Office of Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh
Press Clips
Saturday, March 12, 2016

A New Direction? (Times Daily)

School choice rally set for Wednesday (Times Daily)

What are charter schools? (WAAY)

Alabama gay marriage ruling put on hold: No same-sex wedding licenses for 2 weeks
(AL.com)

New school standards address many problems (Montgomery Advertiser)

Sen. Glover won't introduce bill to keep Alabama on Daylight Saving Time year-round
(AL.com)

Alabama Drone Task Force’s recommendations limited (Montgomery Advertiser)

100 Alabama-based 'Southern Makers' worth supporting in 2015 (AL.com)

Education and class America’s new aristocracy (The Economist)
A New Direction?
Republican leaders in the Statehouse said the charter school legislation they'll introduce this year will
bring more options and change to public education.
Alabama is one of eight states that prohibit charter schools, which are publicly-funded schools that
operate outside the regulations of traditional schools. They're called charter schools because entities
apply for a charter to operate them.
"We have strong proof that the Alabama Accountability Act is popular, and people want choice," said
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston.
Marsh was behind the 2013 Accountability Act, which allows parents whose children are in lowperforming schools to receive a tax credit if they move to a private school. There is also scholarship
money — funded by tax credits — available for low-income families.
"This is another piece of school choice," Marsh said.
Being late to the charter school game has one advantage, leaders said. It has let them see what other
states are doing well.
"Almost every state is doing something with charters, and we're trying to take something from all of
them and learn from them," said Terri Collins, R-Decatur, the chairwoman of the House Education
Policy.
Collins said she was working on legislation that could be ready as early as this week.
"We know we want to protect our local systems; that anything that is coming in doesn't drain the
system but is an asset to them," she said. "And then have accountability measurers, so that if
something isn't working, there are time limits."
Collins said lawmakers are getting support early on from education groups, unlike in 2012 when a
similar bill failed.
A primary concern among skeptics has been what it would mean for traditional public schools and
their funding, especially low-performing ones.
"If you have a road that has potholes on it, you don't build a new road next to it; what you do is fix
the potholes," said Henry Mabry, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association.
What lawmakers want
Collins, who said she may carry the legislation in the House, said local school systems would have
approval authority and oversight, and they can create their own charter schools. In a limited number,
outside organizations also would be able to apply.
"It's a public school, that's an important thing to understand," Collins said. "It is still part of the public
school system. It allows flexibility to come in ... to provide education in a different way.
"A charter, in exchange for that flexibility, agrees to grade performance. And when they don't meet
their expectations, you can actually close the charter."
There are many options as to what charter schools might look like.
"It depends on the goal of the local school or provider," Collins said. "Every charter could look
different based on that community's needs.
"The purpose is to stimulate greater performance through innovation and creativity."
Marsh said creating more options for those in failing systems and rural areas is a priority. He said he
wants to make sure education dollars follow the students.
Local public schools would approve charters, but Marsh said there would be an appeals process if a
one is denied.
Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, is the Senate Education Committee chairman. He said there are
ideas to borrow from other states.
Florida uses charters to offer more online courses. Texas has used them in some of its largest districts
to create smaller, more manageable systems.
"In Alabama, we don't have anything like that," Brewbaker said. "It would mean changing what we're
doing."
He said the recent ACT Aspire tests and the ACT taken by 11th-graders last year proved changes are
needed. The statewide ACT results showed only 13 percent of juniors were "college ready" in all four
of the tested subjects.
"These new ACT results, if they don't shake people up and get some innovation in education, we might
as well stick a fork in public education; we're done," Brewbaker said. "People ought to be down there
with pitchforks raising unmitigated hell."
For profit?
Asked if the legislation would allow for-profit charter school groups to operate in the state, Collins said
she didn't think so.
A concern about for-profit groups running the schools was one of the reasons some education groups
opposed charter school legislation in 2012.
Eric Mackey, executive director of School Superintendents of Alabama, said he had been involved in
meetings where charter schools were discussed in generalities, but hasn't seen any legislation yet.
He said he understood there would be differences this time around, like charter schools only run by
existing school systems or nonprofits.
"Our real concern is a for-profit holding the charter and being responsible for the work of the school,"
Mackey said.
Another concern with previous legislation was charter schools could create an education plan for
special needs student and then send the bill to the local school system for those services. He said that
was an unfair, and potentially costly, part of the last bill.
