PARCA held its 2025 PARCA Annual Forum – State of Mind: Navigating Alabama’s Mental Health Dilemma on March 7, 2025 at The Harbert Center.

Mental health is a statewide concern that profoundly impacts education, workforce productivity, and Alabama’s future. This year’s forum explored state and local policy solutions, innovative programs, and practical strategies to strengthen mental health systems and support Alabama’s students and workers.

The program included insights from state leaders and experts in the field. View each session below.

Why Mental Health?

Alabama Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter addressed the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama regarding the critical need for improved mental health support. He shared his personal journey toward understanding the pervasive nature of mental health challenges, prompted by a poignant story from a constituent and a subsequent call to action from the Governor. Ledbetter highlighted key advances in Alabama’s mental healthcare system, including implementing mental health coordinators in schools and establishing crisis centers. Despite this progress, he emphasized that significant work remains, particularly in long-term care, and stressed the widespread impact of mental health issues, even within his own family’s experience. He commended the dedication of mental health professionals and underscored the importance of continued collective effort to address this ongoing crisis in Alabama and the nation.

Mental Health in Alabama

Alabama’s Commissioner of Mental Health, Kimberly G. Boswell, provided an overview of the state of mental health in Alabama. Her presentation highlighted concerning statistics for both adults and youth, including high rates of mental illness, substance use, and suicidal ideation, particularly noting a decline in youth mental health linked to adverse childhood experiences and a shift towards phone-based childhoods. Boswell detailed the devastating impact of past budget cuts on the mental health system but emphasized the significant recent financial commitment and collaborative efforts to rebuild and enhance services. Key initiatives discussed included the development of crisis centers and mobile crisis teams, implementing the 988 crisis hotline, and moving towards an integrated care model focusing on early intervention and addressing trauma. The Commissioner stressed the importance of relationships and limiting phone use to improve mental well-being and praised the unified support from policymakers. Commissioner Boswell’s PowerPoint presentation is available here.

What is Working? How Can We Improve?

The panel discussed the ongoing challenges and impactful initiatives aimed at bolstering mental health support across the state, particularly for children and adolescents. The conversation highlighted the necessity of collaborative efforts, adequate funding, and addressing systemic barriers to enhance mental healthcare access and outcomes. The panelists also touch upon the significance of trauma-informed practices, cultural competency, and the critical role of community and policy in fostering a more supportive mental health landscape.

The panel was moderated by Robin Sparks, Mental Health Initiative Director at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Panelists included:
-Jeremy Blair – CEO, Wellstone
-Kate O’Day, LCSW – CEO, Gateway
-Melissa Shields, Ed.D., NBCT – Assistant State Superintendent, State Department of Education
-Chandra Brown Stewart – Executive Director, Lifelines Counseling Services
-Rep. Pebblin Warren – Alabama House of Representatives

Where Do We Go From Here?

Lou Lacey, Director of Emotional Wellness at Children’s of Alabama, addressed the current mental health crisis, particularly among children. Drawing from decades of experience counseling trauma victims and serving as the emotional wellness director, Lacey highlighted the overwhelming need for mental health support, evidenced by increased inpatient days and emergency department visits. Despite these challenges, Lacey offered a message of hope, emphasizing the positive impact of connection, love, and collective effort in addressing these critical issues.

Governor Albert Brewer Legacy Lunch

Governor Kay Ivey provided the keynote address for this year’s Governor Albert Brewer Legacy Lunch. In her address, Gov. Ivey highlighted key achievements during her tenure, emphasizing progress in areas like mental health services, education rankings, broadband access, and infrastructure improvements. She also outlined ongoing legislative priorities, including initiatives to protect children online and enhance public safety. The address reflected on past successes, ongoing challenges, and the governor’s vision for Alabama’s future.

Join us for the 2025 PARCA Annual Forum!

March 7, 2025 at The Harbert Center in Birmingham – 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Mental health is more than a personal challenge—it’s a community concern with profound impacts on education, workforce productivity, and Alabama’s future.

The 2025 PARCA Annual Forum will convene policymakers, business leaders, nonprofit executives, educators, and mental health professionals to address the pressing mental health challenges facing children in schools and adults in the workforce.

Join us on Friday, March 7 at 9:00 a.m. at The Harbert Center in Birmingham as we explore state and local policy solutions, innovative programs, and practical strategies that can strengthen mental health systems and support Alabama’s students and workers.

