Do.

Is from our state House studio in Montgomery.

I'm Todd Stacy, welcome to Capitol Journal.

There is a new entrant into the race for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Congressman Barrymore, who currently represents Alabama's first district, has officially announced he will seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, joining Attorney Genera Steve Marshall in that primary.

Moore's career in politics has been greatly defined by his early and strong support for President Donald Trump at his campaign announcement.

That theme continued with Moor saying Trump needs more allies elected to Congress as he continues this fight.

We cannot send people who we do not know where they stand just because they have a letter by their name, o they might have some name I.D.

we better send some people that when time comes and the man is the tip of the spear, there are armor bearer around him that will defend him.

We cannot leave that in question because it's not his future.

It's your future.

It's your country.

It's your grandkids.

It's your great grandkids.

That is where we are at.

And with Moore not running for reelection in that South Alabama first district, there are now multipl candidates vying to replace him.

Former Congressman Jerry Carl officially announced his bid for the seat this week.

Carl previousl held that A01 seat for two terms before being defeated by Barry Moore after the last round of redistricting.

But those two in the same district, also announcing a run this week, is State Representative Brett Marks of Enterprise.

Mark' also picked up the endorsement and financial support from US Senator Katie Britt, who is also from enterprise.

It's going to b an interesting campaign season.

Well, the legislature might soon be going back to the drawing board to reshape legislative districts.

A federal judge has ruled that the map of state Senate districts redrawn in 202 violates the Voting Rights Act.

Judge Anna Mascaro wrote in her ruling tha another Majority-black district could be drawn in the Montgomery area.

The district in question is Senate District 25, which is the yellow portion of the map shown here, stretching from Elmore County through Montgomery down to Crenshaw County.

The legislature might have to redraw that district, which of course could impact the surrounding districts.

It is not yet clear whether the state will appeal the ruling, as it did with congressional redistricting.

And there's also a hearing to discuss potential remedies next week.

The elections for state Senate are next year and qualifying ends in January.

There's som promising news from the latest round of test scores for Alabama public school students.

Those scores are generall headed in the right direction, according to data from the state Department of Education.

Results from the Alabam Comprehensive Assessment Program showed that 56.2% of students were proficient in English language arts.

Up almost four points from last year and u more than ten points from 2021.

In math, 33.4% of students tested proficient, up two points from last year and more than ten points from 2021.

In science, there was a slight decrease by one tenth of a percent to 38.9% proficient.

But that number is u more than four points from 2021.

Our senior education reporte Trish Craine compiled this data, and one point that sticks out i how economically disadvantaged students score significantly less than those who aren't in poverty.

And I'll talk more with Trish about this data later in the show.

A major boost this week for public safet in Alabama's Wiregrass Region.

After years of planning a new forensic drug lab is up and running in Dothan.

It's designed to deliver faster testing, quicker prosecutions and safer communities.

Capital Journal's Jeff Sanders explains how this facility will serve southeast Alabama.

One two, three the.

The new Alabam Department of Forensic Sciences lab in Dothan is now open serving seven Wiregrass counties Houston, Henry Dale, Geneva, Pike, Covington, and Coffee.

For more than a decade law enforcement here had to ship drug evidence as far as 100 miles away, often to Montgomery or Auburn, just to get samples tested.

That meant long waits and crowded court dockets.

Now, with testing back in the Wiregrass.

Officials sa justice will move much faster.

This facility is helping to make not just the Wiregrass, but all of Alabam a safer place each and every day by taking some of the most dangerous drugs off the street and conducting some of the state of the art forensi testing in a in a timely manner.

Governor Kay Ivey says the investment in the new lab strengthens both law enforcement and public safety.

From day one, my administration has made it a priority to give our justice system the tools and resources needed to get the job done right.

That's why this facility wa built with sufficiency capacity and the latest forensic technologies.

The Dothan lab, for now, will specialize in drug chemistry, analyzing narcotics seized in criminal cases.

And according to Alabam Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Those tests are essential to move charges forward.

None of those convictions are going to be able to take place absent the work that our forensic science department does.

And so when we look at thi facility, we think of scientists that are working to do valuable work to our communities.

But let's remember the consequence of that.

They give law enforcement and prosecutors the abilit to keep their community safer.

Representative Steve Clouse says the project was years in the making.

An ide first sketched out over lunch.

Angelo.

He called me probably 6 or 7 years ago and said, hey, I'm coming through Ozark.

Let me buy you lunch at Applebee's.

He broached the idea if the money was available.

And so we cooked up a plan on the back of a napkin and and moved forward from there.

And while that new forensic lab is up and running in Dothan, law enforcement officials across the state are hoping that lawmakers here in Montgomery will be willing to fund similar projects in the years ahead.

Reporting from the statehouse, I'm Jeff Sanders for Capitol Journal.

Thank you Jeff.

As summer winds down.

Visitors to one of Alabama's most popular state parks will notice some big changes.

State and local officials gathered at Mayor State Park and Spanish Fork to celebrate a major expansion of that park's amenities.

The project includes 45 luxury RV campsites, a new bathhouse for tiny cabins and a new headquarters building, all overlooking the north end of mobile Bay.

Funding came from multiple sources, including an $80 million bond issue approve by Alabama voters back in 2022 to support improvements across Alabama's state park system.