"I think this time, the talk is that the charter school would be completely responsible for its own
special education students," Mackey said. "We feel good about that."
The legislation appears to have backing.
"We realize, from what we hear from legislators all across the state, there is support for a charter
school bill this year," Mackey said.
Collins said last week there would be accountability measurements for charter schools. She said one
complaint she's heard about the Accountability Act is there is no comparable information for parents to
measure private schools' performance against a public school.
State Superintendent Tommy Bice asked board of education members earlier this month for their
thoughts on charter schools. He said he hasn't seen any proposed legislation but had been assured the
Education Department "would have a place at the table" for the discussion.
Gov. Robert Bentley advocated for charter schools in 2012.
"We have not seen legislation at this point, but the governor has spoken with Sen. Marsh regarding his
support on the concept of public charter schools," Bentley spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis said last week.
Mabry, the AEA leader, said his group has always supported efforts to add innovation to schools and
will continue doing so. He said state leaders should focus on expanding what is working in public
education.
"We have public schools that are struggling ... instead of taking resources away from that struggling
school, we need to help that struggling school improve," Mabry said. "There are certainly ways to do
that."
Collins said the legislation will expand options for families.
"Our goal is not to tell anyone what to do," she said. "Our goal is to give them opportunities and
choice to make the best decisions for their children."
___________
School choice rally set for Wednesday
Advocates for more school choice in Alabama are planning a march and rally at the Capitol in
Montgomery on Wednesday.
More than 2,000 parents, students, educators and community and elected leaders are expected to
attend, according to organizers.
The purpose of the event, which coincides with National School Choice Week, is to celebrate and
continue dialogue about expanded education options in the state, said Sonya DiCarlo, of the Alabama
Opportunity Scholarship Fund, one of the event organizer.
The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund was one of several nonprofits created after the passage of
the Alabama Accountability Act. It collects and distributes scholarship money for low-income students
who leave poorly performing public schools in favor of private schools. Alabama Opportunity was set
up by former Gov. Bob Riley.
DiCarlo said the group has given out 2,800 scholarships since 2013, and has a waiting list of 2,200
applicants. That shows a desire for more options in education, she said.
"It's been really heartbreaking to talk to those families and have to turn them down," she said.
Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said she will attend the rally. Collins, chairwoman of the House
Education Policy Committee, has said several school choice-related bills will be introduced in the
upcoming legislative session. She is working on one to allow charter schools, which are public schools
that operate outside of traditional rules and regulations.
Asked if Alabama Opportunity Fund would be interested in creating charter schools, DiCarlo said she
didn't think so.
"We don't have any involvement in the charter school movement, but we're obviously in support of
school choice," she said.
Other groups involved in the rally include StudentsFirst Alabama, the American Federation for
Children, the Alabama Business Education Alliance, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the
Alabama Public Charter School Alliance and the Business Council of Alabama.
The march begins at 9 a.m. at Doubletree Hotel downtown Montgomery and ends with the rally on the
south lawn of the Capitol.
Shoals judge on panel
Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Gil Self will participate in this week's Alabama Prison Reform Task
Force meeting.
Self said Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who he met with last week, asked him to sit on the panel
for the upcoming meeting.
The task force is looking for ways to reduce overcrowding in state prisons. Many prisons are at nearly
double the occupancy they were built to house.
Self said one possible solution to overcrowding is sentencing reform.
"Especially for those defendants who have never had contact with a victim," Self said last week. They
include habitual offenders of drug laws.
Two-thirds of Alabama's inmates are in prison because of drug and property crimes, according to a
report to the task force.
In Lauderdale County, Self has run a drug court program where defendants receive supervision and
treatment for their addictions as an alternative to a prison sentence.
The task force meets on Thursday in Columbiana.
__________
What are charter schools?
Recently, we've heard a lot about charter schools, which are now being proposed right here in
Alabama.
But, what exactly is a charter school?
And, what makes it different from public schools and private schools across the state?
Alabama is one of eight states across the United States that does not allow charter schools.
For a lesson on what charter schools actually are, we need to head to our neighbors to the north:
Tennessee.
"We have 79 charter schools in Tennessee that are currently in operation, and then there's a few more
approved to open in 2015,” says Emily Lilley, with the Tennessee Charter School Center.
Tennessee has had charter schools since the approval of a 2002 bill, and now they're taking off.
"A charter school is a public school and it's tuition free and students can attend regardless of ability or
financial situation or academic ability and there's no zones, typically, for a charter school,” says Lilley.
