Governor Bentley and the Republican party leadership want to make some big changes to the state's education system this year, that includes charter schools and new tax credits for teachers.
Bentley and the leaders of the house and senate were at Wilkerson Elementary School in Birmingham this morning to lay out a 4-part education agenda for the upcoming legislative session.
Gov. Bentley says he wants to update the methods used to evaluate teachers and start a limited number of charter schools in systems that are underperforming.
He also wants to give local school boards more flexibility to change their policies, and give teachers a $300 tax credit for buying their own classroom supplies.
The governor says he knows charter schools are controversial, but it's time to try something different to help students who are struggling .
Gov. Bentley today said he'd like to see the state experiment with single-sex charter schools, career tech schools, and even a charter school with an emphasis on students with special needs.
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