Brown bag lunch discussion to focus on Accountability Act

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — Madison City Schools will partner with Sen. Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison) to hold a brown bag lunch with the public to discuss the Alabama Accountability Act on April 26.

The discussion will be at noon at the Central Office at 211 Celtic Drive in Madison and some hope it will clear up some misconceptions and rumors.

“Since the act passed, there has been a lot of misinformation out there,” Sonja Griffith, president of the Madison City Council of PTA’s said. “We just want to make sure our parents and the citizens in this area have the facts and know the repercussions will be and what affect it might have on Madison City Schools.”

No school in the Madison City Schools system is considered a “failing school” Griffith said.

“I think Dr. Fowler and Sen. Holtzclaw will be addressing exactly what this mean and if we are going to be accepting schools from other systems since none in ours are failing,” she said. “Also what it will mean to the tax money and the general education fund in Montgomery because now that we’re giving tax credits to these kids that are in private schools.”

Fowler came out on the day the act was passed and stated the school system had no plans on accepting students from failing schools. Griffith said Fowler, who was recently named Superintendent of the Year by the Alabama PTA, will likely have a statement after looking over the act in greater detail.

“I think he’ll have something ready after looking at the bill in greater detail,” she said. “Also, I think he will talk to us and say how this act affects us as Madison City Schools parents and what repercussions we will see later on.”

Holtzclaw, who is on the Education Policy Committee in Montgomery, has been the “face of Madison” when it comes to education in the state capitol Griffith said.

“I think it is a great sign that he is coming to this forum,” she said. “He really has put himself out there and it really speaks highly of him.”