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THE WEEKEND COMING UP. IAN. ALL RIGHT. WE’LL TAKE IT LITTLE BY LITTLE. WELL, THE PRESIDENT OF A TEACHERS UNION CLAIMING THAT SHE HAS BEEN TRYING FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW TO GET ANSWERS ABOUT FINANCIAL DISCREPANCY. SHE’S FROM BESSEMER CITY SCHOOLS. SHE ADDRESSED THE SCHOOL BOARD AGAIN ABOUT THOSE CONCERNS LAST NIGHT. I WANT TO GET OUT TO WVTM13’S LISA CRANE JOINING US LIVE WITH A LOOK AT THE ISSUES BEING BROUGHT TO LIGHT. YEAH, THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL ALABAMA AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS SAYS SHE IS NOT GIVING UP AND SHE IS NOT GOING AWAY. SHE IS DETERMINED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT SHE CALLS SALARY DISCREPANCIES AND OTHER FINANCE ISSUES IN THE BESSEMER SCHOOL SYSTEM. AT MONDAY NIGHT’S BESSEMER SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION, ERICA HUGHES HANDED OUT COPIES OF THE DISTRICT’S OWN SALARY SCHEDULE AND THE ALABAMA CODE, ILLUSTRATING HOW BESSEMER SCHEDULE DOES NOT FOLLOW ALABAMA LAW. BUT IT’S NOT JUST SALARIES SHE’S CONCERNED ABOUT. SO ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES IS ABOLISHING POSITIONS WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL AND, YOU KNOW, DID IT ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS? AND IF IT DID PROVIDE US WITH THAT DOCUMENTATION BECAUSE WE ARE NOT SEEING WHERE IT WENT THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS. HUGHES IS ALSO QUESTIONING OTHER PARTS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM’S BUDGET, LIKE THE MONEY THE DISTRICT REPORTED SPENDING ON FOUR WEEKS OF SUMMER SCHOOL. WE SPENT $1 MILLION ON SUMMER SCHOOL. I’VE ASKED FOR A BREAKDOWN ON THAT. YOU KNOW, LOOK AT HOW MUCH MONEY WE’RE SPENDING ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. WHERE ARE THOSE BREAKDOWNS AND HOW DID WE SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY IN FOUR WEEKS FOR SUMMER SCHOOL? AND I’VE NOT RECEIVED THAT DOCUMENTATION. HUGHES SAYS THERE ARE PRESSING ISSUES IN BESSEMER SCHOOLS THAT AREN’T GETTING THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE, AND STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ARE PAYING THE PRICE. AT SOME POINT, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN BESSEMER CITY SCHOOLS AND ARE WE REALLY HERE FOR THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS AND DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM? BECAUSE WE HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE IN CLASSROOMS EVERY DAY WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING OR WITH THE ROOF FALLING IN AND WITHOUT SUPPLIES THAT THEY NEED. NOW, WE CALLED THE STATE SUPERINTENDENTS OFFICE TODAY. A SPOKESPERSON RESPONDED BY EMAIL SAYING THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS NOT CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE BESSEMER SCHOO
Teacher union president questioning Bessemer schools finances
AFT president wants accountability for teachers' and other salaries
A teacher's union president in central Alabama says she's been trying for more than a year to get answers about salary and other financial discrepancies from Bessemer school leaders. She addressed the school board again about her concerns at their meeting Monday night.Erika Hughes is the president of the Central Alabama American Federation of Teachers. She says she’s not giving up and she's not going away. She's determined to get to the bottom of what she calls salary discrepancies and other issues in the Bessemer school system. She handed out copies of the district's own salary schedule and the Alabama code, illustrating how Bessemer’s schedule does not follow Alabama law.But it's not just salaries she's concerned about. She said, “So one of the major issues is abolishing positions without board approval. And, you know, did it actually go through the proper channels? And if it did, provide us with that documentation because we are not seeing where it went through the proper channels.”Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13 Hughes is also questioning other parts of the school system's budget, like the money the district reported spending on four weeks of summer school. Hughes said, “We spent $1,000,000 on summer school. I've asked for a breakdown on that. You know, look at how much money we're spending on professional development. Where are those breakdowns? And how did we spend that much money in four weeks for summer school? And I’ve not received that documentation.”Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeHughes says there are pressing issues in Bessemer schools that aren't getting the attention they deserve, and students and teachers are paying the price. She said, “At some point, we have to figure out what is going on in Bessemer city schools and are we really here for the teachers and the students, and doing what is best for them? Because we have teachers that are in classrooms every day without air conditioning or with the roof falling in and without supplies that they need.”We reached out to State School Superintendent Eric Mackey about the issue. He says the ALSDE is not currently investigating the Bessemer school system.
BESSEMER, Ala. —
A teacher's union president in central Alabama says she's been trying for more than a year to get answers about salary and other financial discrepancies from Bessemer school leaders. She addressed the school board again about her concerns at their meeting Monday night.
Erika Hughes is the president of the Central Alabama American Federation of Teachers. She says she’s not giving up and she's not going away. She's determined to get to the bottom of what she calls salary discrepancies and other issues in the Bessemer school system. She handed out copies of the district's own salary schedule and the Alabama code, illustrating how Bessemer’s schedule does not follow Alabama law.
But it's not just salaries she's concerned about. She said, “So one of the major issues is abolishing positions without board approval. And, you know, did it actually go through the proper channels? And if it did, provide us with that documentation because we are not seeing where it went through the proper channels.”
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13
Hughes is also questioning other parts of the school system's budget, like the money the district reported spending on four weeks of summer school. Hughes said, “We spent $1,000,000 on summer school. I've asked for a breakdown on that. You know, look at how much money we're spending on professional development. Where are those breakdowns? And how did we spend that much money in four weeks for summer school? And I’ve not received that documentation.”
Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Hughes says there are pressing issues in Bessemer schools that aren't getting the attention they deserve, and students and teachers are paying the price. She said, “At some point, we have to figure out what is going on in Bessemer city schools and are we really here for the teachers and the students, and doing what is best for them? Because we have teachers that are in classrooms every day without air conditioning or with the roof falling in and without supplies that they need.”
We reached out to State School Superintendent Eric Mackey about the issue. He says the ALSDE is not currently investigating the Bessemer school system.
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