The four public school systems serving State Rep. Phillip Rigsby’s (R-Harvest) House District 25 have received nearly $241 million in Advancement and Technology supplemental appropriations from the Legislature since 2021, according to figures compiled by the Legislative Services Agency’s Fiscal Division.
Huntsville City Schools received $79.1 million over that stretch, the largest share of any system in the district. Madison County Schools received $68.2 million, Limestone County Schools $51.1 million and Madison City Schools $42.4 million.
The Advancement and Technology Fund is where the Legislature parks surplus Education Trust Fund dollars, then sends them back out to local systems for capital projects, technology, security and other one-time needs.
The annual checks to District 25 systems have grown sharply. In fiscal year 2021, the four systems combined for $17.9 million. In fiscal year 2025, they combined for $78.4 million, more than four times the 2021 figure.
The fiscal year 2026 supplemental delivered $56.2 million, including $18.2 million to Huntsville City, $15.7 million to Madison County, $12.4 million to Limestone County and $10 million to Madison City.
The Legislature passed no A&T supplemental bill in fiscal year 2023.
Teacher pay in those classrooms has climbed with the funding. The LSA’s salary matrices show a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree earned $41,690 in fiscal year 2022 and earns $47,600 in fiscal year 2026, a 14.2% increase. A teacher with a doctorate at the top of the scale went from $73,125 to $91,912 over the same period, a 25.7% increase.
The Legislature rewrote the matrix in 2023 to add a pay band for every year of experience past nine, worth a 1% raise each year through year 35. Before the change, veteran teachers moved up the scale only every three years.
Education employees have received a cost-of-living adjustment in each of the last four budget cycles: 2% in fiscal year 2022, 4% in 2023, 2% in 2024 and 2% in 2025. Education retirees received a one-time bonus of $2 per month for each year of service in 2022.
The Education Trust Fund has carried the load. ETF receipts grew from $8.6 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $10.9 billion in fiscal year 2025, with expenditures reaching $11.6 billion in 2025.
Rigsby, a Huntsville pharmacist and owner of Huntsville Compounding Pharmacy, was elected in 2022 to the seat long held by former House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. He is seeking a second term in November in a district that covers most of Madison County and a portion of Limestone County. He announced his reelection bid earlier this year and has since been endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation.
“I’m running for reelection because I believe in the future of our state, and I’m committed to continuing the fight for better roads, strong schools, lower taxes, a secure border and unwavering support for our military, first responders, veterans, and working families,” Rigsby said when he announced his campaign.
The LSA figures were provided to Rigsby in an October 14 memo from Legislative Fiscal Analyst John Friedenreich at the request of the Speaker’s office.
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