Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced disbursement of the remaining $23.5 million in Public School and College Authority bond issues to five educational entities statewide to pay for infrastructure projects and upgrades.
“I’m pleased to announce the more than $23.5 million to worthy infrastructural projects and upgrades to our educational facilities,” Ivey said in a statement. “These remaining PSCA funds will make needed improvements to our public educational facilities, which will have a lasting impact on future generations of Alabamians. I am extremely grateful to Alabama’s retiring Finance Director Kelly Butler for his diligence on this project to ensure we are investing wisely in meaningful education and workforce efforts.”
“There is no question these dollars will provide a positive return on investment to the citizens of Alabama,” Butler said in a statement. “Despite the challenges of the last year, Governor Ivey and the members of the Alabama Legislature displayed great leadership by pursuing this important and meaningful initiative to transform our educational institutions.”
The PSCA projects announced today are as follows:
University of Alabama — $16,500,000
The Smart Communities & Innovation Building will provide the critical research infrastructure for the transportation industry in Alabama. This investment will position our state to be a national leader in innovation relating to mobility and be able to power and connect smart and resilient communities. This project will facilitate a public-private-partnership between the state, The University of Alabama, Alabama Power Company, and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International with the likelihood of additional partnerships in the near future.
Snead State Community College — $4,000,000
This investment will help establish a regional workforce training center in Marshall County.
Talladega County Schools — $ 1,750,000
This investment will create the East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub.
Alabama A&M University — $508,754.17
This investment will be applied toward various capital improvement and deferred maintenance projects.
Alabama State University — $763,600.00
The Southern Normal School in Brewton (Escambia County) is the oldest African-American boarding school in Alabama. This investment will provide immediate improvements to seven buildings on the campus.
A state law passed in 2020 authorized the Public School and College Authority to sell up to $1.25 billion in bonds and allocated money to every city and county K-12 school system and to higher education institutions, with 73 percent going to K-12 schools and 27 percent going to two-and four-year colleges.