“Some kids don’t end up in a neighborhood where they feel like they’re going to get a great education,
or the education that’s best tailored to that particular students needs, and so I think it’s really
valuable for the community and for parents to have attending a public school that is tuition free that
maybe is going to better serve the academic needs of that child.”
And they're based off an application, and a contract.
"A contract that the authorizer would agree to and the schools would agree to, and so they make
certain promises within that contract,” says Lilley.
A bill creating charter schools in the state is expected to be brought up this legislative session.
"I think that the advantage to having charter schools as an option for families is that families have a
choice,” Lilley says.
But the Alabama Education Association says charter schools don't work.
"AEA’s Stand: Charter schools don’t work. They take money from our already underfunded existing
schools. If certain schools need improvement, then we should work together to improve these schools.
Charter schools are schools run by businesses, private corporations, or foundations but funded with
public money diverted from public schools."
The organization says they take money from already underfunded schools, and are run by businesses
corporations or foundations but funded with public money.
But the Tennessee Charter School Center say that can be an advantage.
“We hear school leaders talk a lot about being able to make decisions quickly, if this textbook doesn’t
seem to be working for students in a certain class, they can pick another textbook and order it today,
they don’t have to go through all the levels of planning and approval offices and people to make those
quick decisions that are impactful to the kids,” says Lilley. "If a charter school does not meet the
academic goals that they set for themselves, or if they're not able to run a fiscally sound school then
they will be closed, and I believe that that's one advantage to a charter school because they're more
accountable in some ways than a traditional school might be."
Here are some explainers from the Tennessee Charter School Center on charter schools.
___________
Alabama gay marriage ruling put on hold: No same-sex
wedding licenses for 2 weeks
The federal judge who struck down Alabama's same-sex marriage ban agreed Sunday to put that
order on hold for 14 days.
U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. "Ginny" Granade rejected arguments by the Alabama Attorney General's
Office that the state likely would win on appeal. But she agreed to give attorneys two weeks to make
their case to an appeals court.
If the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals fails to act in that time to extend or lift the
stay, the order will take effect on Feb. 9. The judge said she also would issue a follow-up opinion
clarifying the original order.
One by one, Granade rejected the state's arguments for an open-ended "stay" to delay the ruling until
after the U.S. Supreme Court hears a same-sex case later this year that most observers expect will
settle the issue once and for all.
"In its discretion, however," she wrote, "the court recognizes the value of allowing the Eleventh Circuit
an opportunity to determine whether a stay is appropriate."
Christine Hernandez, an attorney for plaintiffs Cari Searcy and Kim McKeand, issued a statement
welcoming Granade's ruling.
"Judge Granade in her order specifically agreed with the Plaintiffs on all points ... We respect Judge
Granade's decision and look forward to Feb. 9," she said in the statement.
Attorney General Luther Strange also welcomed the delay. He called it a "step in the right direction"
and vowed to continue his defense of Alabama law.
"While I would have preferred a longer stay to allow the matter to be settled by the U.S. Supreme
Court's anticipated ruling in June, the 14-day stay allows more time for my office to prepare our stay
request to the 11th Circuit Court while also affording the public time to resolve the confusion over the
impact of the recent ruling," he said in a prepared statement.
Granade set off a flurry of emotions - positive and negative - when she issued a ruling late Friday in a
lawsuit filed in Mobile last year by Searcy and McKeand. That suit challenged the state's ban on samesex marriage, which prevented Searcy from completing a second-parent adoption of the son she and
McKeand have raised since birth.
It is one of at least three challenges to the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment, which voters
overwhelmingly voted to add to the state constitution in 2006. But it is the first in which a judge has
ruled.
The Attorney General's Office immediately asked Granade to put the ruling on hold, arguing that
Alabama was likely to win on appeal and would be irreparably harmed if it took effect immediately.
Although Granade agreed to the 14-day delay, she dismissed the state's conclusions.
"The Attorney General seems to concede that he cannot make such showing because his argument on
this point simply refers to the arguments he made in connection with his motion for summary
judgment, which the court has rejected," she wrote in response to the argument that the state was
likely to win on appeal.
The judge noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has denied similar requests to block orders striking
down gay marriage bans. The 11th Circuit also recently turned down a request by Florida after a
federal judge there declared its law unconstitutional.
