Core Notes

A $173 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year was presented to the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education Tuesday for consideration.

The budget, which will be voted on Sept. 12, includes a state-mandated 2 percent raise for all public education employees, plus a state-mandated minimum $15 per hour starting wage for employees in five positions: CNP, custodians, elementary and secondary instructional aides and maintenance grounds crew.

The increase in pay helps keep wages competitive with rising costs due to inflation, as well as attract high quality employees to these important positions, said Jay Duke, CSFO for the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The bulk of the school system’s budget goes to personnel, including teachers, Duke added.

“Focusing on our general fund, $106 million of this budget is in salaries and benefits alone,” Duke told the board Sept. 5. “That’s 81% of our general fund budget, which includes everything from teachers, principals and assistant principals, stipends and supplements. Our emphasis is in the classroom."

Also included in the budget is $1,000 per teacher in “classroom instructional support” money, which teachers can use to help stock their classrooms with needed instructional supplies. They previously received $900 per year.

The increase in salary and hourly wage and increase in instructional support money is largely funded by the state, with the exception of the teacher units that are paid for through local funds, which means the increase in pay for those positions will be paid for via local funds, Duke said.

Other local funding is dedicated to arts and music instruction, school safety, transportation and programs like Pre-K.

TCS is hosting a series of community input sessions on Sept. 11, 13 and 14. We want our TCS families, as well as any Tuscaloosa resident, to come and give us their thoughts on what we are doing well as a school system that we should continue to fund, as well as what would they like to see us do differently that requires financial commitment.

We are making plans for the next several years, and the input gathered at these sessions will help set our roadmap of priorities as a school system for the future. Again, the input gathered at these sessions are crucial to our future, and we want as many members of the public to attend as possible. Strong schools mean strong communities.

Community Input Sessions:

Monday, Sept. 11, 2023

6-7:30 p.m.

Central High School Auditorium

905 15th Street, Tuscaloosa

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023

6-7:30 p.m.

Northridge High School Auditorium

2901 Northridge Road, Tuscaloosa

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023

6-7:30 p.m.

Paul W. Bryant High School Auditorium

6315 Mary Harmon Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa

See the video below for more information.

Due to out-of-town traffic relating to the Alabama/Texas game, we expect there to be traffic delays with afternoon bus routes Friday, particularly around campus, downtown, 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard. We appreciate your patience.

The counseling program at Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools Middle was recently named a 2023 Alabama School Counseling Program of Distinction by the Alabama School Counselor Association.

TMSM counselor, LaTiffany Tabb, came to the school in 2022, and has worked in the Tuscaloosa City Schools since 2013.

"Mrs. Tabb is an exceptional school counselor who works hard and advocates for her students and her school counseling program," said TMSM Principal Dr. Connie Childs. "Mrs. Tabb is data driven and assures she is meeting the needs of the whole student through her comprehensive counseling program. This award and designation is an indication of what she has done for the school community in such a short time at TMSM. We are proud of her!"

To earn this distinction, programs must "align with the Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Model for Alabama Public Schools and the American School Counseling Association National Model."

BSN Sports has set up online "swag stores" for our schools where any student, faculty or parent can buy school branded gear. This was a desire that was expressed by students during the Superintendent's student advisory meetings at the high schools last school year.

The "swag" on these sites include a variety of price points, brands, and are in men's, women's and children's sizes, plus they have cups and other items as well. On the main page, they also have gear per sport.

There is also branded gear for the elementary and middle schools, too! To see the middle school and elementary options, on the desktop website, once you have clicked on the type of item to browse, you can go to the sidebar where it says "campus" and then select feeder school, where the items will pop up with other school names. Select the school that you want.

Each feeder zone will receive 10% back of all purchases in the form of a store credit/rebate that can be used for future branded purchases by the school(s). So, support your school and show school pride!

Northridge feeder zone store: NORTHRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL JAGUARS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Central feeder zone store: CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FALCONS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Bryant feeder zone store: PAUL W BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL STAMPEDE - COTTONDALE, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Tamika Coleman has worked hard in the lunchroom at Paul W. Bryant High School for 18 years—a job that she loves. But she said it's seeing the students, and also her fellow CNP coworkers that make the job worth it.

"The students, faculty, staff are the best part about the job," Coleman said. "Seeing the students just coming in warms my heart every day. It's a good group of kids."

Coleman was recently recognized by with an "Everyday Amazing" shout-out by a fellow PWBHS employee, Ms. Craig.

"I have worked with Mrs. Coleman for over 8 years and she makes the students' feel welcome when they enter the cafeteria," Ms. Craig wrote. "She serves nutritious and healthy meals for the students and she decorates the cafeteria for the holidays. Our cafeteria has a warm welcome look and the entire cafeteria staff welcomes everyone with open arms. I thank Mrs. Coleman for her outstanding service at Bryant High School and glad she chose our school to showcase her talents and skills."

Submit your own "Everyday Amazing" shoutout about a TCS employee making a positive impact: https://survey.k12insight.com/r/everydayamazing

The Tuscaloosa City Schools is providing free lunch and breakfast for all students for the 2023-24 school year.

That’s because TCS qualified for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision program that provides all students in the district free breakfast and lunch.

While breakfast and lunch is free, A-la-carte items will still be available for purchase at each school. Parents may want to make any applicable changes to their child's PayPAMS account. Student account balances, positive and negative, have not changed. Any money left on a child's account can be used to purchase extra items in the cafeteria. No items may be 'charged' to a student's account unless he/she has money in the account.

Teachers, staff and visitors will still be required to pay for meals. The cost for those non-student meals are $2.85 for breakfast and $4.35 for lunch.

The Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy hosted students, parents and community members last week for its "Mega Wow" open house event. The immersive event showcased the school’s offerings in a hands-on environment, ranging from culinary classes to welding and health science. TCTA has close to 900 students enrolled in its classes from across Tuscaloosa.

Watch the video above to see coach Curtis Gray and players Laney McGahey and Kyasia Tinker talk about how the team is working hard to make this the best flag football team that Northridge High School has had.

The Central High School cheerleaders were asked recently by the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority to instruct a cheerleading skills clinic to prepare their little league cheerleaders for the opening of their upcoming season!

As we start the 2023-24 school year, it is important to remember that if you or your child see or hear something concerning, please report it to your school's principal. It can be the first step to saving a situation from becoming dangerous. Again, "See Something, Say Something!"