Huntsville Committee of 100
Huntsville Committee of 100
Teachers at a Raise Your Hand event

High-Quality Public Education

Strong public schools are essential to economic growth. Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County schools together serve about 55,000 students, our future workforce, leaders, mayors, council members, board members, and entrepreneurs. The Committee of 100 supports teachers, advocates for school funding, and works with all three local school systems.

Committee of 100 members at an education meeting

School Funding

K-12 funding

In December 2018, the Committee supported the Huntsville community-wide school tax renewal. In 2019, the Committee supported the Madison ad valorem tax increase for Madison City Schools. In 2025, we were part of the coalition that supported the RAISE Act, the first major update to Alabama's school funding formula in 30 years. The RAISE Act added a student-needs layer alongside the existing Foundation Program. We hosted two education luncheons and met with our local legislative delegation in Montgomery. Both efforts succeeded because of many partners across the community, including the Every Child Alabama Coalition.

Six teachers standing in front of a Raise Your Hand backdrop at a Committee of 100 event

Teacher Training

Poverty simulations for teachers

Through the Creative Cities Fund, the Committee funded poverty simulation training for 600 local teachers following its 2018 event with Dr. James Garbarino on culture in public education. Huntsville City Schools then funded the same training for the rest of its teachers. Teachers come away understanding the whole child they teach, including students who arrive at school without breakfast or proper clothing, or who slept in a car the night before. That understanding changes how they teach and how students learn.

A speaker at the Raise Your Hand podium with attendees raising their hands

Teacher Excellence

Raise Your Hand

Raise Your Hand is a joint initiative of the Huntsville Committee of 100 and The Schools Foundation. It began in 2018, when then-Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Akin challenged the Committee to fund 100 National Board Certified Teachers. The October 2019 Creative Cities Fund event raised $224,000.

The $1 million campaign funds National Board Certification scholarships for teachers. We met that goal in August 2025, with $1 million raised.

The goal is to add 500 National Board Certified Teachers across Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County Schools, giving our community the highest concentration in the country among comparable metro areas. Work toward that goal continues.

Read more about Raise Your Hand