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Attend Chamber breakfast for details
Published 12:00pm Thursday, September 6, 2012Dear Editor,
I encourage Mr. Harris to attend the Chamber breakfast on Sept. 6th.
In regard to the questions: the Education budget was prorated in fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011.
The fiscal 2012 Education budget (our first one) was created by the Republican Legislature and was not prorated for the first time in four years and was 4.5 percent larger than the 2011 Education budget. NO Education revenue comes from the Alabama Trust Fund. Education revenue will NOT be decreased with passage of the Sept. 18th amendment and will NOT increase the chances of prorating the 2013 Education budget that begins Oct. 1. An “increased shortfall” of the Education budget will not occur due to passage of the amendment.
In fact, the Alabama School Journal published by the Alabama Education Association has repeatedly advocated for passage of the Amendment.
The Amendment will pass or fail based on the merit of the Amendment and the will of the Alabama electorate.
Rep. Mark M. Tuggle
110 Calhoun St., Suite 108
Alexander City
It was told to us in this county’s school in-service meeting by an AEA official that that organization will pursue teacher payraises this next session. Support personnel in this state have not gotten significant pay increases since the beginning of time. I would love to see support personnel (bus drivers, parapros, office staff, etc.)in the school systems around the state receive long overdue and substantial payraises. Maybe this could get some support from studious and caring state representatives and state senators. This would be less expensive and a worthwhile gesture to these undervalued employees. The usual 3-5 percent, across the board raises that the AEA tries to get each year are not that beneficial to the lower paid support staff. Teachers can survive this economy with their pay rates for a while longer but support people are having to work two jobs to stay afloat. The average salaries for aids is barely above or slightly below the states poverty level.