Budget Shortfall May Force State Takeover of Alabama District

By Millicent Lawton

A financially troubled school district outside Birmingham could be the first Alabama district taken over by the state under an accountability law passed last year.

The state earlier this month gave officials in the Fairfield city school system until March 15 to come up with a plan for fixing the district's massive budget problems or face state intervention. The 2,300-student district is projected to end the fiscal year with a $1 million shortfall in its $12 million budget.

The accountability law requires state education officials to determine whether any districts are foundering...