Alabama Senate unanimously passes Education Budget with slight increase in spending

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed and Education Budget, which will spend $5.9 billion to fund Alabama’s public k-12 schools, pre-schools, and universities, and other educational programs.

Lawmakers are giving partial credit for the budget’s ease of passage and slight bump in spending to the Rolling Reserve Budget Act, passed in 2011, which requires the state to grow the education budget sustainably, and save any excess between receipts and appropriations for leaner years.

“This proposal protects funding for K-12 education and provides full or increased funding for many of the state’s proven education reform programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative,” said Senate Education budget committee chairman Trip Pittman (R-Montrose). “Thanks largely to conservative and responsible budgeting practices, we have been able to produce a responsible budget which includes increases in the amount of money for a number of student programs such as Pre-K, Advanced Placement classes, higher education, textbooks and transportation.”

The spending bill marks an approximate 1 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.

The budget increases textbook spending by $13 million, transportation by $5 million, Pre-K by $13.5 million to add 145 more classrooms to the state’s nationally acclaimed program, Distance Learning by $2 million, and the state’s Dual Enrollment by $5 million, as well as upping higher education spending by 0.25 percent.

Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh praised the bill’s fiscal responsibility and commitment to education reform.

“Balancing the education budget while being able to make significant increases to essential programs such as Pre-K shows we are committed to providing the best possible education for Alabama students. I appreciate Senator Pittman and members of the education budget committee for their commitment to crafting a sensible, fiscally responsible spending plan,” Marsh said. “We owe it to our children to provide them with the best education possible while not saddling them with long term financial instability, and I believe this budget does just that.

“This year we’ve made significant strides toward reforming education in Alabama, and this fiscally-responsible budget proposal is another step in the right direction.”

“This is a fiscally responsible education budget that will avoid proration, pay back the final debt to the Rainy Day fund, and give us more middle school teachers,” added Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed. “I commend Chairman Pittman and my colleagues for working together to increase funding for textbooks, voluntary Pre- K, and dual enrollment.”

In stark contrast with years past, the bill was approved unanimously 33-0 with very little debate.

While the languishing General Fund budget is facing a $260 million shortfall, the education budget has seen its revenue streams strengthen as the economy has improved.

The Senate bill does not follow the Governor’s plan to transfer some revenues now feeding the education budget over to the general fund, which could cause general fund budget cuts to be even deeper.

The bill will now go to the House for further debate before final passage. If the House changes anything the Senate will either vote to concur or move to hold a joint Senate and House committee to rectify the differences.