Dothan City Schools Superintendent Speaks Out on Alabama Accountability Act

The Alabama Accountability Act was originally intended to give local school systems the ability to opt-out of state education regulations.

According to Dothan City Schools Superintendent Tim Wilder, it had the backing of nearly every educator in the state.

"We were fighting for the same thing," he said. "It was exciting and energetic to think about what possibly could come. We had been asking for flexibility for years so we were right on the tip of getting something that was really good."

Before the bill passed, legislators added new elements, causing Superintendent Wilder to act like many other school administrators by withdrawing his approval of the bill.

"This bill, if we are not careful, we could ruin education in the state of Alabama and could privatize education," said Wilder.

Under the new legislation, families would be given a tax credit, or a voucher, to cover the cost of moving their children out of a so-called "failing school" and enrolling them in a "non-failing" public or private school.

The legislation would also give businesses or companies a tax credit for providing families with scholarships for their children to attend private schools.

Those tax credits would be paid for through the Education Trust Fund.

"Whatever money is paid back to those people at the end of tax season comes out of the Education Trust Fund," said Wilder. "So right now we stand to lose $50 million to $75 million out of the Trust Fund. It doesn't just raid locally, it raids the overall trust fund."

Superintendent Wilder said once this bill becomes a law, it will negatively affect all schools, not just the ones considered as failing.

The bill is set to be signed into law this week by Governor Robert Bentley.