People are really excited about this.

You know, it's a different type of, expand the campground and more people can get in here and camp.

You know, a lot of folks kind of like the quietness of this park and the way it was before.

But it's just such a beautiful place.

And now we have campsites that are very wooded.

You know, with the trees we have the new campsites are a lot more open.

So if you have your satellite dish and those, you know, the things tha you really wanted, the openness.

But all the sights here are beautiful when they look out over mobile Bay and hundreds of thousands of people that come through here on an annual basis that are spending money in Spanish Fort and Daphne buying groceries and shopping they're eating at restaurants.

So these type of parks really have a great economic impact on the communities around them, not only the beautiful places to stay, but they really do generat a lot of revenue for the cities.

And how much state parks contribute not only to the quality of life in their districts, but also to the financial and economic success.

Last week, we reported from the Business Council of Alabama's governmental Affairs conference in Point Clear but there was so much material that it was hard to fit into all one show.

Capital journal's Randy Scott has a follow up story on his conversations with state, political and business leaders about ideas generated from the BCA conference.

And I think it will, bring a lot of, economic development and into the area.

Collins Spencer works for the engineering firm H and TB, based in Atlanta.

Does transportation infrastructure work?

So we do work on bridges, highways, roadways, airports and with transit authority.

He's attending the 202 BCA conference to talk business and how to help move Alabama' workforce and economy forward.

Workforce is a key element o our economic success in Alabama and looking forward t bringing this agency together, which are portions of commerce portions of I and all of the Department of Labor coming together under the new heading of the Department of Workforce.

A topic that's been a very big conversation starter for Alabama for the last couple of years is a big conversation started down here in Alabama at the 2025 BCA conference, Improving Workforce Development in Alabama.

Ways to increase it.

Ways to get more people involved in IT, and ways to get it to help boost the state's economy.

Gregory is the secretary of Alabama's Department of Workforce.

Before that, he serve for several years in the Alabama Senate.

He's attende BCA conferences in the past, but is excited in his new rol to see the future possibilities.

We need more well-trained workers in Alabama.

Our economy is growing.

We want it to grow more.

And as a result, we're going to have to hel people understand how to engage in move forward in workforce training and options for them to be involved in the economy, including young folks.

Some of those new workers will have a hand in the new bridge project for the City of Mobile, aime to help with congestion issues.

Collins, Spencer's engineerin firm, will have a part in this.

So getting workers for this project is important.

We do design, build.

We do planning, project management.

And so we're happy to say that a couple of months ago, we're one of the engineering firms that will be playing a role with the buildin of the new mobile River bridge.

It's a projec possible thanks to cooperation from local, state, federal and business leaders.

Folks are willing to sit down even if you have some differences.

They're willing to sit down and talk about, issues that may be affecting Alabama and the cities and th municipalities within Alabama, and trying to figure out i they can come up with a solution together.

In point.

Clear.

Randy Scott, Capital Journal.

Thank you.

Randy.

Well, get ready to wear your school colors and show off some of that tea pride this week at the Capitol.

Governor Kay Ivey joined the Higher Education Partnership, along with students and mascots from Alabama's public universities, to officially proclaim August 29th as College Colors Day in Alabama.

That's next Friday when Alabamians are encouraged to sport their favorite schools, colors and apparel.

The celebration not only shows school spirit, but also highlights the vital role of higher education and the multi-billion dolla impact universities have on our state's economy.

We're here to celebrate a team effort, a true team effort.

It brings us the pride and the passion and yes, a little healthy rivalry in all of us, our universities.

Y'all all know how I'm proud.

All.

And Tiger.

And you don't have to guess who I'm going to be rooting for when game days rolled around.

But today we're all on the same team and we're playing to win.

Folks, our public universities are powerhouses.

They prepare our student to succeed in the classroom, in their careers, and in life.

We're so honored, governor, that you've taken the time and have always taken the time to recognize and and respectfully remind people that college colors Day is not just a day you wear your uniform or you wave your pom pom.

It is a day we celebrate Alabama Only t find a new orange and blue tie.

We'll be right back with this week's guests.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

aptv.org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes on Capital Journal's Facebook page.

Ralph Shug Jordan coached the Auburn Tigers for 24 seasons, from 1951 through 1975, with 176 win coached during ladies alma mater to more wins than any other head football coach in Auburn's rich football history.

He's remember the College Football Hall of Fame.

The 1950s were probabl his best decade with the Tigers, winning the national championship in 1957.

I'm Thomas Garcia, wide receiver on Coach Jordans 1972 football team, nicknamed The Amazing.

A major underdo entering the season, we finished with a ten one record, number five in the country, including the infamous Punt Bama punt Iron Bowl victory.

Coach always said that his 197 team was one of his favorites.

Coach Jordan remains one of the most highly respected personalities in the history of Auburn University.

Not only because of his success as a head football coach, but also because of his tireless devotion to the Auburn community.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Joining me next is Heath Harmon, executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Mr. Harmon thanks for coming on the show.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Well, our viewers tuning in on Friday night have just saw some Friday Night Football action.

We're tuning in after the game.

So we're off to a roaring start, if you will.

It's Friday night Lights.

And how does that work for you?

Organization.

You don't have to manage at all.

