BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three education bills in the Alabama Legislature received approval in their first chamber on Thursday and moved to the second.
School bus drivers
A bill to allow retired state and education employees to drive a school bus without suspending their retirement benefits passed the House unanimously, 103-0 vote. It now heads to a Senate committee.
House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Paschal, R-Pelham, allows those who have been retired for at least 12 months to return to work as full-time school bus drivers without losing their retirement benefits while they’re employed.
Current state law limits retirees to work part-time work, though lawmakers have carved out exceptions in recent years for retired law enforcement officers, correctional officers and firemedics to address workforce shortages.
The bill aims to address a critical K-12 bus driver shortage, Paschal said. There is no minimum state salary for a school bus driver, but typical starting pay ranges from $14,900 to $17,500.
The House proposal is different than a Senate bill that would let retirees fill several positions, including bus driver.
Three-cueing method to teach reading prohibited
A bill to prohibit Alabama teachers from using the three-cueing method of reading instruction was approved by the full Senate. Senate Bill 168, sponsored by Senate Education Policy Chairman Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, would codify an existing State Board of Education ban.
The three-cueing technique, once popular but now widely considered ineffective, encourages students to guess unknown words using context clues such as the first letter of a word, accompanying pictures or what they think is happening in the sentence. As of early 2025, 11 states, including Alabama, had taken action to ban the practice.
The Alabama Literacy Act emphasizes phonics-based instruction, and reading scores have improved since the shift to that approach.
The bill now heads to the House, where an identical measure passed last year but stalled in the Senate.
Military veterans as teachers
A bill to create a clear path for qualified military veterans to become classroom teachers passed the full Senate unanimously, 32-0. Senate Bill 149, sponsored by Sen. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, is a legislative priority of Gov. Kay Ivey as it aims to addressing chronic teacher shortages while expanding workforce opportunities for veterans.
Veterans would still be required to meet academic and testing benchmarks before entering the classroom, including at least 48 months of military service, a background check, a minimum of 60 hours of college credit with a 2.5 GPA, and passage of the Praxis test in their intended subject area.
Candidates also would need a recommendation for certification by the local superintendent or private school administrator. The temporary teaching certificate would be valid for five years and could not be renewed.
The bill now heads to a House committee.
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