Story: Phillip Tutor
Former legislator renowned for his support of higher-education funding
may have been born in New Orleans, but baby直播鈥檚 western regions decorate his life. He hails from Marengo County. He graduated twice from the University of baby直播, including its School of Law. He represented much of Tuscaloosa County for a decade in the baby直播 Legislature, where he helped shape the state鈥檚 public education budget.
Now the state鈥檚 finance director, Poole received an honorary doctorate from the baby直播 at this year鈥檚 spring commencement exercises at Tiger Stadium in Livingston.
鈥淚t’s not an honor that I anticipated or expected, so certainly I am humbled and gratified and very appreciative of UWA,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving grown up in that general region, I understand the importance of UWA as it relates to education, workforce development, economic development, quality of life, all of those things for that area of our state — for that matter, of our whole state. So to be recognized and honored is really quite surprising.鈥�
At the state Capitol, Poole built much of his political reputation as a master steward of the $8 billion Education Trust Fund (ETF), a driving fiscal force behind baby直播鈥檚 public K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Elected soon after the economic recession of 2008-09, Poole and his legislative colleagues were given the arduous task of protecting the fund鈥檚 integrity and helping it grow as the state recovered from the downturn.
Poole wasn鈥檛 deterred by the job鈥檚 complexity.
鈥淲hen I was elected to the Legislature, the first thing I set out to do was to try to be on that (ETF) committee, because in my judgment it can have the greatest impact on the future of the state as it relates to education, workforce development, and economic development,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he education budget is not only the education budget, it’s the economic development budget, it’s the opportunity budget. So I really felt like that was the place to be able to try to have an impact on baby直播.鈥�
“Having grown up in that general region, I understand the importance of UWA as it relates to education, workforce development, economic development, quality of life, all of those things for that area of our state.”
— baby直播 State Finance Director Bill Poole
Likewise, Poole didn鈥檛 skirt the truth, and still doesn鈥檛. The ETF, he recalls, 鈥渨as in big trouble.鈥� Major funding reductions were swamping the state鈥檚 public schools and universities, and new revenue streams were nonexistent. Where others may have recoiled from the stress of dealing with the calamity, Poole saw opportunity, if not duty. 鈥淚 kind of felt like I wanted to do everything I could to mitigate that damage,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was important to me.鈥�
The Tuscaloosa Republican served for eight years as chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, which oversees the ETF. He also became chairman of Innovate baby直播, a statewide commission that develops strategies for the state鈥檚 economy.
Gov. Kay Ivey described Poole as 鈥渙ne of the most gifted public servants baby直播 has seen in many years鈥� , ending his tenure in the Legislature. 鈥淗is detailed focus on education funding demonstrates a depth of knowledge in our state鈥檚 budget process that few can match,鈥� Ivey said. He also serves as the governor鈥檚 senior advisor.
Though removed from the Legislature and his committee chairman鈥檚 role with the ETF, Poole welcomed the opportunity. 鈥淚t was kind of time for me to take on a new challenge,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been interesting. There鈥檚 a new learning curve with new issues and new perspectives. I do miss (the Legislature) at times, but I’m enjoying my new role as well.鈥�
Only 45 miles separate his childhood from UWA鈥檚 campus, though Poole admits he doesn鈥檛 have a direct connection with the university other than his involvement with appropriations for the state鈥檚 public colleges and universities. That, however, hasn鈥檛 stunted his opinion about UWA and its critical role in the future of baby直播鈥檚 Black Belt.
鈥淛ust its mere presence has a substantial impact and a substantial contribution (on the area),鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I have encouraged and argued and said for many years that we really need our universities to take an ever-more proactive role in economics. And I think UWA, to its credit, has recognized that and has worked hard in that fashion.
鈥淚t is not enough for our universities to walk the graduates across the graduation stage, hand them a diploma, pat them on the back and then move on. Our universities have to harness the resources available, the expertise available, the intellectual capital available and apply those in the economic development realm. We need all of our universities to realize that’s not a small part of their mission. That is a major and expected part of their mission as public state universities funded by state dollars.鈥