The Alabama Education Accountability Act - Just How Stupid Are We?

The Alabama Education “Accountability Act” - Just How Stupid Are We?

The Republican-dominated Alabama legislature and Reverend Dr. Robert Bentley, the Governor of the State of Alabama, pulled a major fast one on the citizens they pretend to serve.

The Governor admitted that he deceived the legislature and that he did not read the entire bill, which entered into committee as a total of eight pages and emerged 28, with a completely different meaning and focus. This is against Alabama law, or “Rule 21,” which states that the entire legislature must be notified when a bill undergoes such substantive changes in committee. No one was notified.

The Alabama republicans in power are playing political games with our children’s education. The Alabama Education “Accountability Act” is nothing more than a tax credit giveaway to republican households at the detriment of failing schools and the children who most need them to be non-failing.

The politics of education is the problem with education in Alabama. What irony—ignorant politicians—the product of a lifelong, terrible education system—are writing legislation that eliminates raises for our educational professionals. The fiscal impact of this bill is said to be over $300 million. This will come from the Education Trust Fund. Reverend Bentley had promised teachers a raise. It is now unlikely. His “Accountability Act” just wiped out the money for the raises. Even though the bill fails to define what exactly is a “failing school” in Alabama.

This is certainly bad. But it’s not bad enough for Alabama. Let’s just close our eyes and push the stupid button. Who do we get as the poster boy to explain “Education Accountability” in Alabama? Senator “TRIP” Pittman, that’s who! Senator Pittman is going to lecture educators on what is best for them! What an insult to the entire State of Alabama’s education community!

This is the same State Senator who received $750,000 in BP grant funds, using his position as a senator overseeing the distribution of the funds for his own personal gain. Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant assisted the senator in getting the illegal contract. They later tried unsuccessfully to cover it up. They were subpoenaed into federal court and are awaiting related fraud, coverup and witness intimidation charges. The only real accountability the citizens of Alabama can hope for is from the federal government. No accountability will come from the limp wrist of the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Alabama citizens should recall that it was the Alabama Ethics Commission that decided teachers cannot have gifts over $25, but it is perfectly fine for their pal, Senator “TRIP” Pittman, to take a $750,000 grant for emergency boom deployment in the midst of an environmental disaster while working officially as a retail tractor salesman.

Governor Bentley and Senator Pittman will be the first to assure you that they are Christians. I call this pathological hypocrisy at the public’s expense. A governor who accepts no pay and a state senator who will accept any pay he can—only in Alabama.

Senator Pittman should not be allowed to use the word accountability, much less lecture our teachers and educational leaders. Please use your social media and email to help vote out Governor Bentley and Senator Lee “Trip” Pittman when they run for re-election. We cannot continue to allow these politicians to “serve the people of Alabama.”

F. P. Ripp