For many Alabama legislators, elections are looming on the not-too-distant horizon, and, as their day at the polls draws near, many of them will voice loud support for improving education in Alabama.

But if voters in this state check the incumbents’ track record on education issues, they will find many of their claims of supporting education are shallow at best and outright lies at worst.

It has long been the practice here for politicians to sing the praises of helping schools to gain votes and then doing the exact opposite once they get to Montgomery — whether it is reforming how we fund education or allocating sufficient money to pay for the most basic classroom needs.

The latest blow to Alabama’s education system came this week when the House Education Appropriations Committee voted 13-2 against allowing charter schools here — a proposal the Republican governor has been backing.

That effectively kills the measure for this session. A similar bill is expected to get the same treatment in the state Senate.

And that’s too bad for Alabama students.

Charter schools are public schools that are not constrained by the one-size-fits-all guidelines other schools are and would allow school systems to try new approaches to help students reach their goals.

In usual fashion, Alabama is in the minority on this issue, being one of only 11 states that do not allow charter schools.

The measure would not have mandated the creation of these schools, just given school systems more options when it comes to serving our children.

We have seen some of those exact programs garner huge success in school systems in Talladega and St. Clair counties. The Talladega County School System just recently showcased some of its alternative educational approaches to people from around the state.

And by taking the charter school option off the table, even those kinds of stand-alone programs may be in jeopardy because it is tied to $180 million in federal money that is slated for alternative education.

We understand that the state education budget is tight right now (and always will be until Alabama really addresses funding and tax reform, but that’s another argument), but that does not mean the politicians should be tying the hands of every school system in the state.

Our leaders in Montgomery need to quit playing political ping-pong with our children’s futures and give local school systems the ability to make these decisions for themselves.

So, in this election year, when politicians say they support education in Alabama, it’s a claim voters need to take with a grain of salt.