"We certainly hope the 11th Circuit would treat Alabama the same as Florida," said David Kennedy,
another lawyer for Searcy and McKeand.
Another argument offered by the state is that allowing marriage licenses to be issued would harm the
state by creating "confusion" if the Supreme Court ultimately reverses the ruling. Granade rejected
that, too.
"What the Attorney General is describing is harm that may occur to those whose marriages become
legal or who are permitted to marry by the State while the injunction is in place, only to have them
nullified if this court's ruling is overturned," the judge wrote. "This is not a harm to the State, but
rather a potential harm to the same-sex couples whose marriage arrangements recognized or entered
into during the period of the injunction which may be subject to future legal challenge by the State if
the injunction is overturned."
Pointing to similar situations that have occurred in other states in which gay couples received
marriage licenses before the issuance of stays, Granade wrote that such unions in Alabama like would
be ruled valid.
"As long as a stay is in place, same-sex couples and their families remain in a state of limbo with
respect to adoption, child care and custody, medical decisions, employment and health benefits, future
tax implications, inheritance and many other rights associated with marriage," she wrote. "The court
concludes that these circumstances constitute irreparable harm."
Less than an hour before Granade issued her ruling delaying her decision, the Alabama Probate Judges
Association requested permission to intervene in the case. The request expanded on comments the
association's president and lawyer made during a conference call with reporters Sunday afternoon.
In the court document, the association backed the attorney general's position and argued that probate
judges needed time to change procedures.
"It is not reasonable to expect that fundamental changes to the administration of Alabama's marriage
laws can be uniformly and efficiently implemented between Friday evening of one week and Monday
morning of the following week without mass confusion in probate offices across the state of Alabama,"
attorneys for the association wrote.
Kennedy contended that the association's argument is "unfounded from a legal position" but added
that the delay should give probate judges all the time they need to alter forms and train staff.
"If nothing else, the state of Alabama has notice to get ready," he said.
___________
New school standards address many problems
A couple of years ago, with the introduction of Common Core standards in schools across the country,
a social media phenomenon began to take shape.
Each year, as parents read over their children's homework assignments, there was a race to post a
photo of the outrageous "new way" math, along with a snarky comment, on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. All of them decried the new way that has turned one-step memorization of simple
equations into six-step processes that the parents just don't get.
And in a way, that parents didn't get it was the point.
American students have fallen from the top spot in the world, and not just because our worstperforming students are dragging down the averages. It has also been a problem at the top, where
our best performers have been bested consistently year after year, particularly in the areas of science
and math.
As Alabama schools superintendent Tommy Bice put it, "They could tell you that 3 was the square root
of 9, but not why."
In Alabama, the problems were particularly bad. According to statistics from the Alabama Commission
on Higher Education, in 2012-13, there were 22,872 new Alabama high school grads enrolled into
college. Of those, 7,279, needed remedial courses in college to further prepare them.
"It was unacceptable," Bice said. "(Those numbers) told us that we had a problem."
So, Alabama joined the national Common Core initiative — a new set of federal standards that aligned
U.S. schools in terms of curriculum timelines and also strengthened standards.
But Alabama took things a step further and developed the College and Career Ready Standards, which
dramatically alter both the variety and rigor of public school classes and change the way schools
evaluate student preparation.
"We should be preparing students for life," Autauga County superintendent Spence Agee said. "We all
know that every student isn't going to go to college, because it's not for everyone. Some kids want to
go get a good job. We should help prepare him for that. And if we do a good (job) of it, we shouldn't
be punished just because that student didn't go to college."
That will no longer be the case in Alabama.
Over the last two weeks, ACT scores from the initial round of testing all junior students in the state
were released. There was a collective gasp when the numbers showed 87 percent of state students
didn't meet benchmarks in the four measured areas indicating college readiness.
In Montgomery, 90 percent of public school students weren't college ready. In Elmore, it was 89
percent, and 80 percent in Autauga County.
The numbers were a tremendous disappointment, and superintendents in all three districts
acknowledged they were unacceptable. But privately, many in the tri-county districts and across the
state asked: Why is anyone surprised by this?
Less than half of the public school students who graduated from high school in 2013 went on to
college. Of those who did, more than one-third were forced into remedial courses. And there were
assumptions that the actual number of unprepared students was much higher.
"This is the reality," Bice said. "We had the graduation exam here for years and some districts had 97
percent of their students pass it. Obviously, it wasn't a good measure."