Yeah, we're very excited.

We've got things kicked off.

You know, a lot of work has gone into this season.

Hope springs eternal.

Before the start of any season.

And just excited for for athletes and communities and schools to get out there and get it going.

And we are pleased to partner with the Alabama High School athletic Association to feature, not just Friday Night Football, but Thursday Night Football as well.

And the reaction from the audience has been tremendous.

It's it's amazin just how interested people are in not just watching their ow high school football, but really the featured game of the week and everything.

So I'm excited about that.

Not just the championships, but the games throughout the season.

I think it's one of the things that's really special about Alabama brings communities together, right?

That's right.

And we're so excited about that growth and just thankful for our partnership and to have that access all throughout the state, to be able to see those games on Thursday night.

You're just increasing the access to a really great product.

And, and communities, can not only tune in to, like you said, their game, but they can catch games on on Thursday night all throughout the state.

And, and it's going to be a really big deal.

Oh yeah.

And they're saying okay, who might we see in the playoffs coming up here.

You know we'll look.

This is your second year leading the association.

How how was it been in year two?

Yeah.

So you're one was great.

Always loved the opportunity to kind of live through everything for the first time and, excited about year two and where we're headed.

I feel like there's some really big things that we've accomplished.

We just.

Our boar just approved our strategic plan for the next five years.

So, we're very excited about where where we go going a strategically, and just excited about the staff that we have and the opportunit to take a year to really get out and meet our, our schools, our principals, go to our district meetings and just really get a finger on the pulse of what kind of support they need, because that's really why we exist, is to support our member schools.

So, very excited about year two.

One issue that has cropped up a little bit is transfers.

Because, you know, hig schools are more and more kind of seeming like colleges, especially from years ago.

And so transfers from one school to the othe and compliance with the rules.

Talk about how y'all have addressed these concerns as an organization.

Yeah, I think what you said there, a couple of words you said are key to that.

You know, you said transfers and then you say compliant to our rules.

And I think that's really what we've, you know, tried to communicate to our schools last year.

The number one issue that was brought to me, no matter where I went was transfers.

And we started to realize they're not just talking about transfers, we're talking about noncompliant transfers.

So transferring to another sel is definitely not a bad thing.

But as long as it's, according to our bylaws and our rules.

And so we started a, transfer task forc out of our April board meeting.

It's a really good grou of leaders throughout the state that are just helping us come up with ideas of how to tackle this issue.

And I think the noncomplian transfers is a really big issue, but I also think the key to this is our membe schools brought an issue to us, and we're doing something about it.

And so I think that's the encouraging thing is just for our member schools to kno that the issues that they have, we're going to take them very seriously.

We're going to be very strategic in how we deal with those issues.

And like I said, that's the reason we exist.

Yeah.

So what are the rules like?

I remember in high school, you know, some.

Yeah, some kids would come from a different school and then they just happened to be great athletes, you know?

Yeah.

So what are the rules there?

You have to live in the district or.

I mean, I guess there are certain parameters involved.

Yeah.

One of the big thing is how you arrive at the school, you know, making that bonafide move into the district.

I think that's one of the first keys.

Is just making sure everybody understands what that means to make that bona fide move.

And there's some other things that you have to address.

Like, if you, you know, we don't we can't have recruiting or anything like that, right?

But one of the big issues, we're just trying to support schools and make sure they understand what a bona fide move is.

What?

What they have to have a documented in place for that to meet, you know, the rule and just support them in that.

Yeah.

Of course, now you've got to choose act and, you know, school choice a lot more.

That transfer could probably be happening.

So it's definitely an issue to watch.

Well it's not just football season.

You got volleyball starting cross-country, swimming and diving.

It's not just football.

I'll talk about the other fall sports that, folks are looking for.

Oh, yeah.

So volleyball, football, cross-country swimming, diving, flag football, which is probably one of our fastest growing sports, you know, so just lots of opportunities for kids to participate and communities to turn out and support their kids.

And it's always great, for those fall sports because that's kind of kicking your year off, you know, for your school year.

So really, having a good fall sport season is probably a principal's best friend, you know, just getting off to a good star academically and athletically.

So lots of things to loo forward to and be excited about.

It's fun when the two days end.

I don't know if two days are still a thing, but it's it's always nice to actually play the games and not just, hit each other, you know, in practice and everything.

And you're right about flag football.

I would not have guessed that it is really taken off.

Of course, we feature the championships on flag football here on APD, and the feedback on that has been tremendous.

And that's a, you know, a non-contact kind of sport that a lot of students are choosing to enjoy.

Yeah, I think the growth of that has really been, phenomenal.

And if you look at Central Phenix City last yea that won the state championship, but also, were named nationa champions, from a publication.

So I think just the success that those teams are having and it's growing, we have more and more schools who are interested in starting teams.

And so it's a great opportunity for kids.

Well, look, congratulations on the kickoff of the season.

Good luck on the season.

I guess we'll see you in December.

I look forward to seeing you there.

All right.

We'll be right back.

As the longtime coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide coach Paul Bryant led the team to si national championships, 24 bowl games, 13 conference titles, and three undefeated seasons.

He is widely considered the greatest college football coach of all time.

Hello, I'm John Krol, defensive end on the 1973 National championship team that went 11 and zero.

