2009 State of the State Addresses Education-Related Proposals by Issue

The following summary includes education-related proposals from the 2009 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. Accountability 9 Accountability--Rewards 1 Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions 1 Accountability--School Improvement 1 Assessment 4 Assessment--College Entrance Exams 1 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention) 8 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education 1 Bilingual/ESL 2 Business Involvement 19 Career/Technical Education 10 Choice of Schools 2 Choice of Schools--Charter Schools 5 Civic Education--Character Education 1 Class Size 2 Curriculum 5 Curriculum--Arts Education 1 Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language 1 Curriculum--Language Arts 1 Curriculum--Language Arts--Writing/Spelling 2 Curriculum--Mathematics 13 Curriculum--Science 11 Demographics--Enrollments 1 Economic/Workforce Development 45 Education Research 1 Equity 1 Federal 15 Finance 48 Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost 2 Finance--Bonds 2 Finance--District 3 Finance--Facilities 12 Finance--Federal 14 Finance--Funding Formulas 12 Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe's State of the State Address Adult Learning/Continuing Education, Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance -- Believe that education and economic development are intertwined and inseparable, and one cannot fully succeed without the other. -- Continue to support the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to attract new jobs and industry. -- Replenish the Governor's Quick Action Closing Fund with $50 million over the next two years, to position Arkansas to be at full speed when the recession lifts. -- Continue to work through the Workforce Cabinet agencies to educate, train, and re-train our workforce. At-Risk--Foster Care -- Work to place more foster children in qualified homes. Early Learning, Pre-Kindergarten -- Continue commitment to pre-Kindergarten. Finance, Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Propose increases in funding for only public education and the Division of Children and Family Services--public education remains the highest priority. -- Reach beyond the legal definition of "adequacy" by providing school districts with additional per-student funds. Add 234 dollars of additional per-student funding over the next two years, and give school districts additional one-time enhancement money of 35 dollars per student. Finance, Finance (Postsecondary), Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary, Pre-Kindergarten, Summer School -- Prepare students to attend postsecondary education by increasing overall education funding, through pre-k, Smart Core and stronger college prep programs, and now through pilot programs for after-school and summer learning. Finance, Finance (Postsecondary), Postsecondary, Financial Aid, Tuition/Fees -- Improve our scholarship programs so that scholarships reach more students, and the amount of assistance they receive is greater. -- Broaden the GO Opportunities Grant (a need-based financial-aid program initiated in 2007) to include more non-traditional students, to help additional students in two-year programs, and to expand the total financial support available. -- Rectify the dilemma of state merit scholarships never reaching the students who qualify for them. -- Make sure scholarship money remains available once promised to qualified students. -- Open the doors of higher education to students who qualify for both need-based and merit-based aid, while increasing scholarship amounts. -- Lessen and simplify scholarship paperwork, with the State providing a single application listing the college assistance available, rather than students and their families having to seek out their best match for financial aid. Finance, Finance--Lotteries, Finance (Postsecondary), Postsecondary, Financial Aid, Tuition/Fees -- Structure the lottery to be as efficient and as transparent as possible. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance (Postsecondary), Postsecondary, -- Adjust the higher-education funding formula to stress graduation rates, rather than the number of students that happen to be on campus. Health, Health--Mental Health -- Expand statewide coordinated school-health system to provide new resources and equipment for our school nurses and in-school mental-health services for our children. -- Explore new outlets of care for autistic children. http://governor.arkansas.gov/newsroom/index.php?do:newsDetail=1&news_id=1384 Florida Governor Charlie Crist's State of the State Address Adult Learning/Continuing Education, Career/Technical Education, Early Learning, Early Learning--Readiness, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Recommend a total of $2 billion in workforce investments. -- Recommend over $800 million for career education and employment services to retain 3,000 jobs. -- Recommend $6.6 million for Ready to Work to ensure job-seekers of all ages have the skills needed for most jobs today. Community Colleges, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance (Postsecondary), Teaching Quality, Tuition/Fees -- Renew our commitment to higher education. -- Continue our commitment to keeping our universities and community colleges affordable and enabling them to achieve excellence. Early Learning, Early