Gov. Kay Ivey is calling for eight weeks of paid maternity leave for Alabama teachers and state employees, a move that could make the state more competitive in recruiting and retaining workers.
“It is the right thing to do,” said Gina Maiola, Ivey’s communications director, in an email response to Alabama Daily News. “This would help with recruitment and retention, especially among our teachers, and it would likely have a minimal upfront cost.”
Legislation has not been filed and details about the length of time and if it will apply to men are still being discussed.
‘Behind the curve’
Other states already offer teachers paid parental leave and it’s a common benefit among private industry. Alabama Education Association government relations director Allison King said Alabama is lagging behind.
“This is not some foreign concept,” King said. “We’re kind of behind the curve in considering this option for employees.”
Several neighboring states, including Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, have added paid parental leave for teachers and state employees in recent years.
Rep. Debbie Wood, R-Valley, first became aware of the issue in 2023 while talking with teachers in her community. Wood was surprised to hear they wouldn’t encourage others to become teachers and asked why.
‘Light bulb went off’
“(Teachers) said, ‘First of all, we love these children. That’s one of the reasons that we chose this profession,” Wood recalled. “But we don’t even have a way to have our own children being in this field.’”
“I thought, we’re asking them to come into a profession and take care of other people’s children, and then we don’t even allow them to have their own,” Wood said. “So it was like a light bulb went off.”
Determined to address what she saw as a glaring oversight, Wood partnered with Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, to introduce companion bills during the 2024 session.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News. It is reprinted with permission.
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