Dear newly / re- elected member of the Alabama Legislature,

Congratulations! The majority of the voters in your respective districts have seen fit to send you to Montgomery to be THEIR voice on the issues that will come before you. Please know that the impact of your decisions will be felt by real people and their families, regardless of whether they voted for you or not.

Many of the decisions you make will also have a huge impact on every child in this state, not just those from wealthy families. Your decisions will impact the dedicated men and women who work with and for the children of this state as well.

My prayer for you over the next four years will be that you truly seek advice from, and listen, to the man upstairs. I pray that you make sound decisions based on honest desires to do the right thing, and that none of your decisions be made with an attempt to "get even", or be based along party lines. I pray that you will have the courage to stand strong as an individual, that you will truly do your best to fully represent every person in your district, and that you will not be controlled by anyone. I pray that when making decisions concerning the education of the children of this state you will seek the opinions of the professionals in the field of education from your districts, that you will talk to them and listen to them, and then make your decisions based on their input. Please know that I will be praying for each and every one of you, and I will encourage my colleagues to do the same.

You have been elected to do great things for this state. As you embark upon this journey, I pray you do not get lost, that you fight the good fight, and that you finish well. The citizens of this state deserve the best, our children deserve the best.

I will leave you with one final thought - the education of the children of this state should not be a political issue, it is everyone's issue and our children must not be used as political pawns.

By Anita Gibson, President of the Alabama Education Association