Regular season.

In his 25 years at Alabama, Coach Bryant's teams compiled 232 wins, 46 losses, and participated in 24 consecutive bowl games.

He was nationa coach of the year three times.

His players received 67 All-American honors, and numerous top players went on to distinguished NFL careers.

Coach Wright remains an integral part of the Alabama football tradition.

He established a scholarship fund for the children of former players to attend the university.

And to this day, tide fan wear houndstooth in his memory.

Welcome back to Capital Journal.

Do you want to be next is state representative Margie Wilcox for mobile representative.

Thanks for coming on the show.

I'm delighted to be here.

Thank you.

Also, Cochairman of the Joint Legislative Sunset Committee.

And that's why I wanted to have you on, remind our audience about sunset.

It's a it' a important legislative process, but kind of obscure.

Not really the sexiest thing in the world, but a very important part of state government.

Can you kind of walk us through the sunset process of what that is?

Well, the Sunset Committee oversees all your boards, agencies and commissions in the state, and most of those regulate occupational boards.

So actually, it's workforce development.

A long time ago, you know, in the beginning.

And so we do that.

And then one of the things that is really touching about the sunset is that you're able to help your fellow House and Senate members, because there's always a constituent reaching out to them.

And very ofte the answer is going to sunset, where sunset can contact these occupational boards and find out what is actually going on and be able to help their constituent and help make their legislator look good that they reached out and help them.

Okay.

So if I have a if I have trouble with a board or committee getting my license correct, whatever, I can contact my state representative.

That goes to the House committee.

Right.

The state representativ will call one of the co-chairs or one of the members and say, can you explain to me why my constituent is having this problem and we get to the bottom of it for them?

It's kind of been an interesting couple of years for sunset, because there's been some of this controversy with boards and commissions.

A lot of, I don't know, it's almost become like this cottage industry that you have dug through a little bit.

And interestingly, this week in the committee, you started implementing a new tradition.

I guess you could call i a requirement, procedure process or a new requirement that before somebody comes and testifies before, sunset you're going to swear them in.

Yes, basically.

And you were quoted saying no fibs and lies.

That's interesting.

So talk about this new requirement.

Well, you know, I took over sunset, at the beginning of this quadrennial.

And so it is a different sunset than it was before.

I had some different ideas about what it should do, what it could do and what it had not been doing.

And, with the Speaker Ledbetter support, we started really digging into some stuff and looking especially at some of the management and that were professionally managed.

And we specifically look at how much of their budget is being spent to with the professional managers and if if the amounts that are being spent are appropriate.

And then we have foun that some boards don't cash flow unless they have a significant amount of funds to their members.

Well, that's really not a good formula for success because your association or your board should be there to educate, regulate to whatever degree is necessary and assist the members.

You should really shouldn't be punitive unless there's something egregious that's been done.

So we've kind of been I had asked for Representative Underwood, he' a CPA to be on this committee, and he has really helped div into the numbers and dive into whether they're fine and people to survive, to pay their management fees.

So that's part of what has made it unique.

And then you're talking about the swearing in as a result of that.

In the last year or so, I just felt, and we found out later tha some of the stuff that we were told was factually incorrect.

I was going to ask you that.

I mean, if you say you're going to have this new requirement, you must have thought in the past that the people testifying weren the trying to deceive or to make themselves look better to the board.

Some of it was these are volunteer boards.

And somebody handed them a script and said, here, this is what you need to say.

So what I'm trying to what the committee is tryin to impress upon people is that know your facts before you come.

State only the facts and don't give testimony to something that you don't have firsthand knowledge of.

And that works both ways from the board.

But then we also had some people that came and made false allegations against the board.

And it's a forum where it's it's aired.

People were looking at it.

And so that became an area that I felt like it was going in the wrong direction.

So I wanted to make sure that people understood that we only wanted the truth.

We don't want commentary.

We want what you have firsthand knowledge of.

So today was the first day.

Thankfully, the committee yesterday at the work session agreed to this new procedure.

So we implemented it today.

And so far it went real well because someone today I was very it made me feel good because I said, oh, wait a minute, let me check myself on that because I have.

And so and all they were saying is, okay, I'd heard that, bu it's not my firsthand knowledge.

So I don't want to I don't want to state that.

So I thought tha that meant that this is working a little different.

When you put your hand on the Bible and raise your right hand and all that kind of stuff and sa a little different vibe, right?

And I'll be honest with you, I've had some of members and chairmen of standing committees that when I told the what my plans were, they said, as soon as you start doing it, I'm going to start doing it.

So it is going to be interesting to see if any of the standin committees adopt this procedure.

A lot of folks in this town will be paying close attention to how that goes.

Yes.

Let me ask you about the broader issue.

There's been an effort or talk of an effort legislation in years past to consolidate a lot of these boards and commissions to I mean, Senator Ellis had a bill to kind of overhaul the whole thing.

What do you see, as you know, any kind of initiative like that?

What might we see from your perspective on that issue going forward, including in this next legislative session?

Well I do agree with Senator Elliott that some type of consolidation needs to take place.

Now, what form that is, he and I disagree on that format.

I think that it should be more interest industry.

So, like boards that are in a particular industry, you might have some baby boards and some bigger boards that they might combine resources, industry specific.