VIEW THE AGENDA HERE

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

If you need to purchase your tickets or table reservation by check, please reach out to
Sarah Dayhood at [email protected].

SPONSORS INCLUDE:

Sponsorship details available here. Contact [email protected] for more information.

PARCA is re-examining Alabama’s Constitution in light of the 2022 passage of a revised and reorganized version of the state’s fundamental law.

The approval of the Constitution of 2022 was the culmination of decades of advocacy. Some important changes were achieved, including a substantial reorganization and the removal of racist and unconstitutional provisions central to the spirit of the state’s 1901 Constitution.

And yet, the Alabama Constitution of 2022 maintains the fundamental shackles on government from the 1901 Constitution. Embedded in the Constitution is a tax system that is inadequate, inefficient, and inequitable.

Since the early 1990s, PARCA’s How Alabama Taxes Compare analysis has found that Alabama state and local governments consistently collect less per capita in taxes than almost all other states. After occupying the bottom spot for most of the past 30 years, Alabama has traded back and forth with Tennessee for last place since 2018. This year, Tennessee’s per capita collections came in $4 lower than Alabama’s, resulting in a rank for Alabama of No. 49.

Alabama continues to collect less per capita in state and local property taxes than any other state. Property taxes are strictly limited by provisions in the state constitution.

Low taxes create some advantages. Low property taxes on land and homes are attractive in some regards, decreasing the cost of homeownership and shielding rural land and farms from development pressure. Lower taxes also can be attractive to businesses and individuals moving to the state.

However, low property taxes come at a cost, creating a greater reliance on other taxes, mainly sales taxes. Those sales taxes put a particular burden on low-income Alabamians. Low tax collections also mean that Alabama state and local governments have less to invest in services such as education, health, public safety, and the justice system. That is in a state with high poverty rates, low educational attainment, poorer health outcomes, and higher rates of violent crime than most other states. In turn, high poverty and less economic activity mean less wealth to tax and, thus, lower tax collections.

Inadequate

In contrast to other states, where the state legislature and local governments generally have the power to adjust tax rates, Alabama’s constitution sets limits, rates, and procedural restraints on state and local taxes. That makes taxes hard to raise, adjust, or rebalance. In the end, Alabama’s lower base of wealth and structural and cultural resistance to taxes mean that governments here have less to spend on providing vital public services, placing Alabama in the bottom ten states in most spending categories.

Continue reading the full report here: The Alabama Constitution’s Impact on Taxes and Spending

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This report is one of a series of reports examining Alabama’s current constitutional framework, identifying remaining obstacles to a modern constitution and possible paths forward in areas such as education, economy, healthcare, democracy, liberty & justice, finances, and related areas. Other reports in the series include The Government Closest to the People? The Statehouse, the Courthouse and City Hall and How Alabama Democracy Compares.

The project is supported, in part, by the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform (ACCR). Both ACCR and PARCA are nonpartisan organizations, and our members and supporters are Republicans, Democrats, and independents. Former Governor Albert Brewer and former Samford University President Thomas Corts, both deceased, were founding leaders in both organizations.

Leaders from city and county government, education, philanthropy, social services, and community are launching a new partnership to decrease violence and increase health and opportunity in Jefferson County.  

Coming in the wake of a record-setting year for homicides in the City of Birmingham, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Justice Governance Partnership (BJC-JGP) seeks to build a coordinated and sustained effort to understand and address the conditions that give rise to violence and the underlying vulnerabilities of the neighborhoods where violence is concentrated. The partnership grows out of a recognition that law enforcement alone cannot solve the problem and that community members and an array of agencies play a part in the solution.    

Birmingham City Councilor LaTonya Tate and Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson co-chair the BJC-JGP and convened the partnership’s leadership council last week at the Women’s Foundation of Alabama. Other members of the JGP Leadership Council in attendance included Jefferson County Health Officer David Hicks, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, Bessemer District Attorney Lynneice Washington, Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates, as well as representatives from the offices of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Sherriff Mark Pettway, and philanthropic leaders.  

The effort spans multiple government agencies, non-profit service providers, as well as researchers and care providers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama serves as the partnership’s Local Justice Intermediary, a role that includes coordinating data collection across agencies and collaborating to provide research and analysis that supports the work of the Partnership. 

