September 2022 Group Watch: Struggling AL Schools Getting Funds for “Turnaround”
Fifteen of Alabama’s most challenged elementary schools are getting a multimillion-dollar infusion of support through a new initiative championed by Governor Kay Ivey. Earlier this year, Ivey added a $10 million line item in the state budget for what is being called the Turnaround Schools Initiative. The state department of education added another $5.4 million initially allocated for a measure that failed to pass the legislature, which means more than $15 million will go to support these 15 schools. State Superintendent Eric Mackey said the communities where the schools are located are dealing with high levels of poverty and “overwhelming “needs. Many of the schools, located primarily in urban and some rural areas, are already receiving support from the Alabama Department of Education. A spokesperson for Governor Ivey said the Departments of Mental Health, Early Childhood Education and Human Resources will all be a part of the turnaround efforts.