Learning--Readiness, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Recommend $621 million for the School Readiness program (helps preschoolers and parents maintain employment and achieve financial independence). An investment in getting the next generation off to a good academic start will retain more than 12,800 jobs for child-care providers and allow families to remain in the workforce. Economic/Workforce Development, Federal, Federal--Aid, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Avoid tax increases and deep budget cuts thanks in part to the federal stimulus bill. -- Use money from the stimulus bill to provide immediate assistance in education. -- Save or create 206,000 jobs--with the stimulus money. -- Appoint Don Winstead as Special Advisor to the Governor for the implementation of the American Recovery Act. -- Approve the Compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe to preserve and create jobs. -- Invest, through the Quick Action Closing Fund, $45 million to attract and retain industries, aimed at providing more than 17,000 high-wage jobs. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Pass legislation requiring school districts to spend 70 percent of their budgets in the classroom for our students and teachers. -- Require school districts to provide dollar-by-dollar details online, to instill transparency. -- Consider increasing per-student funding. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Included a $21 billion investment in our students and teachers in recent budget recommendation to the legislature. -- Urge legislature to quickly approve the Compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe, which will release at least $25 billion over 25 years to help education. http://www.flgov.com/pdfs/20090303_stateofthestate.pdf Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's State of the State Address Career/Technical Education, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, High School, High School--Career Pathways -- Expand proven programs like Jobs for Amercia's Graduates to provide work-ready certificates, training and internships to link our students to the education of their career futures. Economic/Workforce Development -- Continue to work toward reversing past years of migration out of our state. Faculty, Finance, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies, Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Compensation -- Streamline civil service; make sure to reward employees based on performance, not just length of service. -- Set up a commission of streamlining government. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance (Postsecondary), Postsecondary -- Change higher education formula. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Reform the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula (which determines the cost of a minimum foundation program of education in public elementary and secondary schools and helps to allocate the funds equitably to parish and city school systems). Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Reform the budget process to prevent budget cuts falling disproportionately on higher education and healthcare, which are two areas we must invest in to continue to move the state forward. High School, High School--Career Pathways, High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates -- Reduce the high school dropout rate. Encourage every student to complete their high school education and continue their studies. http://www.gov.state.la.us/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=1183 Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's State of the State Address Charter Schools, Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--Performance Funding, School Districts, Student Achievement, Teaching Quality--Compensation -- Expand the Q Comp program (gives school districts more funding if they pay staff for improvements in student learning, rather than just paying for seniority) to every school district and charter school. For school districts not currently in Q Comp, this proposal will permanently increase per pupil funding by an amount comparable to a 5 percent increase in the general education funding formula. Charter Schools, Governance, Leadership, School Districts -- Improve the management of our schools. -- Require school districts and charter schools to come together to purchase in bulk to lower costs, eliminate waste and put more money in the classroom. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Propose a Minnesota Jobs Recovery Act. -- Cut the state's business tax rate in half (from 9.8 percent to 4.8 percent) over the next 6 years. -- Provide a 50 million dollar package of tax credits that to create over 100 million dollars in new investments and jump start small business job creation. -- Propose a 25 percent refundable tax credit for small business owners that re-invest in their business quickly. -- Provide a capital gains exemption for qualifying investments in small Minnesota businesses. -- Eliminate the sales tax rebate on equipment and provide a 100 percent exemption from the sales tax – applies when the business buys the equipment. -- Enact a green jobs initiative. -- Create green JOBZ tax free zones for renewable energy jobs created anywhere in the state. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--Performance Funding, School Districts, Student Achievement -- Increase school district funding by up to an additional 2 percent per student for students meeting standards or at least showing reasonable growth towards achievement. Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Ask each member of the legislature: Please don't add to the people's burden by increasing their bill from government; please don't take more of the people's money; and please don't raise taxes. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies, Teaching Quality--Compensation -- Continue to reform and improve our K-12 education system--one of our highest priorities. -- Plan to propose a budget in a couple of weeks that will rely on significant reductions in state spending, as well as using other resources currently available. -- Reduce funding for cities and counties. -- Reduce or eliminate as many state mandates as possible. Allow townships, cities or counties to opt-out of some state mandates by vote of their governing body. -- Freeze all state government wages for the next two years in order to minimize government employee layoffs. -- Enact legislation to require a wage freeze for any Minnesota government entity that accepts state money. -- Require local units of government to use the leverage of the state's buying power to purchase commodities such as road salt, paper and IT services at a reduced price, unless they can find a better price themselves. Governance, Leadership, School Districts, Unions/Collective Bargaining -- Change the way school districts and teacher unions negotiate and settle labor contracts. Begin using a fair arbitration process. High School, High School--Grad Requirements, Technology, Technology--Instruction -- Propose that state high school graduation standards require every student to participate in an online experience by the time they graduate. Postsecondary, Distance Learning/Virtual University -- Ask state colleges and universities to aggressively deliver more of their courses online. I'm grateful that MnSCU's board and leadership accepted my recent challenge to deliver 25 percent of their credits online by 2015. Postsecondary, Tuition/Fees -- Impose a firm cap on tuition increases. Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Compensation, Teaching Quality--Preparation, Teaching Quality--Recruitment/Retention -- Recruit the best and the brightest to become teachers. -- Establish minimum entrance requirements for teacher preparation programs. -- Continue to improve and modernize the way we pay teachers. http://www.governor.state.mn.us/stellent/groups/public/documents/web_content/prod009309.pdf Missouri Governor Jay Nixon's State of the State Address Alternative Education, Finance, Safety/Student Discipline -- Increase funding for the Safe Schools program, which promotes alternative schools for disruptive students. Career/Technical Education, Finance -- Continue funding for career education. Early Learning, Early Learning--Finance, Finance -- Propose a larger investment in early childhood education. -- Increase funding for First Steps, a program that helps children get off on the right foot. Early Learning, Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary, Teaching Quality -- Fully fund the education foundation formula. Even in these difficult economic times, that is not negotiable. Must prepare every child to compete from pre-school to college. -- Propose more than 3 billion in state aid to classrooms. -- Continue funding for the Small Schools Program. -- Support our teachers. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Invest in technology, science, and innovation to create the next-generation jobs we need to compete in the 21st-Century. -- Create new jobs now. -- Proposed (several weeks ago) the initial pieces of our Show Me Jobs plan--a series of steps to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. -- Signed (several weeks ago) three executive orders to help spur job creation. -- Proposed a new low-interest loan program for small businesses. -- Create an Automotive Jobs Task Force to revitalize the automobile industry in Missouri. -- Expand The Quality Jobs Act. -- Increase funding for job development and training programs by 38 percent, despite budget problems. -- Ask the legislature to send me an emergency jobs plan before the March break. I'll sign a comprehensive, fiscally sound package. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary -- Create and fund the Caring for Missourians program--an initiative to coordinate efforts between our two and four-year institutions to train our next generation of health care workers. Federal, Federal--Aid, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Established an Economic Stimulus Coordination Council to ensure that the state is prepared to wisely invest any federal stimulus package funds. Financial Aid, Finance (Postsecondary), Minority/Diversity Issues, Postsecondary, Rural, Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Hard-to-Staff Schools, Teaching Quality--Recruitment/Retention, Tuition/Fees, Urban -- Make the dream of a college education a reality for more Missouri families. -- Propose that state colleges and universities receive the same level of support next year that they currently receive. In exchange for the state's continued level of support, the presidents of the state's public colleges and universities have agreed not to increase tuition on Missouri students. -- Introduce and fund the Missouri Promise, which builds upon the A+ Schools Program (allows students at eligible high schools to get their two-year degrees at community colleges tuition free). Under the Missouri Promise, students who take advantage of A+ scholarships may continue at a Missouri public college or university and complete their four-year degree debt free, as long as they keep a B average and give back to their community. -- Continue funding scholarship programs such as the Missouri Teacher Education Program, Bright Flight, the Missouri Minority Teaching Program, the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Program. Finance, Parent/Family -- Continue funding for the Parents as Teachers program. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies -- Face a significant budget shortfall. -- Bring our budget into balance by making difficult decisions, and by making government more efficient. -- Will not raise taxes on families or businesses. -- Face an immediate shortfall in fiscal year 2009 of more than a quarter of a billion dollars. -- Face even larger economic problems for fiscal year 2010. Thus, my budget eliminates or cuts 50 programs and proposes the elimination of more than 1,300 positions (will save nearly $200 million in overhead). -- Appoint a Taxpayer Protection Commission to implement top-to-bottom performance reviews of every agency and program to identify what's working and what's not working. -- Review all long-term government contracts. http://governor.mo.gov/newsroom/speeches/2009/2009_Missouri_State_of_the_State_Address.htm New Hampshire Governor John Lynch's State of the State Address At-Risk--Foster Care -- Redesign foster care reimbursement rates, increasing the average daily rate but ending special bonus payments. -- Change state policies to move children more quickly out of expensive placements and into permanent homes.  Community Colleges, Finance, Finance (Postsecondary), Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary -- Minimize the financial impact on the Community College and University Systems. Both systems will see a slight increase in the state contribution over actual state spending in fiscal years 2008-2009. -- Expect both the University and Community College systems to work aggressively to mitigate tuition increases for students. -- Close the Tobey School--these students will continue to be served in appropriate community college settings. Economic/Workforce Development, Federal, Federal--Aid, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Coordinate with neighboring states to develop a 2,000- to 3,000-bed Northern New England Correctional Facility--in order to provide jobs in a struggling part of our state. -- Accelerate important road projects in our ten-year plan, which will create jobs--use the estimated $130 million in federal transportation stimulus funds to help do this. -- Submit to the Public Utilities Commission a proposal for using our greenhouse gas and renewable energy funds to create new jobs for our citizens – by expanding weatherization of older homes; by providing training for energy-related jobs; by upgrading the energy efficiency of state and municipal buildings; and by creating a low-interest loan fund to help businesses upgrade to reduce their energy costs. -- Created an Office of Economic Stimulus to make sure we use stimulus funds wisely and quickly so that we can put New Hampshire citizens back to work. -- Focus (in the capital budget) on critical maintenance projects that we can begin quickly, to help create jobs. Faculty, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies, Teaching Quality -- Cut current expenses, organizational dues, out-of-state travel, equipment, employee training, and subscriptions across state agencies. -- Asked agencies to identify programs that no longer match current priorities. For example, in the Department of Education we cut a program that provided $17,500 for geography education at Keene State. -- Consolidate the staff and administrative functions of professional boards. -- Propose that all licensing boards and commissions be consolidated by subject matter within four major departments – health and human services, safety, environmental services, and the secretary of state. From there, commissioners will work with the boards to strengthen their operations, and we will implement a plan to achieve a full consolidation of all of the State's licensing functions by 2012. -- Eliminate the practice of "bumping"--where a laid-off employee can "bump" another employee in a different job, in some cases anywhere in the agency. -- Retain protections for employees based on their seniority within their specific unit and job classification. -- Reduce administrative burdens on state agencies so they can focus on their core missions and look at how we are using state employee time. -- Propose sunsetting all commissions, committees and non-regulatory boards by the end of fiscal year 2011and then only re-enact those that are essential. Faculty, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies, Teaching Quality--Compensation, Unions/Collective Bargaining -- Align the benefits of the retirees' health insurance plan to those provided to active state employees. -- Charge premiums to younger retirees similar to those that older retirees already pay. -- Propose a new health insurance plan for state employees focused on wellness, disease management and prevention. We can and should implement the change in the next biennium for unclassified and non-classified employees. To compensate employees for the change, this budget returns some