The Justice Governance Partnership is being launched with the support of the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative (CJRI). The Aspen Institute is a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Aspen is known for convening thought leaders from across the country to address complex public policy problems. Its Criminal Justice Reform Initiative brings together national experts in criminal justice, education, and budgeting with the aim of helping local communities develop more effective approaches to public safety. 

Birmingham is among a handful of communities piloting the Justice Governance Partnerships model. Aspen’s CJRI is also working with Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in rural South Carolina, and North Charleston, S.C. 

The formal launch of the JGP follows the release of the Birmingham Crime Commission Report, commissioned by Mayor Woodfin. The commission’s report called for the implementation of evidence-based violence reduction strategies, community engagement and investment, and sustainable governance to implement, monitor, and maintain short-term and long-term solutions. 

The Justice Governance Partnership serves as a vehicle for cooperating around implementation and monitoring progress. Partners across the cooperating organizations provide wide-ranging data to produce a Justice Audit, which quantifies conditions and identifies needs. The Audit is regularly updated to track progress.  

Meanwhile, the ultimate goal is to devise a Justice Reinvestment Plan, which identifies preventive investments that can improve neighborhood conditions and drive down the need for costly emergency responses. The Audit and Reinvestment Plan are tools that aim to identify actionable solutions to improve economic conditions, address violence, and mitigate other risk factors at the local level, focusing on under-served neighborhoods. 

About the Birmingham-Jefferson County Justice Governance Partnership 

The Birmingham-Jefferson County Justice Governance Partnership is a coalition dedicated to fostering a transparent, equitable, and effective justice system in Birmingham and Jefferson County. Through collaboration, policy innovation, and community engagement, the BJC-JGP seeks to address systemic challenges and create lasting change for the benefit of all residents. For more information, visit parcalabama.org/bjc-jgp.

Alabama voters adopted a revised and reorganized Constitution in 2022.

However, the “new” Constitution preserved the fundamental attitudes and mechanics of the previous Constitution.

Adopted in 1901, that constitution was designed for an agrarian state, strictly limiting government power to tax land. It forbade the state from engaging in “internal improvements” and disenfranchised blacks and poor whites. Some of those provisions were loosened through amendments over time. Others were found unconstitutional and struck down by the federal courts.  

But one of the essential elements remains its concentration of power in the state government, the Legislature in particular.

Local governments were granted only the powers the Legislature or the Constitution explicitly permitted.

The ruling elite of the time looked with disdain at local government officials. Thomas L. Bulger of Dadeville, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1901, expressed the prevailing attitude during the constitutional debates:

“No gentleman on this floor will contend that his Commissioners’ Court at home is more capable of legislating for the people of his county than the General Assembly, composed of 100 select men,” Bulger said.

And thus, to this day, a sizeable portion of the state Legislature’s business pertains to matters that are specific to particular counties or cities, not the state itself.

More than 35,000 local laws govern everything from local taxes to whether a sheriff’s deputy can keep his gun and badge upon retirement. Over time, in a confusing and convoluted process, the Constitution was amended over 1,000 times to meet the needs of modern life, swelling the document into the longest state constitution in the nation. It is believed to be the world’s longest constitution, and even with the 2022 reorganization, it will continue to grow.

The bulk of the state’s fundamental law is now made up of exceptions and exemptions to the general framework and principles a constitution is supposed to enumerate. Two-thirds of Alabama’s constitutional amendments apply to individual cities and counties. In effect, every county has its own version of the Constitution. And counties and cities still must ask the Legislature for the tools they need to manage basic affairs.

In many ways, though, the lack of home rule in Alabama reflects how Alabamians feel about government. They want limited government. They want limits on taxation. They do not trust governments to carry out their wishes. And they want to be left alone.

That is, until they demand that government step in and solve a problem. And, often, that requires a trip to Montgomery.

The balance of power and responsibility between state and local officials is an eternal struggle.

In the 1901 debates, Bulger was answered by John A. Rogers of Gainesville in Sumter County, who asked:

“Why is it that these people can select such fine representatives to the Legislature, and yet it is feared that they won’t be able to select satisfactory County Boards to handle these matters?”

Perhaps in the 21^st century, it is time to revisit Roger’s thoughts and consider whether the same voters who elect Alabama legislators to enact state policy can be trusted to vote for local officials from their own communities who will reflect citizen wishes on local matters.

Read the full report here: The Government Closest to the People? The Statehouse, the Courthouse and City Hall.