The CCRS corrects that. First, it uses the ACT test — which is an accepted measure of students by
most universities — as its primary measure of state students. In addition, students who have taken
advanced placement or International Baccalaureate courses can take an approved AP or IB test that is
accepted by many colleges to determine their readiness.
But the major change across the state comes in the area of career tech, where an old-school emphasis
on middle class and upper-middle class job and skills training is seeing a revival. And not just in high
schools.
In Montgomery, fifth-graders are learning to write computer code and middle schoolers are exploring
a variety of tech options. In Autauga County, middle school students go through a variety of tech
electives, as they begin to narrow down their interests and strengths. And in Elmore County, seventhgraders are getting job-interview training and learning about the attributes employers are looking for
in applicants.
In all three districts, technical centers for high school students are growing and partnering with local
businesses and area tech colleges to teach trades, such as welding.
"There is a gap to be filled," Agee said. "It's very good news that we're taking advantage of it."
When asked if this tech school emphasis could all be a cop-out — a way around sagging student
scores — school officials don't bristle. They laugh.
"We had business representatives come talk to us the other day about welding jobs in Mobile," Elmore
superintendent Dr. Andre Harrison said. "They said they needed 7,000 welders, and some of those
jobs were paying more than $100,000 per year. That's first year, right out of high school."
There are new measures for the technical training that state officials and business leaders believe are
relevant and meaningful: achieving a benchmark score on the new ACT WorkKeys test, which
measures students in defined areas such as applied mathematics, or obtaining an approved industry
credential through training courses.
"It is a huge change for all of us," MPS superintendent Margaret Allen said. "We take kids from all
sorts of different situations and backgrounds, and we have to find the best way to prepare them to be
productive citizens. This helps us."
There also are changes inside the classrooms, not all of which — such as those new-way math
problems — have been accepted with open arms.
But many teachers and principals, such as Prattville Junior High principal Janice Stockman, say the
CCRS has provided them opportunities to be creative and dramatically alter lesson plans and class
options.
For example, PJH now has a forensics class, with students investigating a crime scene and using
geometry to triangulate evidence and learning the science and skills behind the job.
"It keeps kids engaged, and that's the biggest challenge," Stockman said. "A number of our teachers
have been very creative and it shows. That's the case at a lot of schools."
Another significant change is the amount of data available on student progression. Starting in third
grade and continuing through the eighth grade, Alabama students will take an ACT Aspire test, which
will measure their progression towards meeting the benchmarks on the ACT.
"We've never had any measurement of students that spiraled down and was connected from high
schools to the elementary schools," Elmore County director elementary education Claire Moore said.
In all three districts, school leaders talked of the influx of data and how much it would help them and
parents keep track of students' progress. Parents will have almost instant access to their children's
grades, and the districts have made teachers more accessible than ever. (In Montgomery, teachers
are even traveling out to the students' homes.)
The question, obviously, is does it all mean success? And there's no way to know that now.
But at least there are now meaningful measurements of students and data to hopefully prevent kids
from falling behind. And viable career options for kids who have no desire to attend college is a good
thing.
CCRS doesn't address all of the problems that affect Alabama's public schools. But maybe it's a
pathway to overcoming many of them.
___________
Sen. Glover won't introduce bill to keep Alabama on
Daylight Saving Time year-round
There won't be a change in the way Alabamians adjust time every year, at least not from the Alabama
Legislature.
In October, Sen. Rusty Glover announced his intention to file a bill in the 2015 legislative session that
would keep Alabama in Daylight Saving Time year-round - Alabama would not "fall back" an hour in
November 2015, or ever again, if his bill passed.
He now says he's learned that's not in the power of the Legislature.
"It's not possible for us to do it," he told AL.com Friday.
While federal code does allow states, through an act of the state legislature, to completely opt out of
DST and stay in standard time, it does not allow states to make other adjustments to time
observance, including staying in DST year round.
Former Rep. Greg Wren proposed the same legislation in 2014, but Wren resigned as part of a plea
deal before he could fully investigate the proposal and see it through.
"The problems with the legislation were not revealed at that time," Glover said.
Glover said in October that the time change is a "constant source of disruption" for businesses and in
school transportation. He still feels that way, and feels that sticking to DST could have positive
benefits in public safety and economics, but the power to move Alabama into DST permanently
doesn't lie within the state.
"I imagine that if there's a big push for it and people really want it, they can contact their members of
Congress and they can try from that angle," Glover said.
