The following summary includes education-related proposals from the 2008 state of the state addresses. To assure that this information reaches you in a timely manner, minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) or format. To view the documents, click on the blue triangle next to the state.
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 | Virginia |
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| Governor Tim Kaine's State of the Commonwealth Address
Early Learning
-- Expand the Virginia Preschool Initiative from 13,000 to nearly 20,000 children will give a better start to those children who need it most. Expansion will be based on Start Strong Council, including education experts, business leaders, children's advocates, local officials, and legislators of both parties and draws on the experiences of the existing pre-k program, the pilot projects and last fall's report by the JLARC.
-- Increase state support for cities and counties offering pre-k programs, make more at-risk students eligible and utilize high-quality private providers so that more money can be spent on education, instead of bricks and mortar.
-- Enhance quality and accountability, build collaboration among public, private and Head Start programs, and strengthen the early childhood workforce.
Finance, Standards, At-Risk
-- Ensure that the gains made in early education are maintained by fully funding the rebenchmarking of the Standards of Quality for K-12 and maintaining the "At Risk" monies that the General Assembly has traditionally approved.
Teacher Compensation
-- Continue to fund the progress made in raising teachers' salaries toward the national average by funding the state share of a 3.5% pay increase for teachers and other instructional staff effective July 1, 2009.
Postsecondary and Economic Development
-- Encourage high school graduates to continue their education at universities, four year colleges, career and technical schools, and community colleges by giving those institutions what they need to serve students who will ultimately become the workforce driving Virginia's economic engine.
-- Make significant new investments in higher education to help create high-tech jobs through research and innovation. This is particularly important at a time when job growth is slowing.
Proposing a $1.6 billion bond package to continue the acceleration of top notch higher education system. This investment, to be phased in over the next 5 to 7 years, will provide facilities across the Commonwealth for researchers to develop new, cutting-edge technologies and turn them into commercial assets. The bond package centers largely on engineering, science, business, and health professions. It will support higher education system's continuing efforts to build a more talented workforce that is fully prepared to compete in a global economy. Beginning these needed projects now will be less costly than in future years, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. And the bond package fits well within our conservative debt service guidelines.
-- Supplement these capital projects by operational funds for increased base adequacy funding, more financial aid, and an expanded focus on competitive research opportunities.
-- Place the main responsibility for workforce development in the Virginia Community College System.
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/Speeches/2008/SOTC.cfm | |
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