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Alabama Lawmakers Consider New School Funding Model

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Alabama Lawmakers Consider New School Funding Model



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With one legislative session finished and the next about eight months away, Alabama legislators will spend the time in-between deciding whether to develop an entirely new school funding formula.

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The House and Senate committees that oversee the Education Trust Fund (ETF), the state’s education budget, held a joint meeting Tuesday to begin discussions about potential changes to the current public K-12 education funding formula.

“It has been 30 years since we changed our funding formula for education, and a lot has changed in the past 30 years,” said Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, in an interview after the meeting. “We are one of six states out of 50 that continues to fund the way we are funding, on a resource-model basis, so we are looking at what other options we have that would be better suited to that.”

It is the first in a series of meetings aimed at providing members an education on the workings of Alabama’s Foundation Program, the $4.6 billion program in the ETF which provides funding for schools around the state.

Many states fund their schools using a student-based model, one that takes into greater account not only the number of students within a given school system, but also the students’ composition, such as whether they are English Language learners or someone with special needs.

Under Alabama’s current formula, in place since 1995, the number of students creates a certain number of teacher units. That number of teacher units then becomes the basis of much of the funding.

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At a recent State Board of Education work session, State Superintendent Eric Mackey had defined the school as a “hybrid program” rather than a true foundation program because those units are the basis of funding.

“You get what you get based on the number of units,” he said.

According to Allovue, Connecticut, Kansas, California, Tennessee, Maryland and Texas have all moved to a weighted student funding formula in the last decade.

Members discussed not only the funding formula, but also underfunding of schools in lower-income communities with significant minority populations; the role of economic development incentives and their effect on school funding, and the lack of funding for special needs students.

Kirk Fulford, deputy director of the Legislative Services Agency, provided lawmakers with an overview of the Foundation Program.

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The amount that schools receive is based on a unit count. The state takes the average number of students enrolled in the school or school system for the 20 days following Labor Day. The number is then divided by the divisor, set by the Legislature for the number of students within a set of grade levels.

If a school has 100 students, and the divisor for K-3 grades is 14.25, the school or school district has a unit count for K-3 grade teachers of 7.01. That is then converted to dollars based on the salary schedule that is set.

The number of principals, assistant principals and counselors for a school is also calculated based on units, and the amount of Foundation Program funding for the school is converted by multiplying that unit count by the money per unit decided by legislators.

Other types of funding are added to the Foundation Program allocation for schools, from transportation expenses to additional money specifically for math and science teachers along with special education.

Money to fund the cost determined for each district is shared between municipalities and the state. The formula is designed so that more affluent locations pay a greater share of the cost than those whose residents are lower income.

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Local governments must set property taxes at a minimum of 10 mills in order to receive money from the Foundation Program.

For the coming year, the state portion of the ETF for K-12 schools, including the Foundation Program; transportation, and programs run through the Alabama State Department of Education, is about $5.5 billion. The local fund portion is about $831.5 million.

The amount in local property taxes collected for the school system will vary by the assessed value of the properties within the school system’s boundaries. Poorer areas will generate less tax revenues than more prosperous ones.

Lowndes County, for example, an area with a significantly lower-income population, paid roughly $1.3 million into the Foundation program. Mountain Brook, a wealthy suburb of Birmingham, paid about $7.3 million to the Foundation Program.

School districts with wealthier populations tend to record higher scores on standardized tests, according to an analysis based on FY21-22 spending and School Year 2022-23 scores from the Edunomics Lab based at Georgetown.

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The local allocation has irritated some lawmakers who work to increase their economic development to increase school funding, only to have their state allocation reduced, leaving them net neutral.

“We always were under the impression that, ‘Wow, we bring in industry, and they pay $200,000 of property taxes to our schools,’” said Rep. Troy Stubbs, R-Wetumpka, who used to be on the Elmore County Commission. “We felt like we were improving our local schools because we were bringing in more money. However, Elmore County is only a participant in our Foundation Program with our 10 mills. We do not have any local funding. Because of that, all we were really doing was lowering the amount that the state contributed to Elmore County.”

In Tennessee, which moved to a weighted student funding formula in recent years, school districts were required to keep funding at previous levels, according to the Commercial Appeal. The state provided overall more funding to the education budget so that districts received more money by numbers, even if the share they received from the state lowered.

Garrett previously told the Reflector that the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund, created in the 2022 regular legislative session, could be used in shifting the funding formula.

