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Session starts
Published 8:19pm Monday, January 11, 2010Charter schools and saving PACT are two of the biggest issues facing the Alabama Legislature as it goes back into session today, according to local representatives.
Rep. Betty Carol Graham believes that charter schools, which are being pushed by Gov. Bob Riley, will become one of the biggest issues of the upcoming election.
“It’s going to be one of the more debated issues in the legislature,” Graham said in a recent interview. “The governor is pushing the issue.”
Currently, charter schools are illegal in Alabama, which means the state isn’t eligible for about $200 million in federal stimulus.
“That could be an avenue for the state to receive additional education funds,” Graham said.
Alabama prepaid college tuition program will also cause a big debate in Montgomery.
Sen. Ted Little and others are planning to introduce legislation to help out the ailing program.
Last month, the PACT board announced that it would begin paying only a fixed amount of money toward students’ education instead of paying the total amount of tuition. That move irked many participants of PACT and legislators like Little.
“I wish the PACT board would not have made that decision before the legislature went back into session,” Little said in recent interview. “I am planning to introduce a bill to help PACT and there are others who are planning to do the same. I think we are going to do something to help PACT this session.”
The legislative session begins today and will have 30 meeting days over a 105-calendar day span with usually two meeting days per week, according to the state constitution.
