 | Alabama |
Teacher Compensation
Pay raise of up to 5% for teachers.
Taxes
A state sales tax holiday to help families with back-to-school expenses.
Finance
$1 billion increase in spending for education.
Facilities
$500 million of the Education Trust Fund be spent on updating school facilities and new construction.
Extended School Year
Add five additional days to the school year.
| Alaska |
Tuition
Increase the Alaska Scholars program for UA tuition from the top 10% to the top 15% of graduating scholars.
Leadership
Launch the Alaska Statewide Mentoring Program for new teachers and principals.
High Schools
Expand the access to boarding schools such as Mt. Edgecumbe and others in Galena, Bethel and Nenana.
Finance
Proposes a $90 million increase to education funding.
Accountability
Hold students, teachers and schools accountable for results.
| Arizona |
Tuition
Hold down the rate of tuition increases at state universities.
Teacher Professional Development
Expand the "Career Ladder" statewide to provide professional development to all teachers in the state.
Teacher Compensation
Two-year plan to raise teacher salaries to $30,000.
Teacher Compensation
Ensure that all teachers receive a raise this year.
School Supplies
Three-day back to school sales tax holiday with no state sales tax on school supplies, clothing and up to $1,000 of computer equipment.
Kindergarten
Offer voluntary full-day kindergarten to every parent.
Financial Aid
Substantial increase in the amount of student aid provided, and to hold down the rate of tuition increases at state universities.
| California |
Tuition
Eliminate the increase in tuition and fees scheduled to take effect this fall.
Finance – Facilities
Construction of more than 2,000 small schools, 40,000 classrooms and modernization of another 140,000 over the next decade.
Finance
2006-07 budget proposal will call for a $4 billion increase in education over the 2005-06 budget.
After School Programs
Provide an additional $428 million dollars for comprehensive after-school programs.
| Colorado |
Finance (Postsecondary)
Restore 40% of the cuts to high education from the General Fund in two years by raising the per-student stipend to $2,580.
Financial Aid
Increase financial aid by 6%, with a total higher education appropriation of $658 million.
Tuition
Limit tuition increases to no more than 2.5%.
K-12 Finance
Increase the General Fund appropriations to $126 million for next year.
Financial Aid
"College in Colorado" will provide financial aid to low-income students who take responsibility for preparing for college while in high school.
Tuition
Students whose parents are reassigned out of state in the middle of their schooling will still receive in-state tuition.
Tenure
Work with the Commission on Higher Education to establish a basic threshold for tenure common to all state schools.
| Connecticut |
Economic/ Workforce Development
$150,000 for the Connecticut Career Resource Network to help students, teachers and guidance counselors to be prepared for the 21st century workforce.
Economic/ Workforce Development
$3 million for a new loan forgiveness program for college students who choose to work in "high needs" fields. $1.5 million will be available to students who plan to teach math or science.
Early childhood education
Increase the number of inner city children in preschool to 500.
School Readiness
Increase the School Readiness per child funding from $7,750 to $8,025 per year.
Early Childhood Education
Add funding for five more communities to add preschool programs.
Kindergarten
Initiate the creation of a true kindergarten assessment tool.
Charter Schools
$1.7 million for the expansion of charter school seats for schools that have natural grade growth.
Finance
For the Education Costs Sharing Grant the budget includes direct educational grants to cities and towns of $2,026,000,000. This represents an increase of $142 million in direct educational aid.
| Delaware |
Math and Science
Place a math specialist in every middle school, adding 10 more to the 22 specialists that were added last year.
Tuition
Continue the Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) scholarship program to provide a two-year college degree tuition-free.
Facilities
Expand operations funding for districts with existing available classroom space and continue to fund building costs for districts that passed referenda for full-day kindergarten.
| Florida |
Curriculum
Require middle school students for earn 12 credits in math, science, language arts and social studies before they are promoted to high school.
Reading/Literacy
Start summer academies with intensive reading instruction for students who aren't reading at grade level.
Middle School reform
Allow middle school students, who are ready for the challenge, take high school courses for high school credit.
Math/Science
Strengthen the core curriculum for high schools by requiring an additional higher level math credit.
High School Reform
Allow students to take classes in a similar fashion to colleges, allowing them to choose a major/minor and focus on the areas of study they're interested in.
Vocational
Provide "Ready to Work" certificates to give vocational students the credentials that tell employers they're ready for the workforce.
Finance
Increase the needs-based Florida Student Assistance Grant program and provide an additional $135 million in financial aid for 117,000 Florida students.
Teaching Compensation
Invest $239 million to create incentives to attract teachers to Florida and compensate them for their contributions.