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This report is one of a series of reports examining Alabama’s current constitutional framework, identifying remaining obstacles to a modern constitution and possible paths forward in areas such as education, economy, healthcare, democracy, liberty & justice, finances, and related areas.

The project is supported, in part, by the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform (ACCR). Both ACCR and PARCA are nonpartisan organizations, and our members and supporters are Republicans, Democrats, and independents. Former Governor Albert Brewer and former Samford University President Thomas Corts, both deceased, were founding leaders in both organizations.

Economic development—using public funds to incentivize private economic investments—is a core government function practiced by both parties and at all levels of government.

Numerous public and public-private partnerships in Alabama are tasked with some form of economic development, including the Alabama Innovation Commission. One of the Commission’s goals is to build up Alabama’s technology sector, including start-ups.

One strategy sometimes used to support such a goal is investor tax credits, including angel investing credits. Twenty-five states currently provide some form of investor incentive tax credit programs, a number of which offer refundable credits to out-of-state investors with no in-state tax liability.

Alabama has no such incentive program that directly benefits out-of-state investors.

New PARCA research asks if investor tax credits are an efficient way for Alabama to enhance its technology sector. 

Access the full report here.

Today, the Business Education Alliance of Alabama (BEA) is releasing Alabama Can Improve Student Achievement and Prepare a Future Workforce: Here’s How-Part 2, a follow-up to the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning’s report issued in December of 2023. The Alabama Legislature financially supported many of the Commission’s recommendations, and today’s release by the BEA follows up on what remains to be done.

The research for Alabama Can was conducted by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA).

On January 18, 2023, Governor Kay Ivey issued Executive Order 730, establishing the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning. The executive order charged the 13 Commission members with providing thorough and thoughtful recommendations for enhancing the quality of elementary and secondary education in Alabama.

The Commission met eight times, hearing from state and national educational leaders, as well as receiving input from the public. Based on the information gathered, the Commission issued a series of recommendations contained in a final report issued in December 2023.

Alabama Can Improve Student Achievement and Prepare a Future Workforce: Here’s How-Part 2 seeks to refocus attention on recommendations, particularly those supported by the Legislature, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Education, and which are showing results. Items examined include fully funding key academic initiatives, attracting and retaining teachers, improving the learning environment, and supporting students from early childhood to career.

As the report states, in the Spring of 2024, the percentage of Alabama 3rd graders scoring proficient on the state standardized test of English Language Arts (ELA) jumped by nine percentage points to 62%, a remarkable increase rarely seen in educational statistics.

Even more encouraging, economically disadvantaged third graders made even greater gains compared to the prior year, a 13-percentage point increase in ELA proficiency, up to 53%. That produced the smallest gap in proficiency rates between economically disadvantaged and all students since the test, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP), was launched in 2021.

That’s progress on educational disparity, a central challenge for Alabama, as highlighted in the Governor’s Commission’s report.

This progress did not occur randomly. It follows five years of committed policy from and sustained investment by the Governor, the Alabama Legislature, the Alabama Board of Education, and the Alabama Department of Education. That investment more than doubled the amount spent on K-3 reading instruction to over $140 million annually in support of the Alabama Literacy Act of 2019.

Joe Morton, the chairman and president of the Business Education Alliance of Alabama states, “This report proves that the right amount of funding spent on the right initiatives propels Alabama’s schools and future workforce forward at the speed necessary to keep Alabama’s economic engine running soundly.”

The report will be shared with Governor Kay Ivey, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, State Superintendent Eric Mackey, members of the State Board of Education, and each member of the Alabama Legislature.  

When Alabamians vote on November 5, they will be asked to vote on one statewide amendment.

“Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to grant certain sixteenth section and indemnity school lands that are owned in fee simple by the Franklin County School System, are located in Fayette County and Walker County, and are for the exclusive use of schools in the Franklin County School System to the Franklin County Board of Education; and to provide for the distribution of any proceeds and interest generated by this land.”

Proposed by Act No. 2024-301 (House Bill 302, 2024 Regular Legislative Session)
Bill Sponsor: Representative Kiel

This proposal seeks to amend the Constitution of Alabama of 2022 to address the management of a piece of land in Fayette and Walker Counties that is to benefit the Franklin County Board of Education.

Since this Amendment concerns land owned in two counties and a school board in a third county, it requires a statewide vote.

The land in question is designated to support public education and stems from an eighteenth-century practice where the federal government designated land in each county for the support of public education in that county. These designations predate Alabama’s statehood.