You have the electrical Contractors Board.

They first went with general contractors.

That wasn't a fit but now they're going to Hvac.

So having construction trade then maybe have some health care trade, you know.

And then we have some boards like there's the sickle cell.

Advisory board came before us today.

I think they might be, you know, I explored whether they should be in the Department of Public Health.

They don't feel lik they're getting the resources.

So I don't know that it should be some big, bad bill.

I think that it should be more.

Let's take it board by board, agency and commission and look at their specific needs and what they do and encourage them to consolidate or be put under certain departments of the state.

Yeah.

It's interesting.

And again, it's an important part of state government.

And for so many years, sunset was just kind of seen as a rubber stamp.

Right.

It was just kind of automatic.

And I do think it's interesting that y'all in recent years have really taken the microscope and said, okay, let' let's make sure that after all, these are taxpayer resources, there is, like you said, it's the workforce.

These are industries where people are payin their dues and things like that.

So it should be taken seriously.

So I think it's interesting that y'all taking a differen approach to those in the past.

Well and it's not so much top down.

Representative Sanford, Chairman Sanford was a wonderful chairman, and he ran his committee a he saw fit and did a good job.

It's more of a team approach.

We break it down like, one of the surface mining that we heard today.

Well, we have representativ Bill Lamm, who's from that area in Tuscaloosa.

He's got the time and we've charged him with the duty of digging in a little deeper on that, because in the time of our hearing and reading the reports, we may miss some of the details that are important.

And we don't want to have any unintended consequences of our bill.

And then, another thing tha we've started doing is for years they had the opinion that sunset was just you.

One thing, sunset, you say whether they're going to be in existence or not.

Right.

Yet they were.

They'd be given a problem presented to sunset and we didn't do anything about it.

So last year when we had the helm and started the legislation, I started fixing the problems that we saw because these smaller boards don't have the resources to go find a legislator, write the legislation.

If we a sunset know it, have seen it, and I've already discussed with them solutions, why not put it in the sunset bill?

So we did that last year and it worked.

Well.

You know, you shouldn't create more bills or more work for people.

It's our job to see the problem, recognize it and try to fix it.

That oversight role is so key, to the legislature.

Well, thanks again for coming on the show.

I know you're headed, back south.

We've been enjoying our time in Louisville lately.

We had a couple of shows down there, from Bishop State.

Also had one from BCA, and we're going to come back.

We're going to come back this fall and do a, a show from mobile, kind of featuring some of the city down there.

So I hope to see you then.

Thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

Since 1997, Alabam Public Television has provided programs, services, and resources to childcare professionals, teachers and parents.

Visit AP tv.org/education to learn more.

Originally designated as a postal route in 1806, the old Federal Road stretched through the creek Indian Territory of Lower Alabama.

Alabama's Federal road functioned as a major thoroughfare for western migration into the Old Southwest, ushering in a new era of national expansion and exploitation of Native American territory.

Although much of the Federal Road has disappeared, portions of it remain today.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Joining me next is Greg Cochran, executive director of the Alabama League of Municipalities.

Greg thanks for coming on the show.

Thank you for having us.

Well, it's an exciting time for your organization because it's election time, right?

Absolutely.

It's the, time for city elections across the state.

There's some big ones.

You got, Birmingham Mobile, a lot of smaller towns throughout the state, coming up this Tuesday.

So an exciting time for cities, right?

Absolutely.

It is.

We have 466 municipalities in the state of Alabama, of which 450 will have elections next week on Tuesday.

And so it's an opportunity for citizens to engage in their local government, engage in the direction of their communities.

And we're excited about that.

Any time that we have an opportunity for our cities to prosper and do better, we want to take advantage of that.

And this is certainly one of those opportunities to ensur that you have people in office that represent your point of view.

You know, we spent so much time talking about the federal government.

I mean, just turn on cable news.

You know, it's just everywhere And the state government, too.

That's what we cover here.

But, you know, it's it's seems to me that your life is actually mor impacted by your city council, your school board, your mayors and everything like that actually matters quite a bit more in many ways than your federal elected officials.

I'm all right.

You are.

They're the closest to the people your your municipal governments are.

And they impact you in so many different ways.

If you think about a you go through your daily life, when you get up and you drink your water or you brush your teeth, the water coming through, there's usually from a municipal water system, you go out and you get in your car and you drive on the roads.

You're on municipal roadways and as you go downtown to your office, you're passing businesse that are approved and licensed by your municipal government.

So throughout the day, you're touched by the actions of your municipal government good and bad, making sure that and that's why it's so important with these elections that we ensure that we have the right people in office.

Absolutely.

One encourage everybody to get out and vote in their and their city elections.

Let's talk about what happens after the election, because that's where y'all really kind of step in.

Elected officials from the city council to the mayor, everybody.

It seems to me that a lot of times in these situations, people can get elected really not having a ton of experience, right?

And you also organization plays a pivotal role in training, public officials at the local level.

Talk about your role in that.

Well, it's important to us that good governance takes place every day.

And so we have a CMO program, which is certified municipal Officials program, to train our officials to be the best they can be.

And so we provide them with the tools, the resources to come in and learn.

What does it mean to be a good council member?

What does it mean to be a good mayor?