According to the Time Zone Report, a website that tracks DST legislation and advocates for yearround DST, while several states have considered legislation to move to year-round DST, the states
have backed off before passing the laws.
Glover said passing a bill could trigger a "costly" court fight with the federal government - a situation
he'd like to avoid.
____________
Alabama Drone Task Force’s recommendations limited
A state task force formed to propose regulations for drones has, for now, left the issue on the runway.
Gov. Robert Bentley formed the Alabama Drone Task Force last August as a way of addressing issues
related to unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones.
The task force was charged with reviewing expected Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations
on the use of commercial drones and recommending regulations on the use of drones in the state.
While drones can be used for recreational purposes, non-recreational use of drones, such as research,
generally requires sponsorship by a public entity, like a state agency or university.
The group was tasked with delivering a letter to the governor by Jan. 15. According the Agriculture
and Industries Commissioner John McMillan, who served on the task force, the letter only included a
recommendation that the Alabama Department of Transportation be designated as the lead state
agency on drones, and that the task force remain together to continue studying the issue.
McMillan said in an interview last week that a delay in FAA regulations, combined with the complexity
of the issue, made it difficult to develop other guidelines on drone use. “One of the reasons we wanted
to continue as a group (is) we’ve collected a good bit of information, and I think we can be a resource
to this administration,” he said.
The FAA is expected to release its regulations some time this year.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 20 states have passed legislation dealing
with drone use; 10 states passed legislation in 2014 on the issue. Most of the bills dealt with public
use of drones, and required law enforcement to obtain warrants before deploying drones; Iowa
banned the use of drones in the enforcement of traffic laws.
The Alabama task force was most interested in North Carolina’s sweeping legislation, which not only
regulates the use of drones in law enforcement, but also technology that can be used in certain
applications while addressing privacy concerns.
“I think North Carolina has done the best job of anybody I’ve seen,” McMillan said. “They have passed
legislation addressing these key issues.”
A report prepared for the North Carolina Legislature last year noted the possibility of drone use in
disaster response, as well the technology’s potential for use in the private sector.
Tony Harris, a spokesman for DOT, said Friday the department was assessing the report and
formulating its response.
As of Friday, no legislation related to drones had been prefiled for the 2015 Regular Session of the
Alabama Legislature, which begins in March. The Alabama Senate last year approved a bill that would
ban the use of drones to interfere with hunting or fishing activities; the legislation was triggered by an
effort by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to monitor hunting with drones. The
legislation did not make it out of the House.
McMillan said he expected the legislature to come up with some drone-related legislation this year,
though the task force itself did not recommend any. McMillan also noted that lawmakers will have
their hands full with the General Fund deficit and expected legislation to address overcrowding in the
state’s prisons. However, he said keeping the task force together could help the state keep up with the
rapid advance of drones.
“The whole thing is going to be a moving target, with this exploding technology,” he said.
_____________
100 Alabama-based 'Southern Makers' worth supporting in
2015
One hundred fashion designers, winemakers, farmers, chefs, folk artists and other craftsmen from
every corner of Alabama just earned a new title: 2015 Southern Maker.
The annual list celebrating Southern creativity and innovation culminates with a two-day Southern
Makers festival, scheduled for May 2-3 at downtown Montgomery's Union Station Train Shed. Visit
southernmakers.com for ticket details.
"It's one of the premier artisan events throughout the Southeast," Chad Emerson, CEO of Downtown
Huntsville Inc., said Friday. "Being selected to participate really is a great honor and validates
someone as an Alabama artisan."
This year's winners include popular clothing designers (Billy Reid and Natalie Chanin), craft beer
makers (Straight to Ale, Brew Stooges, Back Forty, Railyard Brewing); artisanal food producers (The
Hummus People, Hot Damn Jelly, Wickles Pickles, Stone Hollow Creamery), celebrated Alabama
restaurants (Chez Lulu and Odette); even a broommaker (George's Broom Closet).
Southern Makers said the winners were selected by a curating committee from among more than 200
applicants.