In the late nineteenth century, the Alabama Legislature gave some school boards, including Franklin County, additional land, sometimes outside their home county, to ensure each school board owned land of approximately equal value.

State law stipulates that such lands are held in trust by the Alabama State Department of Education and managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Department is empowered to lease or sell the land, with revenue provided to the school system the land is designed to support.

Amendment 1 concerns land located in Fayette and Walker Counties that is to benefit the Franklin County Board of Education. The Board cannot independently manage the land and cannot sell the land without the approval of the State Superintendent of Education and the Governor.

Amendment 1, if approved, enables the Franklin County Board of Education to manage and sell the land without prior approval and retain all revenue.

Continue reading the full analysis of Amendment 1 here.

PARCA will be hosting our fifth annual Speaker Series event on the evening of Thursday, September 12th at Red Mountain Theatre Arts Campus.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of cocktails and conversation with New York Times Best-Selling author, Emmy award winner, and respected political analyst – Larry Sabato. He directs Sabato’s Crystal Ball website, a leader in accurately predicting elections since its inception, and he is the author or editor of two dozen books on American politics.

During this exclusive event, Larry Sabato will share anecdotes, answer your questions, and perhaps even reveal a few behind-the-scenes secrets. His incisive commentary has dissected elections, policy decisions, and the pulse of the nation. Whether you’re a seasoned political junkie or simply curious about the intersection of words and power, this evening promises to be enlightening, entertaining and delicious!

The event will include a reception for all guests, a private cocktail reception with Sabato, a lively discussion, a book signing, and a dessert reception. Reserve your seat now for an unforgettable soirée!

The PARCA Speaker Series brings important, relevant voices to Alabama for an evening with our state’s thought leaders and opinion makers.

Your support for this event will go toward PARCA’s mission to inform and improve the decision making of state and local leaders in Alabama through objective research and analysis.

VOICES for Alabama’s Children published the 2023 Alabama Kids Count Data Book today, marking the 30th edition of the book published by the nonprofit. For the 8th year in a row, PARCA worked with VOICES as a data partner for the project.

Since 1994, the Alabama Kids Count Data Book has documented and tracked the health, education, safety, and economic security of children at the state and county levels.

For the 30th edition, VOICES also interviewed the directors of Alabama’s child-serving agencies and included excerpts.

The Data Book serves as both a benchmark and roadmap for how children are faring and is used to raise visibility of children’s issues, identify areas of need, set priorities in child well-being and inform decision-making at the state and local levels.

Below are some of the findings from this year’s data:

– Children of color and children in poverty are shown to have much poorer outcomes and much poorer achievements in education.

– Child population continues to decrease. Over the last year, the number of children grew in only 20 of 67 counties.

– Children in Alabama are becoming increasingly more diverse ethnically and racially. While white and Black child populations are declining, since 2000, Hispanic children grew approximately 276%. The Asian/Pacific Islander population grew by 120%.

– The infant mortality rate has slightly decreased from 8.1 to 7.6 per 1,000 live births from 2011-2021. In real numbers, that means that 443 babies did not live to their 1st birthday in 2021. Maternity care is critical. 34.3% of Alabama counties are defined as maternity care deserts. More than 28% of Alabama women had no birthing hospital within 30 minutes, which is more than double the U.S. rate.

– In 2022, the percentage of Alabama high school students meeting college and career ready requirements was 79.1% from 76.5% in 2021.

– 2023 Work-based learning programs (Dual Enrollment and Career Training Programs) are estimated to have had an economic impact of $420,209,126.

– From 2015-2023 there has been a 16.9% increase in the number of children entering foster care services. Parental drug use is the leading reason for children entering foster care, making up 44%, followed by neglect at 22%.

– 10.4% of children in the state are living in extreme poverty. Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected (38.3% and 36.7% respectively), while white children make up 13.5% of children in extreme poverty.

See how children in all 67 counties of our state are faring in education, health, economic security, and more. VOICES believers that every child in Alabama should have access and opportunity to thrive and become all they can be, and hopes that by utilizing this book’s insights, we can identify the challenges, set priorities, track our progress, and achieve real outcomes for children and families.

Access the 2023 Alabama Kids Count Data Book here.

Want to see this data at the national level? Visit the national KIDS COUNT Data Center to access hundreds of indicators, download data and create reports and graphics!