Schools receive additional funding for specific students, such as those with special needs, from the Foundation Program. The formula automatically factors in the number of students who have special needs at 5%. The unit count is then weighted up to 2.5 for those students to give schools additional dollars for more resources.

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Currently, the sole adaptation in the formula is headcount, and doesn’t incorporate the specific needs of some in schools, one that is based on each student, might.

“We know the cost to educate a special needs child is, far and away, more than the average child,” said Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the chair of the Senate’s education budget committee. “The cost to educate an English Language Learner is much more than an average Alabama child. Following the trend, or at least looking at the other states who have gone down this road, seeing if we want to consider changing our funding model, how we fund based on a type of student instead of just a student.”

The committees plan to resume the discussions at an August meeting.

Reporter Jemma Stephenson contributed to this story.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and X.

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Alabama

Michigan RB Donovan Edwards opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama

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Michigan RB Donovan Edwards opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama


Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters Sunday he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama on Dec. 31 to focus on preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Edwards has 589 yards rushing and four touchdowns for the defending national champion Wolverines (7-5) this season.

RB Donovan Edwards finds Colston Loveland for a 23-yard TD to extend Michigan’s lead over Michigan State

Edwards closes his college career with 2,251 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns along with 86 receptions for 797 yards and four scores.

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Michigan will also be without potential first-round picks defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland against the Crimson Tide.

Kickoff for Michigan’s matchup against Alabama is scheduled for Noon ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Alabama NFL roundup: Josh Jacobs sets the tone in Packers’ victory

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Alabama NFL roundup: Josh Jacobs sets the tone in Packers’ victory


Before Sunday night, Josh Jacobs’ only game against the Seattle Seahawks had featured 229 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 40-34 overtime victory on Nov. 27, 2022.

Jacobs didn’t reach those numbers with the Green Bay Packers this time around against Seattle, but his new team still used the former Alabama running back to set the tone in a 30-13 victory.

On the Packers’ first possession, Jacobs had seven carries for 27 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge, and two receptions for 17 yards. The only yards on the opening drive not gained by Jacobs came on a 4-yard run by quarterback Jordan Love and a 15-yard penalty against Seattle.

The next Green Bay series also resulted in a touchdown, and it started with a 21-yard pass to the running back and included a 19-yard run by Jacobs.

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Jacobs finished the game with 94 yards on 26 rushing attempts and 42 yards on four receptions as the Packers improved to 10-4 while dropping Seattle to 8-6 and out of the top spot in the NFC West.

Jacobs was among the 54 former Alabama players who got on the field on the 15th Sunday of the NFL’s 105th season.

Three other former Alabama players were involved in the Green Bay-Seattle game:

Josh Jobe started at cornerback for the Seahawks. Jobe made two tackles.

Xavier McKinney started at safety for the Packers. McKinney made four tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams.

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Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed made seven tackles.

In the other Sunday games:

Dallas Cowboys 30, Carolina Panthers 14

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was designated as a game-day inactive. A knee injury kept Diggs out of the lineup.

Panthers defensive end LaBryan Ray (James Clemens) made one tackle and registered one quarterback sneak.

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A’Shawn Robinson started at defensive end for the Panthers. Robinson made two tackles.

Bryce Young started at quarterback for the Panthers. Young completed 19-of-28 passes for 219 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and ran three times for 12 yards and one touchdown. Young threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Coker with 31 seconds left in the first half to cut Dallas’ lead to 10-7 and scored on a 6-yard run with 9:13 to play to reduce the Cowboys’ advantage to 27-14. Young lost a fumble at the Dallas 14-yard line to end Carolina’s first possession and lost another on the first snap of the second half at the Panthers 29-yard line to set up a Cowboys’ touchdown. Young was intercepted as the Dallas 45-yard line in the second quarter and the Cowboys 25 in the fourth quarter.

BRYCE YOUNG GOES LONG FOR A TOUCHDOWN

Kansas City Chiefs 21, Cleveland Browns 7

Browns cornerback Tony Brown is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

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Browns guard Javion Cohen (Central-Phenix City) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Browns running back Jerome Ford ran for 84 yards and one touchdown on seven carries, caught two passes for 20 yards and returned four kickoffs for 117 yards, including a 45-yarder. Ford scored Cleveland’s only touchdown on a 62-yard run with 3:16 left in the third quarter. With Nick Chubb sustaining a broken foot in Sunday’s game, Ford would appear to be the Browns’ No. 1 running back as Cleveland completes its season over the next three weeks.

