Montgomery official says city will pursue city-run school system if needed to restore trust and improve outcomes

A Montgomery city official said the city would pursue legislation to enable a city-run school system if necessary to restore public trust and improve outcomes for students.

"We know that in this day and age, it's all about what have you done today, not even yesterday," the city official said, arguing the city needs stable leadership in education to support public-safety and economic-development goals.

The official said the proposal was in "legislative reference" and that the city was working with local and statewide lawmakers to shape the draft language. "When we look at the possibility of the city schools, I'm not afraid of accountability," the official said, adding that under the plan "schools that are inside the city limits would be part of the city school system. The funding follows the students."

The official suggested examples from other Alabama city school systems would inform the design, including board composition and the mayor's role. The remarks said no job losses or funding losses would result from the change and that the city would seek broad buy-in with tweaks to the proposal if necessary. The official said the measure remained a near-term priority if it did not pass in the current legislative session.

Discussion: The official said a meeting with a local education leader (Dr. Byrd) had not yet occurred and that specifics would be worked out through the legislative process; no bill number or formal legislative text was provided in the remarks.