Teacher Recruitment
Out of the $239 million, use $40 million to match the funds local school districts spend to recruit and retain teachers.
School Choice
Continue commitment for school choice in Florida.
| Georgia |
Teacher Compensation
4% pay raise for all Georgia teachers with no increase in medical insurance premiums.
School Supplies
$10 million to provide every Georgia teacher with a $100 Classroom Gift Card for classroom school supplies.
School Districts
Establish a standard for local school districts to spend at least 65% of their budgets in the classroom.
Leadership
$3 million to recruit High Performance Principals to Needs Improvement middle and high schools.
High School Dropouts
$23.3 million to raise Georgia's graduation rates by placing a completion counselor in every high school in Georgia.
Facilities
$447 million in bonds for classroom construction, new equipment and for buying 1,000 new school buses.
Early Childhood
Georgia Child Care Tax Credit, which will return $50 million to working parents to assist with the cost of child care.
Class size
$163 million of the budget will go to class size reductions.
| Hawaii |
Finance – Facilities
$90 million for school construction and repairs.
Finance
An increase of $132.5 million for public education.
Teacher Quality – Recruitment and Retention
Allow retired teachers to be hired to fill difficult classroom positions for 24 months without losing retirement benefits.
Teacher Certification
Award a $10,000 a year bonus to any of the 111 National Board Certified Teachers who agree to teach in underperforming schools for three years.
Teacher Certification
The Emergency Certified Teacher Program allows anyone holding a bachelor's degree or higher to teach in the subject in which they have degrees as along as they complete the substitute teacher training program.
Tuition Certification
$500,000 to reestablish the Hawaii Educator Loan Program for loan forgiveness of tuition at any certified teaching program.
Charter Schools
Give charter schools their own school district and remove the cap on the number of charter schools, so the state can establish seven new charter schools.
Finance – Postsecondary
$45.6 million in operating funds and $252 million for facilities for the University of Hawaii.
| Idaho |
Teacher Compensation
$27 million dollar increase for teacher salaries, moving the base salary from $27,500 to $30,000 a year.
Physical Education
Reform physical education curriculum.
Math and Science
Increase math and science curriculum requirement from two to four years.
Finance
4.89% budget increase (first-ever appropriation over a billion dollars) for education.
Finance (Postsecondary)
4.8% budgetary increase for postsecondary education
Facilities
$4.5 million dollars for school construction.
Community Colleges
$5 million dollars to create a new statewide community college network, using other state facilities for expansion.
| Illinois |
Financial Aid
$1,000 tax credit for every freshman and sophomore who attends a college or university in Illinois.
Facilities
The capital plan will build more schools to create more jobs and modernized education facilities.
Finance
February 15 the governor will announce several major education initiatives in the budget.
| Indiana |
Finance
Enable school officials to conserve scarce dollars and redeploy them to the classrooms and teachers of the state.
| Iowa |
Teacher Compensation
Increase teaching salaries over the next five years, to exceed the national average.
School Districts
Creation of the Vanguard School Grant Program to promote special programs and services to schools from their school districts.
Finance
Invest $50 million to postsecondary institutions from the tobacco settlement account.
Early Childhood
Continue and expand the "Strong Start" initiative to improve the quality of childcare and expand preschool opportunities.
| Kansas |
Mentoring/Tutors
Implement the "Kansas Mentors" program to provide mentors and role models to Kansas students.
Accountability
Additional audits to hold school districts accountable to ensure the state will receive the best possible return on their investment.
| Kentucky |
Technology
High-speed broadband technology to increase instructional capacity in the classroom.
Teacher Professional Development
Create an enhanced professional compensation plan for teachers who receive professional development that is directly related to their classroom work and student achievement.
Teacher Compensation
Raise teacher salaries over the next several years to the average of surrounding states without raising taxes.
Facilities
Give public universities and schools 6-12% more for every dollar they spend in school construction costs.
Early Childhood
Increase funding for preschool.
Curriculum
Increase the rigor of high school curriculum and graduation requirements so students are prepared for the demands of postsecondary education and the 21st century workplace.
Accountability
Invest in technology to ensure that we can track real-time student performance on the Web.
| Louisiana |
Teaching Quality – Recruitment and Retention
Invest $105 million dollars in teachers, which would result in an average pay raise of $1500 dollars per year.
Faculty
$31 million dollar investment to retain higher education faculty.
Workforce/Economic Development
$15 million dollar investment to expand and retrain the workforce by creating businesses, college and training program partnerships.
| Maine |
Workforce Development
$1.5 million dollars of increase scholarship funding for students who enter child care professions.
