By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The fiscal year ends Thursday. The state is expecting its tax collections for education to exceed spending by about 150 million dollars. Now educators are talking about using that surplus to further improve the state's public education system. They're considering hiring hundreds of teachers, librarians, counselors and assistant principals. Educators also are suggesting more funding for the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Math, Science and Technology Initiative. State Superintendent Joe Morton says this will be the first time in four years that there will be more money in the budget to hire new teachers.