Despite being used as a last-minute political bargaining chip, there was little disagreement between the two chambers of the Alabama Legislature over the education trust fund's budget.
Congress formally passed the ETF package Thursday with only a few amendments and changes. The biggest debate appears to have been the House's removal of $5 million earmarked for increasing cost-of-living adjustments for education retirees.
“From fully funding critical programs like literacy and numeracy, to supporting turnaround school programs, increasing investment in special education, and prioritizing workforce development needs like career coaching and dual enrollment. “This budget invests wisely in the education sector,” the governor said. Kay Ivey said in a statement Thursday. “We are proud to revitalize priority projects like the Alabama Graduate School of Health Sciences. Through my Education Savings Account program, we are helping more Alabama families find the best fit for their child’s needs. We are providing school choice, and we are making sure students are protected by investing in mental health care and school safety.”
The budget will see a 2% raise for all education employees, making teachers' starting salaries more than $46,000, the highest starting salaries in the region.
Nearly all institutions that received funding through the ETF also received budget increases, but the Alabama Public Library Service ended up receiving $351,000 less than last year and $400,000 less than Ivey originally recommended in the budget. It decreased.
House Education Appropriations Chairman Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) originally directed $750,000 from the agency, but the Senate added an additional $350,000 in funding to APLS.
The budget still includes language requiring local libraries to comply with Ivey's proposed administrative code changes, even though the code changes have not yet been finalized by the APLS Board. The board is scheduled to vote on the code change on May 16.