Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:
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Sept. 11
The Tuscaloosa News on the cost of a college degree:
Gone are the days when a person with determination can improve their life by working their way through college. It takes a great deal more for a young person fresh out of high school to earn a college degree. Say what you will about the so-called “Millennials,” but, with regard to a college education, the “Baby Boomer” had a much easier row to hoe.
Maybe working two jobs in the summer and part-time during the school year was enough to make ends meet and still afford tuition. These days, that won’t cover the cost of books, which often cost hundreds of dollars each.
The University of Alabama estimates that the total cost to attend as a full-time in-state student is about $30,000 each year. For out of state students, the cost can rise as high as $48,600.
To put that in perspective, hundreds of students graduate each year who will not find a job coming right out of school that would pay an annual salary that high.
The university has done a tremendous job in recent years of offsetting the dual pinch of lagging funding in the state’s education budget and increasing operating costs. Much of this has been accomplished by recruiting students from out of state. Students from out of state now make up more than half of the student population at the Capstone. There is no doubt that Alabama’s return to national dominance on the football field has done wonders for that effort.
But we all know this tremendous run can’t last forever. If history has taught us anything about college football it has taught us to enjoy it as much as we can now, because no team can stay on top forever. We also know that the tremendous increases each year in annual enrollment can’t continue unabated. What happens when it becomes harder to attract the same level of interest from out of state students and annual enrollment increases aren’t ticking up at such a remarkable rate?
And other funding sources aren’t helping. The maximum Pell Grant payout in 1976 was $6,215. The maximum Pell Grant payout in 2016 was $5,822.
More students are being priced out of the option of attending the state’s flagship university. There is a renewed effort in our community, our state and nationally to reintroduce the idea that not everyone should go to college. For generations, we’ve told young people that the key to a better future is higher education. But now, many are measuring the value of that degree against many years of student debt, increasingly difficult job markets and stagnant salaries. Horror stories about mounting college loan debt certainly make career paths in a craft or trade more attractive. Those career paths do not require a four-year liberal arts degree. In many cases, they also offer greater long-term job security.
The truth is that what was true for the Baby Boomer generation is increasingly a false narrative for the Millennials, and this bubble can’t keep expanding forever.
Online: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/
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Sept. 14
The Gadsden Times on the resignation of state school superintendent Michael Sentance:
Alabama is again looking for a state school superintendent after Michael Sentance’s resignation on Wednesday, a day ahead of a likely pink slip from the state Board of Education.
It’s the understatement of the millennium to say that it will be a significant hire - a hire that must have people in Montgomery’s political realm singing in unison, and must inspire confidence among those involved in public education throughout the state.
Sentance certainly didn’t do that in his one year plus four days as superintendent.
His tenure was controversial from the start. Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey was the front-runner for the job, but was derailed by an anonymous charge that he’d plagiarized his doctoral dissertation.
That charge was bogus - and Pouncey is suing a state board member and other Department of Education officials for defamation - but likely resulted in Sentance being hired by a one-vote margin.
He was a lawyer from Massachusetts with no direct experience in education except as a consultant and in political roles. Those who think classroom experience is a prerequisite for educational leadership never accepted him.
He won no friends with a reportedly abrupt, abrasive management style, and was called out more than once by the state board for being uncommunicative and for dropping surprises on it like a proposed reorganization of the immensely popular career tech program.
We understand an executive needs to be able to operate without micromanagement from above, but that person needs to remember who he or she ultimately works for. (Some would say it’s ultimately the schoolchildren of Alabama, and would have a point, but on the organizational flow chart the superintendent answers to the state board.)
Throughout this turmoil, we expressed our concerns about Sentance’s performance, while maintaining that he deserved a chance to get out of the weeds.
Some might say 369 days isn’t a chance. We disagree. It’s obvious this was a complete mismatch that wasn’t working.
So what’s next?
Former state Superintendent Ed Richardson will return to the role on an interim basis. We trust he will steady this listing ship.
Moving forward, the search for Sentance’s replacement should focus on candidates who have direct education experience, not theoreticians who have never sat behind a teacher’s desk.
We imagine some folks fear that notion and have ideas that bringing the “education establishment” into the picture opens the door for the longtime target of Republicans and conservatives, the Alabama Education Association, to regain the political power it once held in Montgomery.
That isn’t going to happen, despite Republicans’ fears and Democrats’ dreams.
The Sentance fiasco aside, we also don’t think the search should be limited to in-state candidates, although there certainly are some worthy ones who should raise their hands and say “I’m interested.”
We acknowledge those who say only an Alabamian can really understand the landscape of education here - the hurdles and funding discrepancies that make it such a challenge.
We think the key is to define the terms of why you’re approaching an outsider - whether it’s to actually get a fresh perspective that can be applicable to Alabama, or because you like the candidate’s political stances or views on specific issues (like Common Core).
The people who sit behind those teachers’ desks - the ones who are on the front lines of educating this state’s children - are generally nonpartisan when it comes to their daily work. We hope those picking the next superintendent are, too. The stakes are too high for such foolishness.
Online: https://www.gadsdentimes.com/
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Sept. 12
The Dothan Eagle on local officials assessing costs involved with Irma as evacuees leave the area:
As the last of hundreds of Hurricane Irma evacuees leave our area, local officials are assessing the cost involved with the storm. Emergency responders and utilities are tallying man-hours and overtime, as well as equipment costs.
While an accounting of public assets is good stewardship, there’s one conclusion that can easily be drawn - whatever the cost, it was well worth every dime.
Those who are charged with the responsibility of the community’s safety rose to the challenge of a massive storm that couldn’t quite decide which way it was headed. Because of Irma’s wishy washy nature, they prepared for the worst and hoped for the best - not just for local residents, but for the 500 evacuees sheltered in evacuation centers in the community and those holed up in every available motel room.
In most recent news-gathering efforts, our reporters learned that a group of Dothan utility workers who’ve just finished long hours of restoring power at home have grabbed some sleep and are heading into Florida to help those linemen restore power to thousands of those residents. We learned that where some evacuees lacked adequate funds to get themselves and their families back home, their needs were met by generous local benefactors. And last week’s tragedy in Texas hasn’t been forgotten; First Baptist Church is gathering volunteers for a trip to Houston later this month to hang sheet rock in homes being rehabbed after the flooding there.
When the tally is made, there’s no doubt that Irma will have made an impact on the coffers at City Hall.
But what we got for that spending? It’s priceless.
Online: https://www.dothaneagle.com/
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