The budget for the 2024-25 school year would include money to cover training for school and district leaders that would coach them on "how you manage change, how you manage conflict, how you manage disagreement."

A key to the mission at Sea Lab is for students to work "as scientists" across disciplines. Recent projects have had students grow lettuce in a hydroponic aquarium and compose music based on the sinking of military ships. "There's a little bit of whimsy science thrown in," teacher facilitator Simone Bourgeois explains. "We do everything from meteorology to zoology to any content science a student might approach in high school or college."

"I think that's very clear that they're trying to open the pathway to more folks who couldn't meet the first set of rules," State Superintendent Eric Mackey told AL.com Tuesday.