Jerry Jeudy started at wide receiver for the Browns. Jeudy had a career-high 11 receptions for 108 yards. The yardage put him over 1,000 receiving yards in the 2024 season, the first time he has reached that milestone in the NFL.

JERRY JEUDY BECOMES ALABAMA’S EIGHTH 1,000-YARD RECEIVER IN NFL

Browns tight end Cameron Latu is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

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Dalvin Tomlinson started at defensive tackle for the Browns. Tomlinson made two tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and registered a career-high five quarterback hits.

Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Houston Texans 20, Miami Dolphins 12

Will Anderson Jr. started at defensive end for the Texans. Anderson made three tackles, recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits. In pushing his sack total to 10.5 this season, Anderson caused Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to fumble, and Houston recovered at the Dolphins 28-yard line to set up a second-quarter touchdown.

Dolphins defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand did not record any stats.

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Christian Harris started at middle linebacker for the Texans. Harris made eight tackles in his first action in the 2024 season. A calf injury had kept Harris sidelined for the first 13 games of his third NFL season.

Texans wide receiver John Metchie III had two receptions for 17 yards.

Irv Smith Jr. started at tight end for the Texans. Houston elevated Smith from its practice squad to make him eligible to play. He did not record any stats.

Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Dolphins. Tagovailoa completed 29-of-40 passes for 196 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Tagovailoa also lost a fumble. Tagovailoa has had four games in his career with three interceptions. In the second quarter, Tagovailoa lost a fumble at the Miami 28-yard line to set up a Houston touchdown and gave the Texans possession at the Dolphins 5 on an interception with 13 seconds left in the first half, which led to a field goal on the final snap of the first half. Tagovailoa’s touchdown pass came on a 7-yard toss to tight end Jonnu Smith as Miami cut Houston’s lead to 20-12 with 4:30 left in the third quarter.

Henry To’oTo’o started at linebacker for the Texans. To’oTo’o led Houston with 11 tackles, shared a sack and forced a fumble, which Miami recovered. With linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair serving the first game of a three-game NFL suspension, To’oTo’o called the defensive signals for the Texans on Sunday.

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Jaylen Waddle started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. For the first game in his career, Waddle did not catch a pass. He was targeted twice before leaving in the second quarter with a knee injury.

New York Jets 32, Jacksonville Jaguars 25

Mac Jones started at quarterback for the Jaguars. Jones completed 31-of-46 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran four times for 29 yards. Jones threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to open with scoring with 8:37 left in the first quarter and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Thomas as Jacksonville took a 22-17 lead with 10:58 remaining to play. Jones was intercepted at the New York 12-yard line on a third-and-14 pass from the Jacksonville 41 with 2:59 left in the first quarter and at the Jets 13 on a third-and-1 pass from the New York 47 with 37 seconds to play.

Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Jaguars running back Keilan Robinson did not record any stats.

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Quinnen Williams (Wenonah) started at defensive tackle for the Jets. Williams made one tackle.

Washington Commanders 20, New Orleans Saints 19

Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis was designated as a game-day inactive.

Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry (Pinson Valley) started at right cornerback for the Saints. McKinstry made six tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

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Daron Payne (Shades Valley) started at defensive tackle for the Commanders. Payne made two tackles, recorded one sack, registered two quarterback hits and broke up one pass. Payne has four sacks this season.

Brian Robinson Jr. (Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa) started at running back for the Commanders. Robinson ran for 65 yards on 21 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards.

Baltimore Ravens 35, New York Giants 14

Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (St. Paul’s Episcopal) dressed for the game but did not play.

Ravens guard Darrian Dalcourt is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

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Derrick Henry started at running back for the Ravens. Henry ran for 67 yards on 14 carries.

Marlon Humphrey (Hoover) started at cornerback for the Ravens. Humphrey made five tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

Evan Neal started at right tackle for the Giants.

Cincinnati Bengals 37, Tennessee Titans 27

Jordan Battle started at safety for the Bengals. Battle made 10 tackles and returned a fumble 60 yards. But he lost control of the football right before he crossed the goal line for a 61-yard touchdown return, which instead became a touchback.

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JORDAN BATTLE LOSES HIS FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN ON GOAL-LINE GAFFE

Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton had a 32-yard kickoff return.

J.C. Latham started at left offensive tackle for the Titans.

Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley had three receptions for 41 yards and a 19-yard gain on a rushing attempt.

Arizona Cardinals 30, New England Patriots 17

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Patriots wide receiver Javon Baker was designated as a game-day inactive.

Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore did not record any stats.

Patriots guard Lester Cotton (Central-Tuscaloosa) did not record any stats.

Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made seven tackles and forced one fumble, which Arizona offensive tackle Jonah Williams recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

Jonah Williams started at right offensive tackle for the Cardinals. Williams recovered a fumble in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown with 1:21 left in the first quarter as Arizona took a 10-0 lead.

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FORMER ALABAMA ALL-AMERICAN SCORES HIS FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN

Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery) started at inside linebacker for the Cardinals. Wilson did not record any stats. He left for the locker room in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and did not return.

Denver Broncos 31, Indianapolis Colts 13

Colts defensive tackle Raekwon Davis made one tackle.

Colts safety Ronnie Harrison did not record any stats.

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Colts center Ryan Kelly is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders did not record any stats.

Patrick Surtain II started at left cornerback for the Broncos. Surtain made one tackle, intercepted one pass and broke up another pass. Surtain picked off quarterback Anthony Richardson and returned the interception 4 yards to the Indianapolis 35-yard line with 7:39 to play to set up a touchdown. Surtain limped off the field supported by trainers with 2:06 to play with an ankle injury and went to the locker room.

Broncos cornerback Levi Wallace was designated as a game-day inactive.

Buffalo Bills 48, Detroit Lions 42

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Terrion Arnold started at cornerback for the Lions. Arnold made four tackles and broke up one pass.

Brian Branch started at safety for the Lions. Branch led Detroit with a career-high 15 tackles, recorded two tackles for loss and broke up one pass.

Amari Cooper started at wide receiver for the Bills. Cooper had his first game without a reception since Nov. 24, 2019. But the game was the first in Cooper’s career in which he was not thrown to by his quarterback.

Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 31 yards and one touchdown on eight carries and caught five passes for 83 yards and one touchdown. Gibbs scored on a 12-yard reception with 12 minutes remaining and scored on a 1-yard run with 8:02 left.

Bills safety Kareem Jackson made three tackles in his first appearance in 2024, his 15th NFL season. Buffalo elevated Jackson from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.

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Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers in on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Jameson Williams started at wide receiver for the Lions. Williams had three receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown. Williams caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds to play.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40, Los Angeles Chargers 17

Buccaneers safety Marcus Banks is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Bradley Bozeman (Handley) started at center for the Chargers.

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Buccaneers outside linebacker Chris Braswell made one tackle on special teams.

Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe was designated as a game-day inactive.

Chargers punter JK Scott averaged 47.0 yards on three punts, with a 37.0-yard net. Scott had a 42-yard punt for a touchback, a 57-yarder returned 10 yards to the Tampa Bay 17-yard line and a 42-yard punt downed at the Tampa Bay 15 (but moved to the 30 because of a fair-catch-interference penalty).

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Landon Dickerson started at left guard for the Eagles. Dickerson left the game because of a knee injury and did not return.

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Minkah Fitzpatrick started at free safety for the Steelers. Fitzpatrick made eight tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

Najee Harris started at running back for the Steelers. Harris ran for 14 yards on six carries and caught a 7-yard pass.

Jalen Hurts started at quarterback for the Eagles. Hurts completed 25-of-32 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and ran 15 times for 45 yards and one touchdown. Hurts also lost a fumble.

JALEN HURTS: ‘SO THAT’S WHAT Y’ALL WANTED TO SEE, HUH?

Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks was designated as a game-day inactive.

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DeVonta Smith started at wide receiver for the Eagles. Smith had a career-high 11 receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown and ran once for 1 yard. He scored on a 2-yard pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts as Philadelphia took a 17-3 lead with 9:07 left in the first half.

Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen came in at left guard when Landon Dickerson left with a knee injury.

Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Week 15 started on Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 12-6.

Week 15 concludes on Monday, when the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings square off at 7 p.m. CDT at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and the Atlanta Falcons and the Las Vegas Raiders meet at 7:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. ABC will televise the Bears-Vikings game, and ESPN will televise the Falcons-Raiders game.

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FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.





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Michigan RB Donovan Edwards opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama for NFL draft

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Michigan RB Donovan Edwards opts out of ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama for NFL draft


Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan running back Donovan Edwards told reporters Sunday he will not play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against No. 11 Alabama on Dec. 31 to focus on preparing for the NFL draft.

Edwards has 589 yards rushing and four touchdowns for the defending national champion Wolverines (7-5) this season.

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Edwards closes his college career with 2,251 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns along with 86 receptions for 797 yards and four scores.

Michigan will also be without potential first-round picks defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland against the Crimson Tide.

___

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