My parents live in Alabama and my youngest sister had the unenviable experience of going through the Alabama public school system. Believe me, no matter what kind of income level you're in in Alabama, you don't know anything about the world outside the USA.
And shoes are for the cold weather.
I guess that's why a school in B'ham was named as the nation's best. There are many excellent schools in the state and many bad ones. I'm not defending the public school system in Alabama - I sent my children to private school (and no, it is not a "seg" academy). I was put off by your condescending attitude about us Alabamans having never been anywhere, certainly not out of the state. And, btw, your last post continues the trend. You paint with a very broad brush.