Here is another photo from this week when David and Joe met Governor Riley.

Here are a couple of articles about Riley's visit from the Cullman Times:

Published: January 20, 2006 11:35 pm
Riley plans Monday visit
Governor to visit school in need of more fundingBy David Mackey
Gov. Bob Riley will visit Vinemont High School Monday to observe conditions that need improvement as he promotes his plan to spend $500 million on school construction and renovations.Riley is scheduled to arrive at the school at 12:15 p.m. Monday, between stops in Centre and Tuscaloosa. County Schools Superintendent Nancy Horton said the governor will spend about an hour at the school.Horton said she was contacted Wednesday evening by the governor's staff."The first question they asked me was, if you're able to get the funds, where would you use it?" Horton said Friday. "I said there were three areas — heating and cooling HVAC systems, some lighting that needs to be retrofit and some electrical upgrades. They asked what school had the most needs. I told them the most pressing need right now, the top of the list, was Vinemont High School."Vinemont High School Principal Ronnie Barnes said he and his students were looking forward to the governor's appearance."We're very excited that he takes the time to come visit us," Barnes said. "We're very appreciative."Among the sights Riley will see are a prevalence of window air-conditioning units in Vinemont classrooms. Vinemont High School was originally built in 1968 without air conditioning, said Randy Hasenbein, Vinemont's representative on the Cullman County Board of Education.Hasenbein said replacing those units with a modern heating and cooling system would "make that money work for us twice," by improving the classroom environment and reducing energy and maintenance costs.The Alabama Association of School Superintendents has endorsed Riley's plan for the money, which comes from a surplus in the state education budget. Former state Chief Justice Roy Moore, Riley's top competitor in the Republican gubernatorial primary, has said the money should be used for a tax rebate, while Paul Hubbert, head of the state teachers' lobby, wants the surplus to fund a raise for teachers. Others suggested the money be put into a "rainy day fund."Barnes and Hasenbein both said they support Riley's plan."A lot of schools in our area are in need of improvements," Barnes said. "There's only so much funds the county has at our disposal.""I agree with the superintendents in the state that that we need to use this money to improve our schools," Hasenbein said. "What kind of bothers me about this money, when people say they want to hold on to it and save it ... history shows, when that happens, everybody starts grabbing at it."Cullman County's state Reps. Neal Morrison, D-Cullman, and Jeremy Oden, R-Vinemont, have not firmly indicated if they are in favor or in opposition to the plan.Morrison said Friday he is still waiting to see hard numbers on the size of the surplus before he decides."I think the governor's heart is in the right place, and I think we do need to put some money into capital improvements," Morrison said. "I just don't know what the right amount would be at this time."Oden previously said he wanted to consider other possible uses for the money, including improving technology in classrooms. "I support capital improvements in the education system, but you also have to look at some other aspects of the classroom and start to see what needs to be done there as well," Oden said Jan. 3.State Sen. Zeb Little, D-Cullman, said he would give the proposal strong consideration, acknowledging capital improvements were needed at several schools around the state. In an unscientific poll on The Times' web site, 82 percent of 113 respondents said they did not agree with the governor's plan.Barnes said Riley's visit will not disrupt the school day. Security will be handled by the governor's staff, he said."Two guys came up yesterday and looked around and we talked about (security)," Barnes said Friday.Riley's plan must be approved by the state Legislature before money can be released, a fact Hasenbein said he remains aware of."You don't really believe it until you see it, until you get the money," he said.

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Published: January 23, 2006 11:57 pm
Back to School
Governor studies needs at local school By David Mackey
Gov. Bob Riley toured Vinemont High School Monday, promoting his plan to spend $500 million on capital improvements to Alabama schools by spotlighting needs at the local school.Cullman County Schools Superintendent Nancy Horton and Principal Ronnie Barnes led Riley through the school, pointing out inadequate lighting, outdated heating and air conditioning window units and ceilings in need of repair.Riley arrived around 2:30 p.m., delayed about two hours by inclement weather, to a host of awaiting education officials and local politicians. The governor spent about 30 minutes walking the halls of the high school, examining several classrooms and a sweltering computer lab."Feel how hot it is in here," Horton said to Riley in teacher Beth Parker's computer lab, pointing to the two separate window units used for heating and cooling. "This is January and they're running the air conditioner.""This is January, so imagine how it is in August," said Randy Hasenbein, Vinemont's representative on the county school board.Horton told the governor it would cost about $60,000 per classroom to upgrade lighting, heating and cooling and electrical systems. Riley spoke of his impressions from the tour moments later during a brief press conference in the school library."When you walk into a room in January that has the air conditioner on, when you walk into areas that need additional lighting, when you realize they don't have a fire alarm system, you realize we have a lot of needs," he said. "What I'm trying to do is point out that there are needs."He called Vinemont "a school I would love to be able to say my grandkids went to.""When I look at Vinemont, I look at what it could be with a few extra dollars going into the system, how much more effective it could be," Riley said.With an expected surplus in the state education budget, Riley has proposed dividing $500 million among Alabama school districts for construction and renovations. The Cullman County school system would receive $3,190,894, and Cullman City Schools $1,017,441, based on school populations.The Alabama Association of School Superintendents has endorsed his plan, while others have offered alternative uses for the money.The governor's Republican challenger, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, has called for a tax rebate. Paul Hubbert, head of the powerful state teachers' union, said the money should be used to give teachers a pay raise.Riley challenged suggestions that his proposal was politically motivated for an election year, as Hubbert has said."We've tried to make this as non-political as we're able," Riley said, noting that the amount of money each school system receives is based on its populations. "To be accused of making this a political issue, I think is kind of disingenuous."Notable local figures in attendance included State Sen. Zeb Little, D-Cullman; Rep. Jeremy Oden, R-Vinemont; Cullman County Commissioners Wiley Kitchens, Stanley Yarbrough and Doug Williams; Cullman City Schools Superintendent Jan Harris and District Court Judge Terry Thomas.Before the governor arrived, Little said he remained undecided on Riley's proposal, which must be approved by the Legislature."I think the governor's plan has a lot of merit, but teachers deserve a raise, there's a need for instructional money," Little said. Some of the surplus should be saved to guard against proration in future years, he said.Oden, who had previously told The Cullman Times that he wanted to ensure items already in the education budget were adequately funded before spending a surplus on new costs, said his views remained the same."I'm not going to say anything negative about capital improvements," he said. "We need to make sure the budgets we're looking at are well-funded."Oden said he would support giving more unearmarked funds to local schools to be used at their discretion.Afterwards, Horton said she felt the governor's visit was genuinely productive."Although our needs may not be as apparently great as other systems, they are real needs to us," Horton said. "I think what he wanted to do was to have a feeling for the needs all over the state, not just the areas that don't have the resources we have."Barnes said he appreciated the governor's visit to his school, and that he "liked what he heard."