of the savings to employees in the form of a one-time payment. -- Offer the same proposal above to unionized employees. If they are willing to participate in a wellness health plan, we will return some of the savings to them as one-time payments. -- Unfund nearly 400 vacant positions and continue the hiring freeze into the next biennium, allowing agencies to fill vacancies only with a waiver. Federal, Federal--Aid, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Send the money from the state fiscal stabilization fund included in the federal stimulus legislation to communities to offset other reductions. This will result in property taxpayers receiving the same or a slight increase in aid. Finance, Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Review and improve the state's adequacy formula, which provides an additional $123 million to schools over the next biennium. In the long term, I believe we must direct more state resources to communities with the greatest needs. And, I continue to support a constitutional amendment that would make such a plan possible. But I also recognize that this was the formula approved by the legislature last session, and this is not the time for wholesale changes. That is why this budget funds the additional $123 million called for by the adequacy formula. Finance, Finance--Lotteries, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Balance the state budget for fiscal years 2010-2011by using the remaining $60 million from the medical malpractice surplus, increase the tobacco tax by 35 cents, increase the meals and rooms tax by three-quarters percent and tax gambling winnings over $600. -- Would veto increases on either the income tax or sales tax. -- Project a $275 million revenue shortfall in the general and education trust funds for fiscal year 2009. -- Project that, on average, existing revenues will remain flat for the next two years. -- Re-think everything state government does and how we do it. -- Meet our education commitments by suspending revenue sharing, rooms and meals distribution, and reducing the state's contribution to retirement costs from 35 to 30 percent. Finance, Finance--Resource Efficiency, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies -- Include $3 million in the capital budget to upgrade energy efficiency in state government buildings. http://www.governor.nh.gov/speeches/documents/021209budget.htm New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's State of the State Address At-Risk, At-Risk--Foster Care -- Continue to support the newly created Department of Children and Families in its efforts to help at-risk and foster children. At-Risk, Equity, Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas -- Continue to seek court approval for the new school funding formula, which recognizes that 50 percent of the state's disadvantaged students live beyond the borders of Abbott school districts. Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Help New Jersey citizens cope with these challenging economic times--this must be the first, second and third priority. -- Plan, as the national recession continues to take a toll on our revenues, to recommend additional, painful cuts. However, we must continue to do everything possible to limit the impact of cuts on our children's education. -- Encourage new lending through innovative credit facilities and placing deposits with New Jersey's community-oriented banks.  -- Commit, before any federal infrastructure investment program, $4.7 billion in high-return investments--saving or creating as many as 42,000 New Jersey jobs. -- Recommend giving local governments the option of deferring a percentage of their employee pension payments. Curriculum, High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates, Standards -- Work to upgrade standards, curricula, and graduation requirements in all of our schools. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--Facilities -- Create jobs by accelerating public investments in roads, bridges, school construction, and the new mass transit tunnel under the Hudson. Finance, Financial Aid, Postsecondary -- Continue to expand financial aid for the state's low- and moderate-income college students that need help. High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates -- Continue to collaborate with Colin and Alma Powell in their effort to substantially lower dropout rates. http://www.nj.gov/sos2009/speech.html New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's State of the State Address At-Risk, Early Learning, Early Learning--Finance, Early Learning--Readiness, Finance, Pre-Kindergarten -- Continue to invest in Pre-Kindergarten-- to close the achievement gap and help students enter school ready to learn. Economic/Workforce Development -- Form a "Green Jobs Cabinet" to build an aggressive clean energy strategy, so our state educates, trains, and prepares a clean energy workforce. I will issue an executive order directing key state agencies—from education to workforce development, and from economic development to energy—to form this cabinet. Education is the key to a green workforce. