Northridge High School 2901 Northridge Road Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35406
est. 2003
THE MAY 2017
NORTH RI D GE
www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com
REPORTER
The student voice of Northridge High School
VOLUME 14 ISSUE 7
Science teachers across the state rejoice after learning Alabama’s Science in Motion program to remain safe. WILL MCLELLAND OPINION EDITOR cience teachers were relieved when an department more flexibility. The Northridge Report- be a huge strain, and also to come up with attempt to defund Alabama Science In er also pressed the Governor’s office for an interview, the money to buy the equipment to use the labs Motion was stopped by Alabama leg- but his Press Secretary Daniel Sparkman said, “We would almost be impossible,” chemistry teacher islators. will not let the governor speak with you about this Megan Liljenquist said. “An analytical balance is In late February of this year, then Gov. Rob- particular topic.” $2,000, and [ASIM] gives me four of them. So right ert Bentley, submitted his state budget request ASIM physics specialist for the University of Althere, that’s $8,000 that I would have to come up to the Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation abama, Julie Covin, explained the programs with to replace [what the program does].” Education Committee, proposing to com- effects on the state’s public schools. Something that Liljenquist was pletely defund Alabama Science In Motion, “It’s very cost efficient,” Covin said. clear about was that this was not or ASIM. “I house [all of the equipment] here the first time the ASIM budget ASIM’s purpose is to provide science on campus, so every single teachhad been cut before. lab equipment and lab equipment train- er doesn’t have to by every piece “[ASIM] would provide ing to public high school teachers of equipment. I have it here, summer training where they across the state of Alabama via uni- and I send it out to them. Think would actually pay the teachversities across the state. The $1.5 of it like a library book mobile, ers for giving up their summer million dollar program supports [teachers check out a piece of time to get trained for [teachspecialists all over Alabama to equipment] for a week and then it ing science],” Liljenquist said. house, provide, and repair ex- comes back. Then I handle repairs “They would also pay travel expensive lab equipment. and maintenance, and then the next penses for teachers who traveled One of the major problems week it goes to a different teacher.” over 60 miles. So when I first startscience teachers had with Gov. Covin is just one of 33 ASIM specialed, I could go and get this training so Bentley’s decision to defund ists in the state, and she was very clear about I could check out these really valuable labs, ASIM is that the Alabama their direct impact on Alabama public high Educators unload a and be able to have a sub paid for - and State Department of EduScience in Motion not have to have either the school pay, or schools. cation recently changed the “These 33 people served truck. pay out of pocket. So that has been taken science teachThat’s the reason 1,052 teachers last year and away, and luckily I get my training during ing standards over 136,000 students,” Covin said. the summer for the most part, but instead of getASIM works so this year, so that “The worst case scenario [if ASIM is ting paid for the time I give up during the summer, science teach- well...the profes- defunded] is there are a lot of schools I don’t get anything.” ers must teach and a lot of school children who will The Alabama Superintendent of Education, Miscience via labs sional learning with not do science labs anymore. We know chael Sentance was one of Governor Bentley’s major and experiments. teachers IS TIED that for some schools, we are the only defendants to the cut for ASIM and argued that it Along with that, they have for science labora- did not raise ACT scores and needed to be cut comDIRECTLY to support many school labs tory.” pletely and replaced. His idea of a replacement was would cost teach- what you’re doing After constant calls from teachers one that teachers were not fond of. ers hundreds of and constituents, ASIM was put back “[Sentance] had in mind some long term profesdollars for them in classrooms with into the state budget by the Senate Fi- sional development centers, where teachers would to access if the nance and Taxation Education Com- go, sit, and listen to people give talks on how to be kids. program were cut. mittee, allowing for the Senate to vote more proficient,” Evans said. “That’s just preposterGov. BentVICTORIA EVANS, on the bill in early April. Among the ous. The last thing we need is more meetings and ley never spoke PHYSICS TEACHER educators who took action were some more telling someone to listen and take notes. That’s to the public as of Northridge’s very own science the reason ASIM works so well, because the profesto why he decided to defund teachers. sional learning with teachers is tied directly to what ASIM, but The Northridge Re“I called a lot of people that I knew who were you’re doing in classrooms with kids. That’s why you porter reached out to the gov- friends with legislators and who were politically ac- had this outcry from [teachers and constituents], ernor’s office and was told that tive themselves,” Ria Evans, physics teacher said. “I and it was very encouraging that sometimes political ASIM funding was moved to a also wrote some letters, emails, called, and left many processes can work.” program called Other Current voicemails - especially to the people that were in With teachers, students, and parents still continExpenses under the advice of charge of this like Representative Arthur Orr and uously reaching out to their elected officials, ASIM the Alabama State Department Representative Bill Poole. A lot of us put a lot of was introduced back into the education budget for of Education to allow them to effort into trying to save this because science teach- the 2018 fiscal year by the Alabama Senate on April have more “flexibility” when it ers are pretty passionate about [ASIM], really and 4. On May 3, The Alabama House of Representacomes to their spending. How- truly.” tives passed the education bill brought to them by ever, there was no explanation The general consensus of science teachers was that the senate, and it is expected to be signed by Gov. as to why ASIM specifically they needed ASIM because it was absolutely neces- Kay Ivey. The bill will go into effect on Oct. 1 of was cut or how cutting the sary when it came to doing their job. this year. program would give the “To come up with these labs on my own would
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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
page 9
SPORTS SUMMARY
pages 10-11
STRING QUARTETS
page 5
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I’m here for you all’s sake. My job is to make sure that you can have a good education, that you have a safe school environment to learn at. OFFICER ROBERT DARLING
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AT A GLANCE
See story on PAGES 6-7