And so through our orientation sessions that we will have this fall for throughout the state, will give each of these newly elected officials an opportunity to come in and learn about municipal governments, because, as you pointed out, many of them don't have any government experience at all.

And so when they come into office, they may have been driven by a single issue.

It may have been a zoning issue or it may have been growth issues.

Will they get there?

And then they realize will they have a full portfolio of issues?

They have to deal with every council meeting.

So teaching them about how to put a budget together, teach them about the bid laws.

There are so many things that don't apply t the private sector of our world that do appl when you're an elected official making sure they understand that on top of the ethics law, and now that they're impacted by the ethics law that was passed several years ago, and making sure they understand what that means for them and their families, when it comes to interaction with other people, the blocking and tackling of municipal government.

Well, now there's a new law that actually requires some o this training, signed into law, I guess this past year.

How does that impact your training?

You know, as you go forward, we were excited to have the legislature adopt that legislation for us because we have operated a education training for our municipal officials for over 30 years, and we have thousands of officials who have been through that program, but now be a mandatory it make sure that everyone has access to that and and participates in the training.

So by being mandatory, they have to get ten hours of training every year for the first four years and then five hours of training following that.

We have online training.

We have partnered with the two year college system.

Chancellor Bake has been an outstanding partner in helping us get that out there.

So there's no excuse why a municipal official today can't go in and get the training that they need to learn good governance.

How does that work?

So if I'm elected t the city council, I get trained.

How's the feedback?

Are they are they, grateful for understanding the benefit there and understanding that this is actually going to help them do their job better and and, you know, respon to constituents appropriately?

Absolutely.

What happens?

Todd, a lot of times is they again come to office with a single issue in mind.

And then when they sit there in those council meetings, they realize they're now entrusted with the planning and zoning, business license approvals, ta rates, business license rates, so many things they were not thinking about before in the private sector that now it falls in their lap for, to make sure that the community grows and is vital, in a good way.

And so we hopefully treat them and teach them what it is to be a good council member, a good mayor, teach them what to expect, how to put a budget together, all the things that's important to being a good politician.

And I imagine those resources are always available from the league.

If if I have a question, if I'm a mayor or city council, what I can always call th league and ask, you know, hey, how does other cities deal wit this kind of thing?

Absolutely.

We were founded in 1935 as an advocacy organization.

Since then, we have broade scope to also include education and training, as we talked about.

We have four attorneys on staff that will gladly answer any questions.

And if they can't answer them, they'll refer them to the correct state or federal agency that can answer it for them.

We also do along with training and, and legal advocacy.

We do, so many other things in economic development training.

We know that to have a prosperous community, you have to have a strong business community, in there.

And so we work real hard to help our cities identify what are their streets and weaknesses so that they can optimize their economic investment in their community.

Switching gears, I wanted to ask you about lives locally.

Alabama.

This is a campaign that's been around for about a year.

Talk about how this came about and what can we expect in the next year.

We find a lot of times when w go out and speak to civic groups and to other leadership groups, that there's not an understanding of the role municipal officials play in their lives.

And so through the Live Locall campaign, we hope to strengthen that bond between citizens and their local officials.

Better understanding the pros that the officials build for their community whether it's through recreation, like the water park in Montgomery, is it, a vibrant downtown redevelopment effort?

But having the citizens understand that that again, from the time they wake up in the morning until they get back home, municipal governments are touching their lives.

And through the live local campaign, we're able to show that through videos and through testimonial and other things, that there's a lot to be proud of in Alabama, and we want to show that off.

Absolutely.

All politics is local, all politics as.

Look, again, we want to encourage everybody to get out and vote in their municipal elections.

And, I appreciate you coming on and explaining some of this.

Thank you so much for having us today.

We'll be right back.

Few individual in the history of American sport have possessed greater athletic ability than Bessemer, Alabama native Vincent Bo Jackson.

Auburn University second Heisman Trophy winner.

A three time all SEC and two time All-American selection, Jackson is the only running back in Auburn history to rush for more than 4000 yards in a career.

In 1986, both the NFL' Tampa Bay Buccaneers and MLB's Kansas City Royals drafted Jackson, decidin not to play for the Buccaneers because they didn' want him to also play baseball.

Jackson signe his first professional contract with the Royals.

The next year, the Los Angeles Raiders drafted Jackson with the understanding that he would also be allowe to play baseball, making Jackson one of the few athletes to succeed in both professional footbal and baseball at the same time.

In March 2013, ESPN Sports Science named Jackson the greatest athlete of all time.

He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Welcome back to Capitol Journal.

Joining me next is Trish Crane, Apd's, senior education reporter.

Trish, thanks for making the time.

Great to be here, Tod.

Well, it's back to school time.

We're now fully back to school.

I know some schools start earlier and some start late, but I think we're safe to say we're fully back to school.

You did some great reporting this week, and we shared some of it earlier in the show.

On test scores, the eight cap test that all you know, our students take.

I guess this is based on last year's results though, right.

Spring of 2025.

Right.

So we reported the basics.

But what do we really nee to know about these test scores?

What should we take away from an analysis standpoint?

I want to say how long do you have?

I because I could say a lot about test scores.

I think, you know, you have t put test scores in perspective.

Number one, it's one day of testing, right?

But it does indicate how much kids are learning.

