The Alabama State Board of Education will hold their monthly meeting at 10 a.m. this Thursday, Sept. 8 in the auditorium of the Gordon Persons Building in Montgomery. Members of the public can asked to be put on the agenda to speak to a particular topic. The yet-to-be-determined contract with Michael Sentence is on the agenda.
I have signed up to speak. It is best that someone wishing to speak contact Ann Starks at ALSDE prior to the meeting. She is secretary for the board. You can contact her via email (astarks@alsde.edu) or by telephone (334-242-9702).
Speakers are limited to two minutes.
More than 4,000 people have now signed this petition registering their opposition to the hiring of Michael Sentence to replace Tommjy Bice. Take a moment to scroll though the hundreds and hundreds of comments from every corner of the state.
Or take a look at the results of our survey completed by more than 1,250 people. Here you will find that 79.24 percent of those who answered Strongly oppose hiring Sentance and 12.19 percent Somewhat oppose him. In addition you will also see that 64.23 percent of respondents give the state school board a failing grade of either D or F.
I have said repeatedly that this is not about Mr. Sentance, instead it is about the 740,000 children in our public schools and the fact that they have apparently been left out of the equation. We have let various special interests, people jockeying for support in future political campaigns and the hoped for advancement of some ideological position dominate this selection process.
We have stooped to smear tactics where someone too cowardly to let their name be known has managed to taint the process. And we are left to wonder how anonymous information got from the state department of education to the Ethics Commission when that agency DOES NOT investigate such complaints. How was someone able to access the computers at the state department to retrieve emails from 2009 sent from one staff member to another.
And all of this has happened because we have the best interests of our children at heart?
Now is the time for those who truly do care for our children to be heard. Thursday, Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. Contact Ann Starks, 334-242-9702.
In a perfect world, I would have standing room only in the auditorium this Thursday. I plan to stand up for our children. Will you join me?
Thank you Larry Lee for your work. I’m glad you are going. This is important work you are doing. I wish I could go.
I am opposed to the hiring of Michael Sentence!!!
I am absolutely opposed to the hiring of Michael Sentence! How could the board have possibly considered hiring someone with NO experience in education? Perhaps, I should have applied for a position as a brain surgeon with my Early Childhood Degree! Something smells fishy in this state, it’s been smelling fishy for a really long time now!!! Surely, someone on the state board has the guts to take a stand and do what’s right, what’s best for the children of this state. If not, you should all consider finding different occupations because you will have failed tremendously with the jobs you have been given. As a teacher that spent 30 years in the classroom, rest assured that educators across this state have had enough of all the things that Montgomery has taken away, thrown in the trash, or would NEVER EVER consider doing for public education in Alabama!!! While the thoughts are flowing from my mind to my finger tips, one thought has remained heavy on my heart even after retirement. If this state would like for ALL of Alabama’s children to be on equal grounds when it comes to education then our state must find ways for the children that attend schools in rural and inner city districts to have the same opportunities as children that attend schools in the wealthier districts of our state. Children that attend schools in rural and poor inner city districts have many mountains to climb and often become the forgotten ones, they deserve to be remembered!!! Listen to your heart and do what is best for our children, hiring someone with no education experience is NOT what is best for ANY of the children that attend public schools in Alabama!!!