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Education department touts reading gains, warns about exemptions and seeks funds for school safety; cell-phone policy debate surfaces
Summary
Dr. Mackey of the Alabama State Department of Education reported measurable reading gains and recovery in early grades but expressed concern that widespread good‑cause exemptions limited third-grade retention; he requested school-safety funding and discussed legal limits on a statewide phone ban.
Dr. Mackey, representing the Alabama State Department of Education, told a joint legislative committee that recent test results show areas of improvement while underscoring continuing work on early reading, algebra readiness and college- and career-readiness indicators.
Why it matters: Department officials said earlier interventions — screening, summer reading camps and targeted instruction — are producing gains, but legal exemptions and local implementation choices are shaping retention outcomes. The department also placed a large school-safety request before the legislature and raised operational funding needs for transportation, special programs and workforce-development work.
Mackey recapped the department’s strategic priorities: early math and reading, college-and-career readiness (CCR), safe and supportive learning environments, and building an…
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