While I can personally attest to some of the drawbacks of getting older, I am learning that there are some obvious benefits … besides qualifying for the “senior” discount at Burger King. Time enables me to step back more easily to see a bigger picture.
I recently read an article critical of the Alabama Legislature’s leadership. I feel compelled to offer a different perspective.
For the last 20 years, I have had the honor of representing Alabama’s forest landowners, loggers, foresters, and forest products manufacturers. Alabama’s forest industry is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the state, creating $36 billion in economic activity and jobs for more than 123,000 workers.
Forest products manufacturers rely on the state’s 23 million acres of forests, and on the men and women who sustainably manage, harvest and manufacture essential goods from those timberlands. The long-term strength of this workforce – and the future of the forest industry – hinges on positive outcomes in our state’s education system. So let’s look at what our state legislature has accomplished to improve educational opportunities for Alabama’s students … not just in recent sessions, but long term.
Rolling Reserve Act (2011)
This act represented a paradigm shift in how education funds were appropriated. Prior to the act’s passage, the legislature based the education budget on projected revenues for the upcoming fiscal year, spending every dollar. When projections fell short, the governor would declare proration, triggering painful midyear cuts to schools. After passage, appropriations are limited to a baseline amount equal to the previous five years’ actual revenues. If actual revenues exceed appropriations, the extra funds go to a rainy-day savings account and the Advancement & Technology Fund, providing funding for school infrastructure needs. Extra funds this year were nearly $1.2 billion. More importantly, since the act’s passage, there has been no proration. This stabilization of the state’s education funding and the direct support of school infrastructure is arguably one of the legislature’s greatest accomplishments.
Alabama Accountability Act (2013)
This act established a scholarship program to support low-income families zoned for failing schools. The program allows eligible students to utilize scholarship funds, managed by non-profit Scholarship Granting Organizations and funded through tax-deductible donations, to transfer to private or out-of-district public schools. We strongly supported this bill, knowing that a competitive environment would increase accountability and improve outcomes.
Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act (2015)
This act established further accountability for school systems by allowing for public charter schools, which provide high-quality educational options for all students, especially those zoned for low-performing schools.
Alabama Literacy Act (2019) / Alabama Numeracy Act (2022)
The Alabama Literacy Act focuses on improving reading proficiency for public school students in grades K-3, ensuring that all students can read on grade level by the end of third grade. The Alabama Numeracy Act focuses on improving math instruction for K-5 students. Reading and math proficiency are critical to student success and quality of life, and prioritizing the early evaluation of these skills ensures students have a firm foundation for future learning.
Alabama College and Career Readiness Act (2023)
This act requires public school students to earn one or more college or career readiness indicators to graduate, some of which afford students first-hand experiences with in-demand jobs critical to our state. In 2017, the forest industry rolled out ForestryWorks’ “Forest Worker” Curriculum and Career Readiness Indicator. Nearly 9,000 students have been certified since. This act provides further incentives for students to pursue industry credentials, strengthening the future workforce.
Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act (2024)
Like school choice legislation passed in states across the country, the CHOOSE Act established state-funded Education Savings Accounts to cover tuition, fees, and other qualified educational expenses across public, private, and homeschool education. The state is currently granting $7,000 per student enrolled in a participating school and $2,000 for students participating in a home education program.
Renewing Alabama’s Investment in School Excellence (RAISE) Act (2025)
Establishing a new funding formula based on individual student needs for public K-12 schools, the RAISE Act allows schools to receive needs-based funding through a weighted model, allocating funds for the number of students in poverty, special education, English language learners, gifted students or those attending a public charter school. Funded at $130 million for Fiscal Year 2026, this investment in our education system provides additional funding where needed most.
So, what is the current state of education in Alabama? While I agree that our education system is underperforming, I am equally convinced that criticism alone is both counterproductive and intellectually lazy.
The more thoughtful response is, “It depends.” We are still too low on many education outcomes. But drilling down to the local level, the picture looks different, showing some schools at the top of their game, while others continue lagging behind.
In the past, the education establishment said the problem between high- and low-performing schools was funding. However, as education budgets have increased, outcomes have not. Indeed, some schools with consistently better outcomes are in rural communities where local funding is less. Adequate funding is needed, but more funding is not the answer.
WHO is responsible for the current performance of our education system? ALL of us! State and local governments are responsible for establishing education policy and providing the resources necessary for success. Schools and school systems are responsible for utilizing those resources to effectively educate students and improve outcomes. And local communities, including parents, citizens, community leaders, and business and industry, are responsible for supporting their schools and holding them accountable for student outcomes.
President Theodore Roosevelt once gave a speech known as “The Man in the Arena,” saying:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
I would say that our legislators are “in the arena,” working diligently to craft education policy and provide the resources needed to improve outcomes and prepare students to enter the workforce. I hear their commitment to improving student outcomes in what they say, and I see the actions they take to expand students’ access to quality education.
Can they do more? Sure! Can WE do more? ABSOLUTELY! That’s why our organization continues expanding our efforts to support rural schools, provide resources to teachers, engage students to provide education and training, and encourage our member companies to engage with their local schools.
I have lived, worked and raised seven children in Alabama, and there is no place I would rather be. The cost of living in Alabama is lower than 45 other states, and the average state and local tax burden is the lowest in the nation. Our property taxes, especially important to all of us homeowners, are the lowest in the nation. If you like the outdoors, we’ve got it all … abundant fishing opportunities, world-class hunting, and an incredible diversity of natural landscapes. Alabama is also a great place to run a business.
But it will not always be that way if we do not do our part. I am grateful for our elected leaders. I am grateful for our educators. But we ALL have a role to play – so get up out of your armchair, roll up your sleeves, and join us in the arena. Alabama’s students are counting on us.
Chris Isaacson is the President & CEO of the Alabama Forestry Association and also serves as the President of the Forest Workforce Training Institute.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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