In an effort to address the shortage of healthcare workers in Alabama, lawmakers have approved legislation for the creation of a new high school focused on preparing students for careers in healthcare, science, and technology. The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences will be a tuition-free public high school located in Demopolis, but students from all over the state will be able to attend.
The bill passed the Alabama Senate with a vote of 28-3 and is now awaiting Governor Kay Ivey’s signature. Governor Ivey had proposed the idea in her State of the State address at the beginning of the legislative session, believing that the school would provide valuable education to students who would eventually contribute to the healthcare workforce in the state.
The new high school will join three existing residential public high schools in Alabama: the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile, and the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering in Huntsville. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton sees the new school as an asset that the state can be proud of.
However, not all senators were in favor of the bill. Sen. Larry Stutts, a doctor, was one of three senators who voted against it. He believed that instead of creating a new residential high school,
