Superintendents Upset by Funding Cuts to a Reading Program

Some Alabama superintendents are upset by funding cuts to a reading program that will disproportionately affect schools with higher reading scores.

Lawmakers in April approved the 2017 education budget, which included about $7.5 million being cut from the Alabama Reading Imitative. The program pays for reading coaches in classrooms.

Superintendents didn’t find out until May 6 that the program cuts won’t be equal across all schools. Instead, the Alabama State Department of Education is planning next year to give about $76,000 to schools that are below the state’s third-grade reading score average – about $58,000 more than schools with above-average scores will be receiving.

Gov. Robert Bentley spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis says the governor is prioritizing spending in pre-K programs.
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