Here's the list for 2015:
1818 Farms, Mooresville
Alabama Chanin, Florence
Alabama Funk, Birmingham
Amos Book Company
Amos Paul Kennedy, Gordo
Andrew Lee Design, Auburn
Anthony Tavis Folk Art, Hoover
Back Alley Bistro, Decatur
Back 40 Beer, Gadsden
Baking Bandits, Birmingham
Billy Reid, Florence
Black Belt Treasures, Camden
Black Warrior Brewing, Tuscaloosa
Brent Smith Art, Mobile
Brew Stooges, Huntsville
Brooks Barrow Studio, Letohatchee
Brooks Road Dill Pickles
Burgwin Design, Lowndesboro
Butch Anthony, Seale
CAB Yachts
C. Hines Art, Montgomery
Café Louisa, Montgomery
CahaBones, Irondale
Carrie's Kitchen, Huntsville
Central Alabama Beekeepers, Wetumpka
Chef David Bancroft of Acre restaurant, Auburn
Chef Leo Maurelli of Central restaurant, Montgomery
Chez Lulu & Continental Bakery, Birmingham
Chris Bennett, The Forager,
Cindy Barganier Textiles
City Arts Bham, Birmingham
Cotton & Pine, Montgomery
Cusp Studio, Loachapoka
Dayspring Dairy, Gallant
DD aRt, Birmingham
Deborah Strawn Glass, Auburn
Debra Riffe, Birmingham
Digs Designs, Birmingham
Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Huntsville
Earthborn Studios, Leeds
Eastaboga Bee Company, Eastaboga
East River Trading, Dothan
E.A.T. South, Montgomery
Echo Colors
Eli Mason
Emma Jane Designs, Auburn
Feather Wild
Fisher's at Orange Beach Marina, Orange Beach
Flannel & Floral
Four Oak Furniture Design
Fox Point Farm, Kellyton
Frances Rodriguez Art
Freedom Soap Company, Birmingham
G Mommas Cookies/Selma Good Company, Selma
Gabe Pedals, Boaz
G.E.A.R. by Re-Invention, Montgomery
George's Broom Closet, Florence
Gourd Artist
Great Bear Wax Company, Birmingham
Green Pea Press, Huntsville
Happy Soap Company, Tuscaloosa
Harry Dearing Woodworking, Greenville
Highbrow Cold Brew, Huntsville
High Ridge Spirits, Union Springs
Hot Damn Jelly, Auburn
Hues Jewelry, Dothan
Idyllwilde, Muscle Shoals
Iron City Trading, Huntsville
Jala Jala Foods, Huntsville
Jim 'N Nicks Community Bar-B-Q
John Emerald Distillery, Opelika
KBC butcher block, market, eatery, Dothan
Kudzu Noodle Bar, Montgomery
Larry Allen/LA Pottery, Leeds
Left Hand Soap Company, Tuscaloosa
Leigh Ann Hurst Handcrafted Jewelry, Decatur
Loyal Stricklin, Opelika
Lucy Lockets, Birmingham
MATTER
Montgomery Art Guild, Montgomery
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery
Mountain Moon Glass
NewSouth Books, Montgomery
Noke's Granola
Odette, Florence
Orbix Hot Glass, Fort Payne
Ozan Vineyard & Cellars, Calera
Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach
Piper & Leaf Gardens, Huntsville
Priester Pecan Company, Fort Deposit
Railyard Brewing Company, Montgomery
RC Hagans, Opelika
Rescued Relics/Landmarks Foundation, Montgomery
Rosita's Farm, Hartselle
Rusted Willow Artworks, Huntsville
Scoutx2
Shelby County Arts Council Pottery Collective, Columbiana
Simply Cinnamon, Triana
Southern Accents Architectural Antiques, Cullman
Sprouted Flour Company, Fitzpatrick
Standard Deluxe Inc., Waverly
Stately Made, Birmingham
Stone Hollow Creamery, Harpersville
Straight to Ale, Huntsville
Super Suppers, Montgomery
Tangled String Studios, Huntsville
The Hummus People, Athens
The Moose and Squirrel Show, Boaz
The Sonic Suitcase, Fairhope
The Tipping Point, Montgomery
Tin Man Art
Toni's Natural Creations,
Walker Timber Frames, Cullman
Wickles Pickles, Dadeville
Wicks and Willow, Montgomery
Wood Studio, Fort Payne
Zkano Socks, Fort Payne
_____________
Education and class America’s new aristocracy
WHEN the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination line up on stage for their first debate
in August, there may be three contenders whose fathers also ran for president. Whoever wins may
face the wife of a former president next year. It is odd that a country founded on the principle of
hostility to inherited status should be so tolerant of dynasties. Because America never had kings or
lords, it sometimes seems less inclined to worry about signs that its elite is calcifying.
