WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, by overturning a lower court’s prior ruling, the Alabama State Supreme Court sided with public charter schools, clearing the way for the first charter school to open in Montgomery.
The suit, which was brought by the Alabama Education Association as a tactic to stall public school choice in the city, prevented LEAD Academy from opening as scheduled in fall 2018. The Montgomery school system includes ten “failing” schools as determined by the Alabama Accountability Act, a designation placed on schools in the bottom six percent of standardized test scores. In 2017, Alabama’s Department of Education was forced to intervene in the district due to low student achievement and financial challenges.
National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement:
“Last week’s decision is a victory for Montgomery parents and students. For far too long, these students have been denied a high-quality public education that all students—no matter their zip code or socio-economic status—deserve. Similar to the Alabama State Supreme Court ruling in Birmingham, the state’s highest court has ruled in favor of allowing public charter schools to end the status quo of sub-par education in Montgomery.”
