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Superintendents organize for action in state's Black Belt

July 2005

A year of work by the Governor's Black Belt Action Commission came to fruition in July when 15 Alabama school superintendents gathered at Tuskegee University to consider the educational obstacles facing their communities. The Black Belt Superintendents Strategic Planning Conference is working to define the issues critical to the region's school systems in ways they can be addressed through collaboration.

Through a partnership between the commission's Education Committee and Auburn University's Truman Pierce Institute, these administrators worked with university, state and federal government representatives in strategizing to improve education in their region. The 70-plus-member Education Committee is organized into six subcommittees addressing school readiness, student achievement, career education, finances, and facilities. The formation of the Alabama Black Belt Superintendents Association is a direct result of the committee's efforts.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley established the commission in August 2004 to take "action" in bettering this neglected part of the state.

"I am not appointing this commission so we can have yet another report on conditions in the Black Belt. The Black Belt has been studied and studied. The problems there have already been identified. It's time to take action—to put into practice a new approach that focuses on results and measurable improvements," Riley said. "The Black Belt is an area of the state we need to stop apologizing for and instead do something about."

The Black Belt is a band of 12 largely rural counties stretching across the south-central part of the state. It has long been characterized by high rates of poverty, illiteracy and economic stagnation. Riley appointed State Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma and State Treasurer Kay Ivey, a 1967 graduate of AU's College of Education and Wilcox County native, to serve as co-chairs of the commission.

Ryan Cole, who organized the event on behalf of the Governor's Office, said it was true to the governor's original call to action.

"This conference was magic. It united these school systems in working collaboratively instead of working competitively," Cole said. "As a unified regional voice, these systems are now better positioned to improve the region's quality of life through quality education."

By collaborating and approaching these issues with a unified approach, the Black Belt superintendents hope to maximize resources, effectively share ideas and people, and have greater clout through advocacy. The group also hopes to identify and make available specific opportunities for their students that will improve the overall experience and quality of education in the Black Belt, an area that has long suffered from the neglects of limited resource and opportunity.

Dr. Cindy Reed, director of AU's Truman Pierce Institute, noted that isolation and lack of adequate resources are two of many obstacles facing Alabama's Black Belt.

"This effort is addressing pervasive and historical issues of isolation in this part of our state," Reed said. "It is breaking down barriers through dialogue while applying common strategies to common problems facing this region. These systems can now work together, sharing resources and ideas to improve educational opportunities for students."

Among these 15 superintendents is Dr. John Covington of Lowdnes County, who is chairing the group. Through pulling together these superintendents, Covington realized a pressing need for collaboration among these systems, which for so long competed fiercely against one another in every area to solve problems. "Patching" instead of solving problems is a practice he said must end.

"For too long, many have come into Black Belt schools to 'fix' things," Covington said. "Those who live and work in these schools have often been left out of prior reform efforts rather than being empowered to take ownership of the problems and pride in the solutions."

The July meeting included Alabama State School Superintendent Joe Morton, who noted that a record number of Black Belt schools were ranked among the state's top schools in terms of reading scores. U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (Alabama, 7th District) also spoke to the group, citing the need for remedying historical "wrongs."

"For too long, the quality of education in a county has strictly been seen as a problem of that individual county," Davis said. "However, the truth of the situation is that the quality of education in one county carries ripple effects for the entire state."

Local leaders, residents, economists and policy makers agree that sustainable economic development can only occur when a skilled workforce -- human capital -- is in place throughout the Black Belt. Education is fundamental to the accumulation and utilization of human capital. The Alabama Black Belt Superintendents Association is dedicated and, now, better mobilized to address current challenges and opportunities through a regional approach to increasing educational achievement for the region's current and future students.

The Truman Pierce Institute, part of AU's College of Education and devoted to building university-school system partnerships, facilitated the strategic planning session and provided financial support for the meeting. Reed, TPI director and Education Committee member, was appointed by Riley in 2004 to serve on the Black Belt Action Commission.

The superintendents' group is scheduled to meet again Aug. 23 at John Essex School in Demopolis. There, the discussion will focus on the facilities component of the strategic plan.

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2011