The News-Courier in Athens, Alabama Opinion

How flexible is school calendar law, really?

2012-05-30T02:00:00-05:00

This was an ill-timed and ill-advised move by the Legislature but if cool heads prevail it will likely go the way of many state experiments and fade away.

Post office plan shows path forward

2012-05-27T02:00:00-05:00

L&S facility is no bargain for the county

2012-05-20T02:00:00-05:00

We can’t help wondering how the county intends to pay to refurbish the center, including the standalone restaurant, which would take years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, before it could be occupied by county programs or rented to private businesses.

Can state afford to imprison for small offenses?

2012-05-16T02:00:00-05:00

Alabama doesn’t have to give up its tough-on-crime stance completely. We just need to be smarter about the crimes we’re tough on.

Orr: Pension reform legislation a step in the right direction

2012-05-13T02:00:00-05:00

Longer school summer break would bring many benefits

2012-05-09T02:00:00-05:00

Educators... say that children retain less from the previous year over a long break. That might be true, although much education research is suspect since it is often carried out with an agenda.

Growth at the University of Alabama comes with growing pains

2012-04-29T02:00:00-05:00

It must find a way to slow the growth of tuition costs so that a University of Alabama education is still within reach of average Alabamians.

Sen. Holtzclaw: Why I oppose a statewide school calendar

2012-04-22T02:00:00-05:00

Charter schools legislation must be judged by its classroom results

2012-04-15T02:00:00-05:00

Republicans are selling charter schools as a thinking-outside-the-box solution to the problems facing public education. They point to successful examples where charter schools are proven to get more out of public education dollars.

PACT needs action before lawmakers face pulling the plug

2012-04-08T02:00:00-05:00

The Legislature closed PACT to new enrollees several years ago, but the state has an obligation to the people who’d already paid into the program.