Gov. Kay Ivey supports more charter school funding, new magnet school

Gov. Kay Ivey said Tuesday that she wants to increase charter school funding and add more educational options for Alabama families.

But, while Ivey said she wanted to continue “meaningful discussions” about school choice, she did not endorse wholesale expansions pitched by some in her Republican party.

“It’s important we continue to have meaningful discussions on school choice,” Ivey said. “That must begin with improving the school choice we already have: Our charter school options and the Alabama Accountability Act.”

Specifically, Ivey said she wants to improve charter school funding and reform the state’s governing body for charter schools to allow more high-quality charter schools to develop in Alabama.

She didn’t give any specifics about what she proposes for the Accountability Act. Lawmakers have not filed any related bills.

Ivey pitched a new statewide magnet high school: The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, in Demopolis in west Alabama, to offer ninth through twelfth graders STEM and healthcare classes and training.

The new school will be the fourth statewide magnet school operating in Alabama, joining Birmingham’s Alabama School of Fine Arts, Mobile’s School of Math and Science, and Huntsville’s School of Cyber Technology and Engineering.

Statewide magnet schools are tuition-free and open to students across Alabama but do require students to apply for admission.

Other learning experiences also are a part of Ivey’s proposal.

Ivey said the state will join the city of Tuscaloosa and Nick and Terry Saban to develop the Saban Center, a facility and park project that will house the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theater and the Children’s Hands-On Museum, rebranded as IGNITE.