And we know that when you look at it from a 100,000ft view, statewide test scores look really good.

I mean, proficiency still is is not as high as we would like it to be.

We know this.

But they are moving in the right direction.

The levels are moving in the right direction.

It's when you drill down to the districts, and then further to the schools that you start to see some of these gaps.

You know, some group of students outperform others.

It generally is tied to poverty.

Not always.

You know, we have some high poverty districts that are really moving, doing great things with kids.

But generally speaking, kids in poverty, they just have fewer resources.

Their parents have fewer resources.

Maybe.

Maybe they're hungry.

Maybe they're food insecure.

You know, their kids in poverty have a lot of challenges that make it difficult.

It's not like you just open up a child's head and pour the knowledge in, and then they regurgitate it through their finger as they're typing on their test.

So, it's important that we address that.

And I will say to, like I said, how long do you have?

But, I will say too, that the raise act, what's really good about the Raise act is it does focus on those groups of kids with the most challenges, that maybe face challenges outside of school.

Right.

That then this money can be, put in to make sure that kids get what they need while they're at school.

I was going to bring that up, too, because, your reporting and just the data itself, I think, really is proof positive of why the raise that was needed.

And just to remind our audience, the Raise act essentially offers, you know, a different funding model going forward for schools and includes more money for, you know, how many kids you have in poverty, special needs, English language learners, gifted students, things like that.

So they the legislature has seen, okay, this is they've done this.

But I think your reporting in the data show just exactly why that's needed.

Also, to your point, there are schools, there are districts that are doing well.

I want to give a special shout out to Elba City, Barbara County, Greene County, Thomasville City, Haleyville and Marion County, all, you know relatively high poverty areas.

But they they really achieve more this time around, right?

Right.

And you're talking about growth, right?

Academic growth, which means in this instance, it means, you know, how many kids were proficient last year versus how many kids are proficient this year.

And all of those districts that you named either had double digit improvements percentage point wise in, English language arts or math.

And it's not easy, you know, moving kids along.

I think teachers need to be given an extra shout out.

I also think that we need t give credit where credit is due, which is Literacy Act and the Numeracy Act.

The Numeracy Act, I think, you know, is really beginning to show some difference.

But those those two pieces of legislation, even though, you know, the Literacy Act, there were some bumps in the road because of the pandemic.

They have really given teachers extra support, extra tools, organizational tools that they can then put in place to help kids learn.

And that has been an effort.

You know, it took lawmakers, policymakers, the state Department of Education and Schools and principals and, you know, everybody had to be on board.

It took a minute with the Literacy Act.

But I do think we're we'r moving in the right direction.

Totally agree.

And it's, you know, a reminder that it does take a while to turn that aircraft carrier around.

Right.

And when we passed in 2019, that seems like ages ago.

But through the pandemic and as it gets implemented, and I've heard from teachers themselves that, you know, what a blessing it is to have that back up, if you will, from the state.

Having those reading coaches and things like that.

But I want to ask about math.

You're right.

Just like the Literacy Act, the Numeracy Act passed a few years later and it's we're playing catch up there too, because some of these math scores are pretty concerning, especially in the junior high and high school level.

The proficiency I mean, just looking at the data is like, wow, that's that's really concerning on the math side, right?

Right.

And again, how long do you have?

But there's you know, there is this phenomenon, in Alabama and other places where sixth, seventh, eighth grade math score pretty much are, are worrisome.

And there has bee some discussion at state board meetings about does our curriculum, you know, what they're being taught line up with what is being tested?

They're relooking at that.

Doctor McKee, our state superintendent, has shown tha he's very concerned about that.

There's also an effort going on in places like Jefferson County where they're working with.

They have math coaches, which, you know, coaches work with teachers.

Right.

So math coaches working with middle school teachers to help them maybe learn new ways to teach kids who maybe aren't naturals at math.

Yeah.

How to do upper level math.

Because middle school is when you get into algebra or algebra functions.

Some kids are taking algebra one in their eighth grade.

You know, those are typically kids who are sort of naturally good at math.

So it's good to see this effort saying you know, teachers need support.

You know, teachers come out of school, they don't know everything.

And I think that is somethin that I actually used to believe.

Well, weren't they taught in teacher school how to be a teacher?

But research shows tha maybe this method works better.

And so they have to go back and relearn and they need support there.

Yeah, absolutely.

And math is just difficult.

I mean, I'm I'm one of those kids that was not naturally, you know, inclined to mat and that they were sitting down at the dinner table with my father, who was very good at math, and he just didn't understand why I wasn't.

So, that's that's a natural.

You know, it's understandable that it would be a struggle, but, is it safe to say the state is aware of this and is focused on trying to improve it?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

And I you know, I kind of want to say, well, it's been that way for a long time since test results have been out there.

But I think efforts have been made in the past, but I'm not sure how much they've really focused on the kids who just aren't naturally good at math.

And so I was one of those, too.

I had real I had a real hard time with algebra.

Still.

Do I have a, teacher friend who has said she'll teach me algebra, but I don't know.

I don't want to disappoint he by not being able to learn it.

But it's a different way of thinking.

Yeah.

We can all go to Khan Academy, I suppose.

And, Great idea.

Great.

So we're talking about all this testing data.

But can you remind us and just I don't know why is testing important.

