CULLMAN —
Cullman County voters will have more than a president to consider on Nov. 6.
An amendment will be on the ballot that proposes to officially give control of hundreds of acres of land to the Cullman County school system. The property was actually set aside by federal law for school use in 1785, but somehow through the years the local school system was unable to take advantage of the original intent for the property.
All that changed with the arrival of Billy Coleman as superintendent of county schools and an agreeable Gov. Robert Bentley.
Coleman is astutely looking at the property as a long-term investment for county schools. The value of the property, particularly the 435 acres along Smith Lake, could provide money for the public school system long after this generation passes.
Realizing the potential of the land, Coleman also recommended at a recent meeting that a board should be established to ensure that future superintendents and school boards honor the proposal to put 80 percent of the funds in a trust to draw interest for local education needs. Coleman’s idea needs to be acted upon after the amendment is approved.
The first step in providing lasting funds for county schools is to approve the amendment on Nov. 6. This will rightfully give the local schools and community control of the land and, ultimately, the money.
Once that vote is accomplished, serious attention needs to be paid to the idea of protecting the land and money from political tampering. The fact that the state has relinquished its hold on the land after so many years is a blessing for Cullman County schools. Protecting the future of the land and the revenues it can yield is an act that deserves support, too.
Editorials
Protecting local education
- Editorials
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Taking the lead in education
The once-heralded ‘No Child Left Behind” education initiative from the federal level has just about run out of gas.
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Moving into the future
Hundreds of local high school seniors are accepting their diplomas and preparing to turn the page in the next chapter of their lives.
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Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
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EDITORIAL: The IRS' Turn to Answer Questions
Washington is now sinking its teeth into a real scandal: the Internal Revenue Service using ideological criteria to choose the targets of its attention.
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Editorial: The house of death
The grisly details emerging from the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion doctor place a glaring spotlight on a national disgrace.
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Editorial: Murder, insanity and guns
James Holmes, the accused movie theater shooter in Colorado, would like for the public to believe he killed a dozen people because he was insane.
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Lasting partnerships
Economic development officials have long noted the importance of expansions by existing industries and businesses in a community to lead growth.
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COMMENTARY: Why does young adult fiction keep giving its heroines makeovers?
Over at This Ain't Living, s.e. smith (who, full disclosure, has guest-blogged for me at ThinkProgress) has an excellent post about one of the most pernicious trends in young adult fiction.
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A spirit for moving forward
This weekend marked the two-year anniversary of a deadly day of tornadoes that streaked across Alabama, claiming lives and property and changing the landscape of many communities.
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Faith and bombs
The investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing is pointing to the all-too-familiar theme of religious faith playing a major role in violence.
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Taking the lead in education
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