GOV. BOB RILEY UNVEILS EDUCATION VISION
September 6, 2006
Mobile – Continuing the roll-out of his comprehensive Plan 2010 vision for Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious education initiative that includes funding for a school repair and construction program, concrete steps to improve the state’s graduation rate and continued support for public institutions of higher education.
“With historic education spending, an expansion of the Alabama Reading Initiative and more schools than ever before meeting their yearly progress goals, we have made substantial strides in just four short years, but this plan will allow us to take the next step,” Riley said at a news conference in front of Mobile’s W.C. Griggs Elementary School. “By continuing the programs of the past four years and implementing the aggressive steps outlined in this initiative, we can provide our children and grandchildren with a quality public education for decades to come.”
Noting that his education initiative, like the rest of his Plan 2010, does not require new taxes and only average economic growth, Riley said a school repair and construction program of at least $500 million is an important component of his proposal.
“Many school districts across this state are still operating with buildings built in the early part of the last century that have cooling and heating systems designed 50 or 60 years ago and electrical infrastructure that has long passed its prime. Some of these schools are not just inefficient and inconvenient, they are dangerous,” Riley said. “That is why I proposed a $500 million school safety and improvement plan during the last legislative session. While the legislative leadership did not place school improvement as a top priority and blocked the proposal, I will continue the fight until our children are safe, comfortable and provided environments that allow them to learn.”
He also outlined what he called the Graduation Plan for Alabama (G.P.A) that will raise the state’s graduation rates by placing an emphasis on at-risk students and providing them with remediation, tutoring, and mentoring programs. Riley said he will also enforce the current law that requires students who drop out of school to lose their license until they are 19-years-old and close any loopholes that might exist.
“No child should be denied a good education and a bright future, and no child should be allowed to deny themselves those things, either,” Riley said. “By helping at-risk students achieve things they now believe aren’t possible, our economy will continue to improve, unemployment will continue to drop and industries will maintain access to an able and educated workforce.”
The governor said proven programs that work, such as the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Math Science and Technology Initiative and the ACCESS distance learning program, should be expanded so more students may utilize them.
Offering monetary incentives to schools and teachers that achieve results and continue to improve is another component of his program, along with providing them with tools needed to achieve a strict and disciplined classroom environment.
Making strategic investments in the state’s higher education program is an area that Riley said has wide-ranging impact on other economic and quality of life issues in the state.
“Four years ago I envisioned a higher education system that could become a backbone for our state’s economic development, and, in four years, we have moved decidedly in that direction,” Riley said. “We will continue to invest in groundbreaking research being conducted at Auburn University, UAB, South Alabama and other institutions while continuing to build a higher education infrastructure that is second to none.”
Riley said he expects critics from the other party to attack his education proposal but credits their critiques to short-sightedness and plain partisan posturing.
“There are those from the other side who will say this can’t be done, but it can be,” Riley said. “Those critics simply lack the vision to see it become real, the courage to try it and the determination to make it happen.”
A checklist of the items in Riley’s education initiative includes:
*We have attached in this e-mail Governor Riley’s complete education vision
School Construction Program
Next year, Gov. Riley will propose a bold and aggressive school construction program that will provide every school in the state with additional resources for safety improvements, new construction, and expansion of technology. The proposal will divide at least $500 million among public K-12 systems, two-year colleges, and four-year universities.
Expand the Alabama Reading Initiative
Expand the Alabama Reading Initiative so every Alabama student receives the benefit of this proven methodology.
Expand the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI)
Expand AMSTI to every school in the state, revolutionizing our students’ math and science education and preparing them for the future.
Expand Distance Learning
Ensure that there is an ACCESS Distance Learning Lab in every Alabama high school so all of our students will have the opportunity to take the advanced courses they need to succeed.
Advanced Placement Courses in Every High School
During the next four years, every high school will offer an AP course in English, math, science, and social studies.
School Rewards & Incentives
Provide $50 million over the next four years in monetary incentives to schools that demonstrate their commitment to improving student achievement.
Graduation Plan for Alabama
Raise our high school graduation rate with new and focused efforts to help students earn a diploma.
- Place an At-Risk Advisor in the 200 Alabama high schools with the highest dropout rates.
- Increase funding for High Hopes and expanding the program to focus on students in grades 7 through 12 that are identified as at risk for dropping out of school.
- Under current Alabama law, those students who choose to drop out of school lose their driver's license until they are 19 years old or have satisfied certain requirements. Gov. Riley will ensure that this law is enforced, and we will tighten any loopholes that exist.
Raise Teacher Pay and Invest in a Program that Rewards Results
Reward our most effective teachers by investing in incentive pay for educators that demand and achieve excellence in the classroom.
Protect our Teachers and Students
Allow for the suspension of driving privileges for consistently disruptive students in order to deter potentially dangerous problems in the classroom and provide educator professional liability insurance to ensure that every teacher is protected from the financial dangers of lawsuits.
Professional Teachers
We will implement a Professional Pathways program to give our teachers more opportunities to advance within their field.
- Redesign our teacher preparation programs
- Create a mentoring program that will pair new teachers with a trained mentor teacher for the first three years of his or her teaching career
- Provide more opportunities for quality professional development that focuses on new teaching methods that are proven to raise student achievement
- Provide teachers opportunities for advancement in their field
Focused Mission for the Two-Year College System
Continue to utilize our two-year institutions in preparing our students and workers for the jobs of our growing economy.
Increased Support for our Universities
Continue to expand investments in our institutions of higher learning, including comprehensive and strategic investments in our research institutions.