Early childhood
$500,000 investment to expand the child care tax credit.
Facilities
Seeks recommendations from the commissioner of education to create school construction that make schools centers of the community.
School Size
$3 million dollars to support high performing small schools.
Finance
Restore $1 million dollars for efficient delivery of educational services
Teacher Compensation
Raise the starting teacher salary to $30,000 starting next year.
High School Curriculum
$500,000 to provide college level courses to high school students.
Affordability
"Next Generation Program" will give every baby born this year a $50 grant to open their first college savings account.
Financial Aid
Expand the student loan deduction.
Adult Education
Financial assistance for Univeristy of Southern Maine to support the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute that provides over 5,000 adults, age 50 and older education opportunities.
Workforce Development
$750,000 to educate more nurses at the University of Maine and in the community college system.
| Maryland |
Finance
Increase funding with total investments of $462 million.
Finance – Facilities
School construction funds will total $281 million.
Math and Science
Creation of a math and science academy.
Adult Learning
Increase the investment in adult basic education by 58%.
Health/Nutrition
Provide 27,000 additional children with a nutritious breakfasts.
Finance (Postsecondary)
Increase support for higher education by $172 million, including a $121 million dollar increase to the university system.
Financial Aid
Increase need-based aid by $19 million – a 100% increase since the beginning of the term.
Community Colleges
Provide full funding for community colleges, independent institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Workforce/ Economic Development
Increase funding for scholarships aimed at attracting students to workforce shortage areas and increase funding for loan assistance repayment.
Workforce Development
Consolidate the existing nursing and teaching scholarships into a single "workforce shortage scholarship" to be administered by MHEC.
| Massachusetts |
Teacher compensation
Give special bonuses to science and math teachers, advanced placement teachers and the top 1/3 most successful teachers in each school.
Teacher professional development
Mentor teachers and provide more funding for teacher training.
Leadership
Leadership training for principals and grant more authority to principals.
School reform
Faster intervention for failing schools.
Technology
Provide every middle and high school student with a laptop.
Parental Involvement
Mandatory parental preparation classes for kids in failing schools.
Curriculum
Abstinence education in schools.
| Michigan |
Tuition/ Financial Aid
Merit Award Scholarship will allow students in Michigan to earn a $4,000 scholarship.
High School Curriculum
New core curriculum for Michigan high school students
Middle School – Extended Day Programs
Increase after school programs to give middle school students extra hours of learning focused on math, science and computer technology.
Early Childhood
Invest greater support for early childhood education.
School Districts
Have school districts give prompt notification to parents whenever a child's grades dip or attendance slips.
Bullying
Require every school district in Michigan to have tough and effective anti-bullying policies.
| Minnesota |
Finance
Require that 70% of school funding reaches the classroom.
Math & Science
Require Algebra One by 8th grade and Algebra Two and Chemistry before graduation from high school.
Technology
Include digital literacy as part of school standards so students know how to access and use technology as a basic skill.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
Provide seven million dollars in financial incentives for at least ten pioneering districts to us AP or IB for all students, in all grades.
College Preparedness
Provide additional funding for up to five pioneering high schools that overhaul their structure to focus on college preparedness or technical training.
School Choice
Provide school choice alternatives for poor, failing or disabled children.
| Mississippi |
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Automatically certify teachers of other states that meet the NCLB definition of "highly qualified".
Teacher Compensation
Authorize teacher pay for performance.
School Districts
Grant home rule to give school districts the freedom to do what's needed for students to succeed.
Dual Enrollment
Expand the dual enrollment program and make advanced placement classes available in every school within three years.
Dropout Prevention
Reduce the state's dropout rate by a third in three years and half in five years.
Discipline
Hold parents legally accountable for children's misbehavior.
Early Childhood
Continue Early Childhood Development proposals as outlined in the Upgrade Education Reform Act
(http://www.governorbarbour.com/Upgrade06.htm).
| Missouri |
Early Childhood
$1,000,000 to Parents as Teacher's to ensure that developmental delays are identified and corrected early.
Finance
Full funding for the first year of the new school foundation formula and provides an increase of $167 million new education dollars.
Finance
Deliver at least 65% of the education tax dollar to teachers and students.
Finance (Postsecondary)
$17 million increase for state colleges and universities to improve quality and hold back tuition increases.
Community Colleges
Increase state funding for A+ Schools by $1,800,000, which will allow additional Missouri students to attend community colleges.
| New Hampshire |
Compulsory Attendance Age
Require children to stay in school until age 18.
