Wayne Urban, associate director of the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, said the plan Gov. Robert Bentley presented in last week’s State of the State speech for education policy might not be what the state needs. The plan includes protection of certain programs, more local control, increased parent choice and the creation of charter schools, whose absence many cited as the cause of Alabama’s finish in last place for the federal Race to the Top program. “The chance of the legislation passing is quite good,” Urban said. “The chances of its improving the educational outlook of Alabama are significantly lower than the chances of its passing. “Some in Alabama believe that having charter schools increases the chances of future federal funding. I am not sure if the governor believes this. Rather, I think he sees it as one justification for charter schools, which he wants. Not having charter schools is not the only, or even the most important, reason that Alabama didn’t get Race to the Top funding.” Urban also said he feels skeptical about Bentley’s proposed School Flexibility Act of 2012, which would give more decision making ability to local school boards. “I don’t think the problems in Alabama – poor funding, poor achievement, poor graduation rates, insufficient respect and remuneration for teachers – have much to do with local control,” Urban said. “They are, largely, statewide problems, dependent, I would think, more on statewide policy improvements than on local involvement.” The 2012 legislative session of the Alabama State Legislature officially convened at noon on Feb. 7, the day of Bentley’s address. It remains to be seen whether or not the legislature will follow Bentley’s lead and pass his education reform proposals. Bentley also heavily addressed job creation and the Alabama economy. “I’m pleased to report that since we took office, 41,000 more Alabamians are working,” Bentley said. “We have recruited over 13,000 new, future jobs to Alabama. International companies from India, Germany and Japan and right here in the United States are investing more than 3.2 billion dollars in our state and in our people.” Professor Richard C. Fording, chair of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said Bentley’s focus on jobs in his address makes sense because of the success his administration has found in that field. “There does seem to be agreement that the numbers that he’s talking about are accurate,” Fording said. “There does seem to be agreement that he’s been successful in that field.” Bentley and Fording agree that the reasons for this success lie in Alabama’s focus on attracting business, despite stiff competition from other states. “We’ve done this, despite facing tough competition from other states, and with limited ability to offer incentives to businesses,” Bentley said. “There’s a lot of competition from other states, but we do offer, I think, here in Alabama, an attractive environment because of the lower costs associated with locating here, along with the tax incentives,” Fording said. Notably absent from Bentley’s discussion of job creation was any mention of the controversial HB 56, also known as the Alabama Immigration Law, which supporters have claimed helped lower Alabama’s unemployment rate. Fording said that while Bentley could have claimed some credit from the law, its political backlash kept him away from it. “I think he avoided it because it’s not at the top of his agenda,” Fording said. “He could have claimed some credit for it, but the fact that he avoided bragging about it shows that it’s a political hot potato for him, and he doesn’t want to go there if he doesn’t have to.” Bentley went on to promise that he wouldn’t raise taxes on Alabama families, while also promising that he would protect funding in a few key areas, including the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Human Resources. Bentley also promised that he would not cut any funding from the Department of Corrections. “I will oppose any effort to raise taxes on Alabama families, and I will veto any tax increase,” Bentley said. “We will not cut one penny from the Department of Corrections. Not one single prisoner will be set free due to a lack of funds.” Fording believes that Bentley’s promises might go unheeded by the legislature. “Just because he doesn’t propose raising taxes doesn’t mean the legislature won’t,” Fording said.