Tuscaloosa City Schools is, for the first time, requesting proposals as they aim to create "a diverse portfolio of high-quality public charter schools."
Polls are open across the city of Tuscaloosa as citizens weigh whether to increase their property taxes by 22 percent to fund the municipal school system for decades to come.
Academic proficiency is climbing steadily at every elementary school in the city of Tuscaloosa, relatively stagnant in middle schools and very low in its three high schools.
The Tuscaloosa City Board of Education is weighing a budget that would spend more than $6 million over the revenue they expect to bring in, pulling from large reserves to cover the shortfall.