Tuition/Fees
First-year New Hampshire students who receive the maximum Pell Grant will be able to attend University System Institutions for no additional tuition.
| New Jersey |
The outgoing Governor did not set an education agenda for 2006.
| New Mexico |
Facilities
$1 billion dollars for new, better and more modern schools.
Teacher Compensation
Six percent pay increase for all teachers and instructional personnel.
Parental Involvement
Create innovative strategies to involve parents in their kid's education.
Assessment
Match high school curricula with college entrance exams.
Affordability
Invest more in the College Affordability endowment.
Vocational Education
Continue development and support for career technical centers and vocational charter high schools.
Health/Physical Education
Hire 200 additional physical education teachers for elementary schools and provide every student with a healthy breakfast.
Extended Day Programs
Increase before and after school programs to help decrease obesity and increase parental involvement.
Health/Nutrition
Eliminate junk food in elementary schools, carbonated drinks from middle schools and require healthy snacks in both middle and high school.
| New York |
Finance
Provide additional funding to high-need schools in NYC and across the state.
After-School Programs
Allow parents of students in under-achieving schools access to additional after-school programs.
Tutoring
Allow parents of students in under-achieving schools access to additional tutoring programs and other educational opportunities.
Charter Schools
Expansion of charter schools throughout the state.
Math and Science
- Middle Schools
Create math and science summer programs for middle school students at community colleges across the state.
- High Schools
Create specialized math and science high schools across the state focused on teaching the skills that students will need to succeed in the high-tech economy of tomorrow.
- Postsecondary
Offer free tuition to SUNY or CUNY for students who pursue math and science degrees and commit to teaching in New York State.
| Ohio |
High School Curriculum
Require all student to take rigorous course work which will include:
Four years of math, including Algebra II; three years of science, including biology, chemistry and physics; four years of English; three years of social studies; and two years of foreign language; starting with the graduating class of 2011.
Admission
Make the rigorous core curriculum a condition of admission to Ohio's state-funded four-year colleges and universities.
Community Colleges
Move all remedial education to Ohio's two-year campuses to lower costs.
High School Reform
Require student's in their junior year to take a college and work-ready assessment to see if they're on the right course.
High School Reform
Add a measure to the School Report Card to indicate how well high schools are preparing students for college and work.
Dual Enrollment
Give every high school student the opportunity to earn at least one semester of college credit while still in high school.
| Oklahoma |
Teacher Compensation
Continue commitment to raise teacher salaries to the regional average.
Access
The Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program pays college tuition for qualified students.
Tuition
Hold down tuition at colleges and universities to allow more students to earn a college degree.
School Supplies
Enact a back-to-school sales tax holiday.
| Oregon |
Finance
Through the Education Enterprise the state will create a new funding system that will generate an estimated $500 million for education every biennium
Data Systems
Create a statewide data system to track students from Pre-K through adulthood.
Financial Aid
Set a policy of funding Oregon Opportunity Grants to cover 100% of eligible students, including part-timers.
Workforce and Economic Development
Invest 1 million dollars for the Manufacturing Workforce Strategy to provide Oregonians with the skills they need to find the jobs they want.
| Pennsylvania |
Finance
Increase of $517 million for K-12 education.
Pensions
$100 million of the budget will help school districts meet a 42% increase in growing pensions.
Science
Invest $10 million to upgrade science curriculum in elementary schools throughout the commonwealth with the "Science: It's Elementary" program.
High School – Technology
$200 million so that by 2009 every public high school classroom will have an Internet-equipped laptop computer on every student desk and multimedia technology at the teacher's desk.
Teacher Professional Development
Invest in professional development for Pennsylvania teachers and school leaders to teach them how to use new technology in the classroom.
Tuition
Increase funding to the New Economy Technology Scholarship Program from $3,000 a year to at least $4,000 a year for students who choose STEM disciplines and agree to stay and work in Pennsylvania after graduation.
Counseling
Help high schools upgrade their college and career counseling programs.
High School
Double funding for the Project 720 high school reform initiative, which should permit at least 100 public high schools to retool their curricula so students are prepared to succeed in today's world.
Finance
$50 million to continue the Education Accountability Block Grant, which helped enroll 30,000 more children in full-day kindergarten; helped reduce class size in elementary grades; provides funds permitting 39,000 more student to receive tutoring; and helped pay for thousands of hours of additional teacher training.
Leadership
$2 million to reward principals and superintendents who meet ambitious targets for boosting student skills in math and reading.
Teacher certification
Offer incentives for teachers who work to meet the standards of teacher excellence, these funds will help 500 of our teachers earn the coveted National Board certification.
