TheAlabama State Board of Education is an administrative agency created by theConstitution of Alabama that is responsible for supervising the state's public school system. The Board consists of eight members who are elected from districts and theGovernor of Alabama, and is responsible for appointing the State Superintendent of Education.

The State Board of Education is responsible for the "general control and supervision over the public schools of the state," which includes the power to adopt rules regarding teacher training and certification, administer vocational education programs under federal law, and supervise educational work done in state penal institutions.^[1] The Board appoints the Superintendent,^[2] who is responsible for enforcing the rules adopted by the Board.^[3]

The state's 1868 constitution, adopted duringReconstruction, created an elected Board of Education and an elected Superintendent of Public Instruction to manage the state's public school system and higher education institutions. There were twelve members of the Board, with two elected from each of the state's six congressional districts to four year terms. The Superintendent and Governor were also members of the Board, with the Superintendent serving as President and having a tie-breaking vote and the Governor serving in anex officio capacity.^[4] Following the end of Reconstruction, however, the 1868 constitution was replaced with a new constitution in 1876, which abolished the Board of Education and consolidated administrative power in the elected Superintendent.^[5]

Voters continued electing the Superintendent until 1970. In 1969, voters ratified a constitutional amendment that restored an elected State Board of Education with the power to appoint the State Superintendent of Education.^[6] The Board members were elected by district, but theAlabama Legislature declined to redraw the districts following the1970 or1980 censuses.^[7] Accordingly, in 1985, JudgeTruman McGill Hobbs of theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama adopted a redistricting plan that created aBlack-majority district.^[8] That year, Ethel Hall and Willie Paul became the first Black members elected to the Board since the 1870s, and RepublicanSpencer Bachus became the first Republican member elected to the Board in its modern form.^[9]

Democrats held a majority on the Board from 1971 to 1997, whenBradley Byrne, who had been elected as a Democrat, switched to the Republican Party. Byrne's switch left the balance of the Board at a 4-4 tie, enabling Republican GovernorFob James to break the tie.^[10] In 1998, when DemocratDon Siegelman won thegubernatorial election and all incumbents won re-election, the Democratic majority was restored.^[11] In 2002, when Byrne was elected to the State Senate and resigned his seat, Siegelman, who had been defeated for re-electionthat year by RepublicanBob Riley, appointed Democrat Pam Baker to succeed him, giving Democrats an absolute majority on the Board.^[12] When Riley was sworn in, he sought to recall Baker's appointment, which threatened a lawsuit.^[13] Baker, however, ultimately resigned from the seat, avoiding a court battle and allowing Riley to appoint Republican Randy McKinney later that year.^[14] In 2008, when Republican Gary Warren was elected to succeed Democrat Sandra Ray in the 7th district, Republicans won their first outright majority on the Board.^[15] They further added to their majority in 2010, when Republican Mary Scott Hunter was elected to replace Democrat Mary Jane Caylor in the 8th district, expanding the Republican majority to 7-2.^[16]

• Alabama Department of Education

• State Board of Education Website

• Public education in Alabama
• State boards of education in the United States
• Educational organizations based in Alabama
• 1868 establishments in Alabama
• Educational organizations established in 1868

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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