House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has reappointed Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, which oversees the development of Alabama’s Education Trust Fund budget.
Garrett has chaired the committee since 2021, overseeing five record-setting education budgets that have included increases in teacher pay and funding for K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities.
“The last four years have been the most transformative period in state history for public education, and much of that success can be directly traced back to Chairman Garrett’s leadership,” Ledbetter said in a news release announcing the reappointment.
Garrett has helped develop budgets that included four teacher pay raises since 2022. He also supported legislation establishing paid parental leave for public education employees in 2025.
Garrett played a role in the passage of the CHOOSE Act, Alabama’s education savings account program, which lawmakers approved in 2024. The program began providing funding for private school tuition and other qualifying education expenses during the 2025-26 school year.
Garrett credited the state’s recent academic gains in part to the committee’s approach to education spending.
“For the first time in our state’s history, Alabama is leading the nation in learning gains while setting a strong example for others to follow, and that starts with conservative budgeting in our committee.
“At the end of the day, every decision we make is guided by the fact that this is not the state government’s money – it belongs to Alabama’s children, and I remain committed to ensuring it is spent in a manner that gives them the best possible opportunity to succeed,” Garrett said.