Montgomery, Alabama A recently filed measure would establish a proposed high school with a focus on health care sciences, which has been supported by Governor Kay Ivey for over a year.
Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, and Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, filed the bill following the publication of the findings of a feasibility study on the school. One of the conclusions of the study—which lawmakers paid for with a $500,000 commission in September—was that Demopolis, as Ivey had originally suggested, was the perfect site for the school.
Almond told Alabama Daily News on Thursday, “It addresses the state’s need for health care workers, and that’s really something that’s trying to directly address the problem we’ve identified as a body.” Thus, I’m eager to support any initiative aimed at resolving our current issues.
The residential school would admit high school students and provide a diversified curriculum of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses as well as health care science courses. Ivey first suggested it during her 2023 State of the State address.
In collaboration with Whitfield Regional Hospital, which it would be built next to, the school would offer students practical training as well as career possibilities in the medical area. Supporters of the proposal, including Ivey, emphasize the school’s importance in generating more healthcare professionals, especially in Alabama’s rural areas where access to healthcare has declined over the past few decades.
Teens from anywhere throughout the state would be able to enroll in the school, which would open for the fall semester of 2026 with some public funding. The estimated cost of the school, which would house 400 children overall (100 in each grade), is $62 million.
Ivey gave lawmakers a supplementary education budget measure this month that included a $30 million allocation for the project.
The study was carried out by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach, which also evaluated seven communities in Alabama and made site visits to find the best place for the project. The company ultimately came to the conclusion that Demopolis was the best location, citing the city’s backing from the community, its relationships with hospitals and colleges, and a $26.4 million donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Ivey proposed financing for the school in her spending plans from the previous year, but the feasibility study was initially requested by the Republican budget leaders in the Legislature. A few remain unconvinced by the proposal.
According to Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, “the feasibility study certainly addressed come previous concerns and answered some questions.” Alabama Daily News reported. He is the head of the House budget committee on education. The research also brought up a few fresh issues. I’m excited to talk about the study’s findings with the leadership and members of the House and Senate budget committees as well as the governor’s staff.
The study is still being examined, according to Senate Education Budget Chairman Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur.
Orr stated, “Members who have also been studying the report have pointed out inconsistencies.” “I’m receiving a lot of feedback from different members regarding this proposal.”
West Alabama legislators from both parties are supporting the proposal.
In particular in rural Alabama, we need more nurses and medical facilities, stated Rep. Bryan Brinyark, R-Fayette, who is also a co-sponsor of the bill. “We just felt that would be excellent for west Alabama and the state as a whole, and that metropolis would be a terrific spot to have this school and cultivate talent out of that area.”
Another co-sponsor of Almond’s bill, Rep. Bill Lamb, R-Tuscaloosa, told ADN on Thursday that he believed the biggest problem facing Alabama right now was the lack of health care workers and that the best way to address this issue would be to use a tool to bring in more workers from rural areas of the state.
Like we do in math and science, Lamb stated, “I think it’s important for us to start at the high school level and encourage participation and prepare the workforce for tomorrow.” “I believe that we need to expand the opportunities throughout the state, especially in west Alabama and rural areas, when we consider the Black Belt and its opportunities.”
Another bill co-sponsor, Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Demopolis, spoke in support of the school’s establishment and mentioned some small opposition he had observed to the project’s intended location.
“Because people tend to look at money more, when someone gets a degree from one of those (more urban) areas, they generally are going to be exposed to that area and then stay there rather than coming back to a rural area,” McCampbell told ADN on Thursday.
“Now that the idea has been born, the only opposition I have seen is from a few people in their area who really want it.”
The plan would also establish a board of trustees, made up of legislators and prominent figures in education and healthcare, to oversee the institution.
Another bill co-sponsor, Rep. Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa, stated, “When you train people in rural areas, they have a tendency to want to come back to rural areas, which is the big need.”
However, if we can encourage students from (remote areas), where there aren’t many options for entertainment other than fishing, to pursue professions in medicine, that would be a significant accomplishment for the state of Alabama. Demopolis is a pleasant little city in my opinion, and it’s a terrific place to raise a family. It also has the potential to significantly change west Alabama.
