Dual Enrollment Success!

 Dual Enrollment is on the rise!  Alabama Public High School Students are also enrolling in Alabama's Community Colleges, and in some cases, students are even graduating from high school while simultaneously graduating from their local community college with an Associate's Degree.  Click to see the story. I want to thank the Alabama Legislature for their investment into this important initiative!

The Alabama State Board of Education governs both K-12 and our Community College Systems in Alabama.  The beauty of this is that successful programs like dual enrollment are enabled by this governance structure.  While the rest of the country struggles to "de-silo" education from Pre-Kindergarten through PhD, Alabama is, in large part, already there with one Board governing K-12 and your Community Colleges.

Meddling and Manipulation in Alabama Higher Education

 I am proud to serve on this Board, elected by you!  Our Board continuously balances the needs of our citizens for an accessible and affordable college education with the business needs of our community colleges.  The average cost to attend an Alabama Community College is half or less that of most other public institutions in the state. And keeping education affordable and accessible for Alabamians is how we continue to strengthen our state's workforce and economy.

Governor Bentley received a letter dated January 28, 2015 from Belle Wheelan of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC) - headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, recommending a dramatically different governance structure and one which would remove a vote of our citizens and create a whole new bureaucracy.  Click to read the letter. The letter recommends that your Alabama State Board of Education be split.  K12 would presumably remain an elected Board and the Community College System would become a separate politically appointed board much like the Universities of Alabama and Auburn now function.  The State Board received this letter on February 11, 2015 at our Board meeting after we learned of its existence and requested it from Governor Bentley's office. 

Obviously, we are troubled by this letter which had no precursor or forewarning.  In our experience, SACS COC recommendations and reports typically arrive in a format of findings and recommendations with peer review and committee input.  This letter comes without warning of any governance problems and is irregular in format but written apparently under the letterhead of the SACS COC organization. 

I am puzzled that SACS COC would allow the integrity of the organization to be in question with a letter such as this.  This letter places our Board in a difficult position regarding our trust for our accrediting body.

While I appreciate the opinion that our duties are too onerous, I believe the benefit of a single governing body over K-12 and our Community College System is extremely advantageous for seamless functioning of both systems, for maintaining affordable higher education options for Alabama citizens, and for keeping the community colleges free of the political corruption of years past. 

This letter was discussed at the Board's Community Colleges work session last week, and members have requested that the Chancellor place it on the next meeting agenda.  This meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2015, 3:00 pm, Department of Postsecondary Education, 135 South Union Street, Montgomery.

I am not aware of any support among the Alabama Legislature for this measure.  Business leaders to include the Business Council of Alabama have been complimentary and supportive of the way our Board encourages quality and economy through smart collaboration between K-12 and Community Colleges.  Organizations and business interests such as the Alabama Farmers Federation have expressed their support of collaborative career technical education offerings where K12 and Community Colleges share resources.  Click to read one such example.  The Alabama State Board of Education and the Legislature have been functioning in an increasingly collaborative way during my years on the Board as well. 

This letter is an irritating distraction from the important strategic public education work your Governor, Legislature, and the Alabama State Board of Education in particular are doing.  I expect my fellow elected officials to treat this letter for what it is - meddling and manipulation for purely political purposes.   

Thank you for the privilege of continuing to serve you.

Mary Scott Hunter

Representative - Alabama Board of Education

District 8 - DeKalb, Limestone, Madison, Jackson, Etowah