Sunday Focus: AEA

     Former Legislator and current Alabama News Network analyst Steve Flowers' latest newspaper column tells the story of the day in 1970 that Paul Hubbard took on Governor George Wallace...and won.

     It's a relevant story today because the issue is the same now as it was in 1970...taking money from the Education Trust Fund to prop up the troubled General Fund.

     AEA is an ailing institution.      
     Paul Hubbard retired and has since died. 
     Henry Mabry was terminated by the AEA Board after a very short tenure as Secretary, and nobody has been named to replace him. 
     And the Senate and House wolves are circling the Education Budget...this time with a bill to combine the two budgets. 

     
     Alabama's education budget exists because teachers know legislators will transfer education dollars to pay for General Fund expenses in a heartbeat... if the two are combined.

     The legislation was not included in Governor Bentley's "call" for the ongoing legislative session, and a 3/4 vote is required to consider any bill not in that call. AEA has made a lot of donations to legislative campaigns over the years...to Democratic and Republican candidates. That may convince some lawmakers not to vote for the bill.

[Sunday Focus is a regular feature of www.timlennox.com]