new school for the consolidated student body in the area.
• Merge Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. elementary schools after construction of a new school in the area.
• Combine East Clinton and Blossomwood elementary schools after construction of a new school on the Blossomwood campus.
• Consolidate West Huntsville and Morris elementary schools as soon as possible. The committee recommended renovating Morris by 2012 to accommodate the students.
• Move students at Stone Middle School to the larger Westlawn Middle School campus. Renovate the consolidated Westlawn building by 2013.
• Make better use of Butler High School. With about 700 students, Butler is at about 35 percent of its student capacity and costs $3 million a year to operate.

Closing six, building three, and renovating two would be a good start.  I’m eager to see the numbers behind the recommendations.  How much will it cost/save?  What capacity will the schools operate at afterward?  Will elected officials even have the political will to follow through with these modest recommendations?  Lot’s of questions…

As expected, The Huntsville Times editorial board supports the county wide half cent sales tax increase for Madison County.  They trotted out the old argument that if you oppose any increased tax for education then you must hate kids and not want them to be educated.

[S]upporters have done little beyond preaching to the choirs of PTAs and those, like local business leaders who understand how vital education is to this area’s continued prosperity, who would support the proposal anyway.

Clearly opponents of the tax hike are trolls who lie in wait under bridges and eat unsuspecting children who pass by.  After all, we don’t “understand how vital education is to this area’s continued prosperity.”  If only we were as enlightened as those who do understand that any time the government school bureaucrats demand money the only response is, “How much?”

The temptation, during a time of high gasoline prices and rumors of recession, is for voters to just say no to another tax. In Alabama, truth be told, that’s an almost unavoidable temptation in boom times.

David Prather - the columnist who penned the endorsement - touched on an interesting point here.  Although Huntsville has been relatively insulated from the broader economic issues facing the country we still remain in an unsteady economy, with prices for many items rising rapidly.  I think it’s worth reading about what is happening in Michigan right now in order to comprehend the consequences of raising taxes in a slow economy.

Prather continues:

The money generated from a sales tax won’t go for additional bureaucrats or swankier offices. It will go, school officials from all three systems promise, for building new buildings and renovating those that need it.

I’m looking into this matter.  When the sales tax was originally proposed that is how it was described.  Various officials drafted resolutions that put the capital improvement requirement in writing.  I remained skeptical because nothing would stop the schools from shifting “other” money away from capital expenses to something else (like salaries) and merely replace it with this money.  The proposal on the ballot does not restrict the revenue to capital projects, however.  I’m not sure if there is a more concrete resolution backing up the ballot wording (I’ve contacted a commissioner for clarification).  But wait!  We have their word; they promised.  Well, that will help me sleep better at night.

I think it is instructive to note, though, that the last county wide half cent sales tax, which was put into effect about 20 years ago, was intended to be for capital projects and now is being used elsewhere.

From AL.com:

A group of tearful and emotional school teachers from around Alabama, including Huntsville and Decatur, made a plea today for the Legislature to act quickly on the state’s education budget.

At a press conference arranged by the Senate Democratic Caucus, more than a dozen teachers told of their personal plight since receiving their pink slips.

Victoria Lemiux, who was an 11th- and 12th-grade teacher at Lee High School in Huntsville, said 20 of her students who graduated this year were on a school bus that fell off an Interstate 565 ramp on Nov. 20, 2006, killing four.

“I had the pleasure of watching them walk across the stage,” she said. “I received my pink slip before that monumental moment.”

…

Alison Lovell, who was an elementary teacher at Huntsville’s Rolling Hills Elementary School, said she got her second pink slip in two years.

But wait just a minute!  WAFF has a conflicting story:

The clock was ticking until the end of the school year and now that it’s here, were any let go?

No.

Huntsville City Schools spokesman Keith Ward says, “No pink slips.”

That’s for both Madison County and Huntsville City school systems.

Ward says each system was given a budget and a projection was based on the 3% cut the house passed.

So here we have some teachers going to Montgomery - almost certainly at the behest of the AEA - and giving sob stories during a publicity stunt, but their employer is refuting their claims.  The Huntsville City Schools’ spokesman flatly said that no pink slips were handed out.  At least two teachers in that system claimed to have been given pink slips.  Who is struggling with the truth here?

Madison City Schools superintendent Dee Fowler offered up one of my favorite selfish arguments that government bureaucrats - typically in education - love to use.

For Fowler, a smaller state education budget justifies a tax base for schools not fueled by sales tax revenue, which drops during economic downturns.

He said property taxes should drive school funding because they are more stable.

“It’s not fair to compile a budget so tied to economic factors,” Fowler said.

And just why isn’t that fair, Dee?  When the economy slows down real people feel the pain.  Real people make less money (or inflation diminishes their purchasing power - same end difference) and they buy less.  How is it fair to them to have their taxes pegged to more static property taxes that would eat up a greater share of their income during tough economic times while you guys don’t share in the pain?  What makes the government run schools so special that they should be immune to widespread suffering during unsteady economic times?

The Huntsville Times ran an article on Sunday showing statistics that black students are more likely to get arrested than white students in most north Alabama schools.  I’ll try to comment on the content of the story later if I can find the time, but I was surprised to see the nature of the offenses that officers are arresting kids for.

[I]n Huntsville and Decatur, officers arrest disruptive students, with causes ranging from pushing and fighting to cursing a teacher. Students are handcuffed, driven to the juvenile detention home, fingerprinted and released to their parents.

Seriously.  What happened to disciplining kids in the school?

The story quoted the state PTA president who made a great point.

“To me it’s ironic,” said Laurie McCaulley, state PTA president and a candidate for the Huntsville school board. “We didn’t arrest our state senator for fighting. Yet we expect zero tolerance for our children in school.”

McCaulley is, of course, referring to the altercation in the Alabama Senate last year where Charles Bishop slugged Lowell Barron.  I couldn’t agree more with her observation.

Here’s another shameless plea for more money.

The Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce on Monday affirmed its support for a half-cent sales tax increase for schools, but the chamber’s board chairman said a property tax hike would make a better choice.

…

Monday’s tax talk comes as Madison County school system leaders consider alternative ways to make room for more students, such as using vacant commercial buildings and extending the school day or having “double shifts,” where half the students attend a school in the morning and early afternoon while others start their day after lunch. 

I guess the earlier talk of year round schooling wasn’t enough to scare parents and homeowners into voting for the tax increase.  Now they’re upping the ante, but they may have overplayed their hand.  Splitting school days into morning and afternoon sessions would wreak havoc on parents and depress property values as people left the area.  Which is exactly why such a plan would NEVER become a reality.  The sheer absurdity of the proposal exposes it as an obvious bluff.