Thomas Jefferson drew a distinction between a natural aristocracy of the virtuous and talented, which
was a blessing to a nation, and an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, which would
slowly strangle it. Jefferson himself was a hybrid of these two types—a brilliant lawyer who inherited
11,000 acres and 135 slaves from his father-in-law—but the distinction proved durable. When the
robber barons accumulated fortunes that made European princes envious, the combination of their
own philanthropy, their children’s extravagance and federal trust-busting meant that Americans never
discovered what it would be like to live in a country where the elite could reliably reproduce
themselves.
Now they are beginning to find out, because today’s rich increasingly pass on to their children an asset
that cannot be frittered away in a few nights at a casino. It is far more useful than wealth, and
invulnerable to inheritance tax. It is brains.
Matches made in New Haven
Intellectual capital drives the knowledge economy, so those who have lots of it get a fat slice of the
pie. And it is increasingly heritable. Far more than in previous generations, clever, successful men
marry clever, successful women. Such “assortative mating” increases inequality by 25%, by one
estimate, since two-degree households typically enjoy two large incomes. Power couples conceive
bright children and bring them up in stable homes—only 9% of college-educated mothers who give
birth each year are unmarried, compared with 61% of high-school dropouts. They stimulate them
relentlessly: children of professionals hear 32m more words by the age of four than those of parents
on welfare. They move to pricey neighbourhoods with good schools, spend a packet on flute lessons
and pull strings to get junior into a top-notch college.
The universities that mould the American elite seek out talented recruits from all backgrounds, and
clever poor children who make it to the Ivy League may have their fees waived entirely. But middleclass students have to rack up huge debts to attend college, especially if they want a post-graduate
degree, which many desirable jobs now require. The link between parental income and a child’s
academic success has grown stronger, as clever people become richer and splash out on their
daughter’s Mandarin tutor, and education matters more than it used to, because the demand for
brainpower has soared. A young college graduate earns 63% more than a high-school graduate if both
work full-time—and the high-school graduate is much less likely to work at all. For those at the top of
the pile, moving straight from the best universities into the best jobs, the potential rewards are
greater than they have ever been.
None of this is peculiar to America, but the trend is most visible there. This is partly because the gap
between rich and poor is bigger than anywhere else in the rich world—a problem Barack Obama
alluded to repeatedly in his state-of-the-union address on January 20th (see article). It is also because
its education system favours the well-off more than anywhere else in the rich world. Thanks to
hyperlocal funding, America is one of only three advanced countries where the government spends
more on schools in rich areas than in poor ones. Its university fees have risen 17 times as fast as
median incomes since 1980, partly to pay for pointless bureaucracy and flashy buildings. And many
universities offer “legacy” preferences, favouring the children of alumni in admissions.
Nurseries, not tumbrils
The solution is not to discourage rich people from investing in their children, but to do a lot more to
help clever kids who failed to pick posh parents. The moment to start is in early childhood, when the
brain is most malleable and the right kind of stimulation has the largest effect. There is no substitute
for parents who talk and read to their babies, but good nurseries can help, especially for the most
struggling families; and America scores poorly by international standards (see article). Improving
early child care in the poorest American neighbourhoods yields returns of ten to one or more; few
other government investments pay off so handsomely.
Many schools are in the grip of one of the most anti-meritocratic forces in America: the teachers’
unions, which resist any hint that good teaching should be rewarded or bad teachers fired. To fix this,
and the scandal of inequitable funding, the system should become both more and less local. Per-pupil
funding should be set at the state level and tilted to favour the poor. Dollars should follow pupils,
through a big expansion of voucher schemes or charter schools. In this way, good schools that attract
more pupils will grow; bad ones will close or be taken over. Unions and their Democratic Party allies
will howl, but experiments in cities such as battered New Orleans have shown that school choice
works.
Finally, America’s universities need an injection of meritocracy. Only a handful, such as Caltech, admit
applicants solely on academic merit. All should. And colleges should make more effort to offer value
for money. With cheaper online courses gaining momentum, traditional institutions must cut costs or
perish. The state can help by demanding more transparency from universities about the return that
graduates earn on their degrees.
Loosening the link between birth and success would make America richer—far too much talent is
currently wasted. It might also make the nation more cohesive. If Americans suspect that the game is
rigged, they may be tempted to vote for demagogues of the right or left—especially if the grown-up
alternative is another Clinton or yet another Bush.