BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three education bills sponsored by House Education Policy Chair Terri Collins, R-Decatur, passed the House Thursday and now head to the Senate. All three stalled on the Senate floor late in last year’s session.
Imagination Library of Alabama
House Bill 50, which received a unanimous vote, codifies the Imagination Library of Alabama, placing oversight for the program with the Department of Early Childhood Education. Children under 5 years old who are enrolled with the program receive one age-appropriate book each month, with costs split between state and local partners.
Collins, who recently announced she will not seek reelection, told House members Thursday that families across the state are already seeing the benefits. Gov. Kay Ivey originally established the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in 2023 through Executive Order 729 and in December marked a milestone of sending two million books to Alabama children.
The legislature appropriated $2.9 million for the program for the current budget year and Ivey has requested $3.1 million for FY27.
Loan assistance for teachers in acute shortage areas
House Bill 124 renames and expands a current loan assistance program that is limited to teachers in math, science and career tech, extending eligibility to educators in all acute shortage subject areas, including special education.
Federal report card data shows 6,300 out of 52,320 Alabama teachers taught a subject they are not certified to teach during the 2024-25 school year. Collins said in some schools, as many as 80% of teachers are working out of field.
“We funded that program, but people are not taking advantage of it,” Collins said. She said the shortages have grown far beyond just math and science.
The Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama, or LASEA, program provides up to $7,500 per year to help repay federal student loans for educators working in public schools, including charter schools, for up to four consecutive years.
Teachers working in acute shortage locations would be eligible for an additional $3,000 annual supplement. The fiscal note attached to the bill states the program has a $3.5 million balance. The bill passed on a 92-8 vote.
Grants for college for adult learners
House Bill 125 expands the ReEngage Alabama grant program to include adults beginning at age 22, lowering the current eligibility age of 25. The program is aimed at Alabamians who have some college but no degree, according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, which administers the program.
Under the program, eligible students can receive up to $3,000 per semester for full-time enrollment at a four-year university and up to $1,500 per semester for two-year colleges. The bill passed with a unanimous vote.
The Senate Education Policy Committee is scheduled Wednesday to consider identical versions of the three bills, a step that typically leads to substituting the House-passed measures.
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