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Propose a four-part economic security plan: (1) Create new jobs, (2) Build a better workforce; (3) Renew our role as an innovation state; and (4) Provide a safety net to catch those who fall. -- Propose a balanced budget to accomplish the economic plan--that targets cuts, maintains needed services, makes strategic investments to create more jobs and does not raise taxes. -- Continue stalled or stopped state projects that create jobs or protect public safety. -- Reinvest funds from stalled or stopped state projects that do not create jobs or protect public safety into this year's budget. -- Increase the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit to help wind, and biomass projects boost their operations. -- Extend a tax credit to small businesses. Elementary Education, Health, Health--Nutrition -- Expand the healthy breakfast program to 270 elementary schools (more than 100 thousand elementary students). -- Provide children healthy food choices. -- Ensure children get physical education. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas -- Change the school funding formula--upon direct approval of the voters. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Draw down the rainy day fund from ten to eight percent---to preserve our high bond rating and help balance the budget. Financial Aid, Postsecondary, Tuition/Fees -- Continue the state's zero-percent tuition credit policy and hold down rising tuition costs. -- Change the College Affordability Fund and the 3% scholarships fund to direct 100 percent of grants to students with financial need. Health, Safety/Student Discipline -- Propose legislation that makes recruiting people into a criminal street gang a crime and makes recruiting a minor into a criminal street gang a felony. Mathematics, Student Achievement, Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Preparation -- Improve student achievement in mathematics by increasing the math requirement for new elementary and middle school teachers. Postsecondary -- Find a fiscally responsible way to assure that Santa Fe continues to host a four-year college, like the College of Santa Fe, to inspire and educate our next generation of actors and artists, painters and public servants. Scheduling/School Calendar -- Propose legislation to tighten the school calendar to make sure our students receive a full 180 days of instruction. -- Continue before- and after-school programs. State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies -- Create a Task Force on Fair and Equal Pay (created by executive order) to look for ethnic, racial and gender gaps as well as job segregation in every state agency, and offer solutions for closing those gaps. -- Establish an ethics commission to provide independent oversight of all branches of state government. http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2009/jan/012009_01.pdf North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue's State of the State Address Access, Financial Aid, Postsecondary, Tuition/Fees -- Begin the College Promise program to remove financial barriers for access to higher education. Access, Distance Learning/Virtual University, High School, Teaching Quality, Technology, Technology--Access/Equity -- Use technology to modernize the classroom and enable teaching to catch up with the way our kids live. -- Continue to support North Carolina's Virtual Public High School--levels the education playing field for students and assures educational equity. Accountability, Business Involvement, High School, High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates, Parent/Family, Persistence/Retention, Public Involvement, School, Students, Student Achievement, Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Teacher Attitudes -- Hold schools accountable. -- Will not give any child permission to drop out of school. -- Will not give any teacher permission to give up on a student. -- Will not give any parent a free pass from their responsibility to be fully involved in their child's education. -- Will not give any segment of our community, particularly our business community, a free pass on education. These leaders need to put the same effort into helping North Carolina be the home of the nation's best educated workforce. Accountability, Governance, State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies -- Reorganized (earlier this year) the public school system with Bill Harrison becoming both the CEO of the State Board of Education and of the Department of Public Instruction. Adult Learning/Continuing Education, Economic/Workforce Development -- Create jobs and provide ways for those who are out of work to learn new skills. -- Put people back to work building bridges, paving roads, and expanding and renovating our infrastructure. -- Transform our traditional industries into 21st century jobs. Adult Learning/Continuing Education, Economic/Workforce Development -- Create jobs and provide ways for those who are out of work to learn new skills. -- Put people back to work building bridges, paving roads, and expanding and renovating our infrastructure. -- Transform our traditional industries into 21st century jobs. Assessment, Standards--State -- Eliminating duplicative or unnecessary state tests. Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development, Postsecondary -- Become a Mecca for biotech, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences by bringing together government, higher education and private business. Career/Technical Education, Community Colleges, Early Learning, P-16, Postsecondary, Pre-Kindergarten, -- Create a pathway, starting in pre-kindergarten that offers courses of study that fit students' needs -- all the way through vocational, community college, or college. Seamless learning, pre-K through 20, that's the goal. Federal, Federal--Aid, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Ensure the recovery dollars are spent with maximum efficiency, transparency, and accountability. -- Created the Office of Economic Recovery & Investment to track every dollar. Taxpayers can go to www.NCRecovery.gov to see how the money is spent. