May 2018 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House
The school year may be drawing to a close, but there’s education news, and as summer heats up, so does campaigning ahead of coming elections.
- Gov. Ivey denies rumors: Accusations alleging that Governor Kay Ivey is gay were recently made by a state legislator but quickly and vehemently denied by Ivey. Read more here.
- Steve Marshall joins lawsuit: Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall recently announced that he would join a seven-state coalition of state attorney generals that are suing the federal government to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The program was originally put into place to protect immigrants who were brought into the country illegally while they were minors. Since that time, an estimated 800,000 people have registered for the program. Many challenges to the program are based on the fact it was created by executive order without congressional approval. Marshall cites his commitment to the rule of law as the basis for joining Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia as co-plaintiffs.
- New state superintendent for education: Dr. Eric Mackey was selected as the next superintendent of education by the State Board of Education. Mackey, the executive director of School Superintendents of Alabama, was selected over Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Craig Pouncey and Hoover City Schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy. Mackey has experience working with legislators and school districts across the state. He lists his priorities as improving assessment and accountability, increasing teacher quantity and quality and improving the culture and morale of education leaders statewide. The Mackey era begins May 14.
