AEA-backed school board challengers lose

Two Republican state school board members who strongly supported policies aimed at forcing mostly Democratic legislators out of two-year college jobs won their party’s nomination Tuesday against challengers funded mostly by groups fighting those policies.

Incumbents Stephanie Bell of Montgomery and Randy McKinney of Orange Beach won the GOP nomination for two seats, beating back challengers supported largely by the Alabama Education Association and political action committees aligned with AEA. Combined the groups contributed almost $400,000 to Bell’s and McKinney’s opponents.

In an extraordinary move, the state Republican Party sent out e-mails on election day urging Republicans to vote for Bell and McKinney and warning them not to be fooled by the AEA-supported opponents.

Alabama Education Association-backed school board challengers lose

State ed board members win big