Community Colleges
The budget boosts operating funding for community colleges up by 4%, and adds $4 million to support $40 million for Community College capital expansion programs.
| South Carolina |
Charter Schools
Make it easier for teacher and parent groups to create new charter schools.
Tuition
Place a cap on tuition increase at $250 above the Higher Education Price Index.
| South Dakota |
Finance
Additional on-going $127.13 increase in per student funding.
Finance (Facilities)
A one-time $2 million dollar appropriation to help pay for school heating costs and a half million dollars for consolidations.
Finance
$102 million dollar increase in school funding.
Early Childhood
Part of the 2010 Education plan (2010E) "Start Strong" will provide access for preschool to all 4-year-olds on a voluntary basis.
High Schools
2010E "Finishing Strong" includes a laptop initiative for high school students.
Teaching Quality – Retention and Recruitment
2010E "Staying Strong" includes teacher recruitment and retention for Native American Students.
Teacher Professional Development
Mentoring programs for new teachers and support for teachers pursuing advanced degrees.
Teacher Compensation
Help school districts increase teacher compensation.
| Tennessee |
At-risk students
Budget proposes new funds for at-risk students.
ESL
New funds for English language-learnings.
Math and Science
Set up a residential math and science high school for the state's best and brightest.
Teacher Quality
Support teachers with competitive pay, in-service training and the materials they need to teach in safe classrooms.
High School Graduation
Improve graduation rates within 6 years to achieve 90% high school graduation rate.
College Graduation
Improve college graduation rates within 6 years to achieve a 55% college graduation rate.
| Utah |
Finance
Proposes a 5.5% increase in per-student spending.
Full-day Kindergarten
Seven million dollar voluntary, all-day kindergarten program for all Title I schools
Teacher Professional Development
Enhance teacher training and incentives in math and science for fourth, fifth and sixth grade teachers.
| Vermont |
Postsecondary -- Academic Issues
The Governor proposes more substantial and direct investments in University of Vermont, Vermont State Colleges and the Vermont Student Assistant Corporation to fund innovative research, programs and equipment to support the technology sector.
Postsecondary -- Affordability
The Vermont Promise Scholarship Program, a 15-year, nearly $175 million initiative, which will provide high school graduates more than 1,000 awards per year. If the scholarship award-winners stay and work in Vermont the state will forgive the full award, otherwise a portion of the scholarship will be treated as a loan.
Tutoring/ Mentoring
The Governor proposes a strategic initiative called "Vermont Mentors!" to significantly expand mentoring throughout the state.
Finance
Proposes a cap on education property tax growth to allow for school budget growth.
Early Childhood
Through "Building Bright Futures" the Governor would like to find ways to ensure that all pre-schools are of high quality and that children are safe.
| Virginia |
Teacher Compensation
Move teacher salaries closer to the national average.
Teacher Quality
Establish a comprehensive and regular personnel evaluation for every classroom teacher in Virginia.
Early Childhood
Creation of the "Start Strong Council" to develop guidelines for enrolling more 4-year-olds in high-quality preschools.
Early Intervention
$57 million for early intervention, maternal health, child care and mental health needs of young Virginians.
Finance
Additional funding for colleges and universities to help them absorb over 56,000 new students by 2012.
Financial Aid
Expand need-based financial aid and increase in Tuition Assistance Grants for students.
| Washington |
Early Childhood
Improve early learning and preschool so every child is ready to learn in Kindergarten.
Teacher Compensation
Raise teacher salaries to a decent wage.
Assessments
Develop alternative assessments for special learning needs.
| West Virginia |
Technology
The Governor's Advisory Council on Educational Technology will continue to work in 2006 to upgrade school technology for students and teachers.
High School
West Virginia has joined the 21st Century Skills Partnership to ensure that high school graduates have the critical thinking and communications skills they need to be competitive in the global marketplace.
| Wisconsin |
School Choice
Increase the cap for the Milwaukee School Choice program.
High School
Add a third year of math and science as a requirement for high school graduation
Financial Aid
Creation of the "Wisconsin Covenant" will provide 8th graders who maintain at least a B average a financial aid package for U.W. campuses.
| Wyoming |
Tuition
Legislation will be presented to jump start and fully fund by the end of the biennium the Hathaway Student Scholarship fund.
Finance
Full funding of the higher education endowments, K-12, the community colleges and the University of Wyoming.
Facilities
Through the School Facilities Commission, develop rigorous, conservative standards and assure cost-effective expenditures and adopt guidelines and standards for roads and utilities.
Early Childhood
Improve the quality and availability of childcare and early childhood education in Wyoming.