Alabama State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey speaks during a budget presentation to lawmakers on Feb. 5, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Mackey advocated for an additional $627.78 million for K-12 schools in the Education Trust Fund FY26 budget. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
Gov. Kay Ivey will request a $9.9 billion Education Trust Fund budget for 2026, a 6% increase over the current year.
“That would move us then into the FY26 direct ETF budget total: proposed appropriations total $9.9 billion,” said State Finance Director Bill Poole. “That again sets a new high water mark for the state of Alabama.”
Under the proposal, $6.7 billion (68%) would go to K-12 schools, with $2.6 billion going to the state’s colleges and universities. $614 million will be allocated to other measures, Poole said. The Alabama Legislature gets final say on the budgets.
Poole said Ivey wants a $2 million increase for the Department of Mental Health for school-based mental health programs. He said there is also room in the request for scholarships for dependents of law enforcement.
“There will have to be authorizing legislation from the Legislature that we need to consider in order to enact those funds,” he said.
The requests did not include pay raises for public education employees.
Within the K-12 allocations, Ivey wants $101 million to go to the CHOOSE Act, a voucher-like program allowing families to claim up to $7,000 for each qualifying student to be used for non-public education expenses, including private school tuition. The program is currently limited to households making 300% of the poverty level (about $79,950 for a family of three), students with special needs and dependents of active-duty military enrolled in priority schools. Income limits will be lifted beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Ivey said Tuesday in her State of the State address that there have been 18,000 applications in the first month of the application period.
Speaking to legislators on Wednesday afternoon, State Superintendent Eric Mackey asked lawmakers for an additional $627.78 million for K-12 schools. In the 2025 budget, K-12 schools were allocated $5.98 billion. Mackey sought increases for a number of academic and service programs.
Mackey also spent time advocating for a cell phone ban in schools. Two pieces of legislation from both chambers aim to ban cell phone use through local school board actions. The state’s Board of Education last year passed a resolution encouraging school districts to limit cell phone use in the classroom, though it did not require them to do so.
Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, asked Mackey why he could not implement a ban from his position.
“I don’t have authority, nor does the governor or the state board,” he said. “I think that’s what the governor talked about in speech last night. She wants the legislature to change that so it’s not up to each local board anymore, because statewide rule.”
Alabama Commission on Higher Education Director Jim Purcell requested $77.8 million additional funds from the FY25 ETF. Higher education was allocated $2.25 billion in the FY25 budget.
Senate Finance and Taxation Education Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and House Ways and Means Education Chairman Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, were “mildly offended” by the Literacy and Numeracy acts implementation request, which would allow the money to go directly to campuses, instead of the Department of Education
“Why do they need additional money? We give them boatloads of money every year,” Orr said.
Alabama Community College Association Chancellor Jimmy Baker asked lawmakers for an additional $49.38 million. Community colleges were allocated $551 million in the 2025 budget. Lawmakers were receptive to his request.
“Our work is about preparing for the future,” he said. “It’s not just Alabama community college students, but also the entire state of Alabama. That’s what matters.”
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