MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- The Alabama Senate’s education budget committee Wednesday approved a bill that would call for a $50 million bond issue for public school boards to buy career and technical education equipment.
The bill, known as the 21st Century Workforce Act, has already passed the House of Representatives.
Rep. Mac Buttram, R-Cullman, the bill's sponsor, said it would allow school systems to update their career technical equipment to industry standards and to expand career tech programs.
Today's approval by the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee means it could be considered by the full Senate as early as next week.
The $50 million would be allocated as follows:
-- $10 million would be allocated to local school systems in proportion to the number of career tech teachers employed.
-- $20 million would be allocated to local school systems in proportion to the number of career tech students.
-- $20 million would be placed in a new 21st Century Workforce Fund.
The fund would be used to reimburse local school systems for purchases of career tech equipment. Local school systems would apply for grants from the fund.
The bill would create a 21st Century Workforce Grant Committee, which would allocate the grant money based on industry needs, gaps and other information, according to the bill.
The grant money could not be used for construction of new facilities.
The grant committee would include the state superintendent of education, the secretary of commerce, the director of Alabama Industrial Development Training, the director of the state Department of Education’s Office of Career Technical Education and Workforce Development, the chancellor of the state’s two-year college system and one member appointed by the governor who serves on the governor’s College and Career Ready Task Force.
Debt service on the bonds would be about $3.7 million a year over the 20-year life of the bonds, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office.
The committee added an amendment by Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, chairman of the committee. Pittman said the purpose of the amendment was to encourage schools to collaborate with industry in obtaining equipment.
"We want to make sure we're not financing with 20-year money equipment that is going to be sitting on the shelf," Pittman said.