Stephen Martin, Manager

Joe Cottle, Director

Practically all decisions that affect the day-to-day working lives of education employees are made by elected officials. From salary to class size, from health insurance costs to job descriptions, public education in Alabama is shaped and driven by school board members, legislators, statewide officials, and others who must run for office and win.

AEA has built an effective and respected presence in state politics with three decades of persistent political advocacy on behalf of teachers, support professionals, and all other members. In Government Relations, specially trained staff members coordinate AEA’s ongoing mission in the political arena.

Focusing on the Alabama State Legislature, the AEA lobby team writes new bills, testifies at committee hearings, lobbies legislators on behalf of members and their concerns, and closely monitors the march of legislation as each session unfolds. AEA can boast a proud record of legislative achievement during the past 30 years.

AEA’s political action program helps elect friends of public education during every political season. Virtually all aspects of Alabama’s educational system are dependent on political decisions. To keep policy decisions  headed in the right direction, school employees must have a strong political presence. Otherwise, the voice of school employees would be lost in the back rooms of the State House. Issues such as pupil-teacher ratios, working conditions, classroom materials and supplies, health insurance, and salaries would not be legislative priorities.

A-VOTE (Alabama Voice of Teachers for Education) is the mechanism through which Alabama teachers and support professionals raise and  disburse money to political candidates who support public education and education employees. It is the political action arm of AEA. Through your contribution to A-VOTE, education employees speak with one loud and clear voice, a voice that continues to earn much respect.

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