Because you're all the time about like hey kids it can be bad test takers.

Frustration for parents over standardized tests and everything.

But remind us why we do this test to begin with and why it's important.

That's a great question.

I mean, I actually ask myself that every year as I begin to look at test scores because, you know, in the No Child Left Behind days, I think test scores were really used to beat up on schools.

And I think that sort of made everybody wary of who do we want our standardized test scores out there?

We have report cards for schools now, and tes scores are one of those things.

But they're not just important to school and they're not just important to the media.

Who wants to report on them.

For kids, it really is an indicator.

Do I know what I need to know to move to the next grade?

Those kinds of tests get kids into advanced classes, right?

Like they are meaningful for children in school.

So and there's also research that shows and this makes perfect sense when you walk it all the way through.

Kids who do well on standardized tests, kids who are good at doing school, as I used to say t my children, can do do better.

They do better in secondary education, post-secondary education, and then they tend to go on and get higher education, which earns more money.

We know that higher degrees earn more money.

So it kind of is an indicator of where are we going to be in 20 years.

You know, you don't want to tell a third grader that it's like, that's pretty heavy for a third grader.

But, you know, parents should look at these tests.

And one thing that I like to tell parents is if you look at the tests that your child's test results, which they all have and yours are very different from the schools, your child is very different, either a whole lot higher or a whole lot lower.

You probably want to talk with your children's teachers and say, what am I missing?

You know does my child need extra help?

Or is my child getting everything they need if they're, you know, scoring very highly?

But the school is not as a whole, you probably want to make sure that there's, enough opportunity for your child to continue to move forward, not just testing for testing sake.

It's meant to be a resource.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Well, this this started this school year, brought the cell phone ban.

Right.

And it's been a lot of talk about it.

In fact, this video went viral.

I think you may have seen it.

I wanted to show this, Alabam teacher's viral Instagram video.

My school, my state banned phones, banned fact.

Today, all of my students, 100% of them took notes in my class, did their assignment, asked for help when they got stuck and turned it in, and then when they were done, they talked to each other.

Was it this easy the whole time?

Have we have?

I have been pulling my hair out for like eight years.

Has it been this easy of a solution the whole time?

Okay.

I mean, that that kind of says everything you need to know about maybe a teacher's perspective as it comes to the cell phone ban.

What's been your feedback?

From teachers, from administrators on finally banning these cell phones, laptops, smartphones, from bel to bell in the classroom, right.

Supercomputers?

Sure.

Yeah.

Well, you know, I guess it differs upon who you know, who you're talking to.

Teachers, from what I can tell, really like it.

It takes the onus off of them to make their children, you know, their students i the room, put their phones away.

It's like, got to put your phones away.

And like this teacher said in the video, your kids are doing more.

They're interacting more, they're socializing more.

They're they're doing their work in class instead of checking their phones.

On the flip side is, you know, if you go on social media and you start to look at what are kids saying, there has been a, petition started and it had about 9600 signatures.

It's very interesting to look at that because some of the students are making videos to say why, and it ranges from give me my phone back, you know, just really simple to unfortunately, most all of the comments, say something about emergencies.

And so many of them mentioned school shootings.

What am I going to do in a school shooting?

One of the young women who, left a video said, I won't get to tell my mother goodbye.

I mean, these are really, you know, you have to think, is this really top of mind for students?

I mean, that's almost more concerning than the cell phone issue is just how they're so, you know, concerne about a school shooting right, in this day and time.

And I do think something wil need to be done to address that.

I don't know what it is, but, students need to feel safer at school.

They just really need to feel safer.

And if they think a phone is going to make them safe, then that's their security blanket, right?

And so, like I said, these young people are have all sorts of reasons wh they want to keep their phone.

And they're not shy about saying it.

So I imagine there's probably some battles going on at the school level.

The state board meeting last week, I talked with as many people as I could, and they said they're really not hearing, you know, feedback from educators with bad things either tha the kids refused to put them up or that it's causing a problem in their school.

Well at least the teachers have that you know, it's the law now right.

It's not just the classroom rule.

No.

The legislature passed a law that's interesting is something, it's something to watch.

But again I saw that video.

I'm like wow okay.

That's that really kind of tells the story.

And we'll be following this a it goes forward and everything.

Look, we're out of time.

Josh, thank you for your reporting.

It's you're such a treasure because you g so deep into the data to share.

Otherwise, inexplicable kind of things with our audience.

And I really appreciate it.

So thank you again for your time.

Thank you.

We'll be right back.

You can watch past episodes of Capital Journal online any time at Alabama Public Television's website.

Appy tv.org.

Click on the online video tab on the main page.

You can also connect with Capital Journal and link to past episodes on Capital Journal's Facebook page.

The Heisman Memorial Trophy is the oldest, most prestigious awar in college football, and state teams have produced five winners for the Alabama Crimson Tide running backs Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry won the Heisman in 2009 and 2015, respectively, for the Auburn Tigers.

Quarterbacks Pat Sulliva and Cam Newton won the trophies in 1971 and 2010, while Bo Jackson was the winner in 1985.

That's our show for this week.

Thanks for watching.

We'll be back next week at the same time, right here on Alabama Public Television for our Capital Journal team.

I'm Todd Stacey.

We'll see you next time.