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Pay our state's bills. -- Confront the $3 billion plus shortfall and make hard, painful decisions to balance the budget. -- Propose to reduce and cut state government programs and services that are effective but which we cannot afford. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Will not sacrifice education--it is the priority. -- Increase per-pupil spending. Health, Persistence/Retention -- Keep all our kids healthy and in school. http://www.governor.state.nc.us/stateofstate.aspx Vermont Governor James Douglas's State of the State Address Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development -- Enhance economic development efforts and pass the Economic Growth Plan (introduced last fall) in the first 100 days of the session. -- Modernize the permit application process to allow businesses to grow and create jobs. -- Work with the legislature and others to create the Vermont Economic Response Team, which will use available public and private resources to assist companies at risk. Early Learning, Early Learning--Finance, Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance (Postsecondary), Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary -- Balance distribution of state funds among early education, K-12, and higher education. We spend relatively little on early education – are among the highest in the nation for primary and secondary education – and near the bottom for higher education. -- Propose a 20% increase in early and higher education. Enrollment -- Recognize the realities of declining enrollments across the state. Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Work with the legislature to establish a collaborative process to design a new education funding system that is simple, transparent and sustainable. The current education funding system is failing taxpayers and local voters and is not sustainable. -- Freeze per-pupil spending for schools and categorical grants at current levels until the new funding system is established. Finance, Finance--Resource Efficiency, Governance, Special Education -- Examine school consolidation, governance, special education costs, and other opportunities to achieve efficiencies. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Expect to have a shortfall of more than $150 million in fiscal year 2010. -- Reduce benefits and cut programs for the next fiscal year – primarily in human services – by at least $150 million out of a general fund budget of less than $1.2 billion. -- Link the general fund transfer to the education fund to changes in the level of general government spending. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Teaching Quality, Teaching Quality--Compensation -- Place the obligation for funding the teachers' retirement system in the education fund. This $40 million would leverage $97 million in state and federal Global Commitment money and reduce the need to cut critical programs. Finance, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- End property tax subsidies for Vermonters making over $75,000 in order to lower tax rates even further for all payers. -- Collect no more from residential taxpayers next year than this year. Finance, Finance--Taxes/Revenues, Governance, School Districts -- Allow each school district to determine what works best for its students. -- Strengthen local control by holding school districts directly responsible for tax increases. Postecondary -- Integrate the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges into a single organization. -- Charge a working task force with the responsibility to find academic and administrative efficiencies that will be achieved through consolidation of our university and state college systems. I will ask the task force to report with recommendations by November 15th. http://governor.vermont.gov/speeches/Inaugural_2009.pdf Virginia Governor Tim Kaine's State of the State Address Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance -- Move forward on authorized capital projects and business incentives designed to help create jobs. Set a goal that a minimum of 30 state capital projects worth at least $250 million in construction costs be put to bid prior to the end of this fiscal year (equates to an average of six projects a month between February 1 and June 30, 2009). -- Invest $5 million in the Governor's Opportunity Fund to attract new jobs. Business Involvement, Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--Facilities, Finance--Resource Efficiency, Postsecondary -- Create green jobs. -- Support the Interagency Task Force for Energy Project Recruitment that will work with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to build the state's case for renewable energy-related businesses. The task force will include state agencies, university research centers, and federal laboratories based in Virginia. -- Pursue changes to make it easier to take new energy technology discoveries made on Virginia campuses and turn them into new companies and new jobs in the state. In collaboration with technology-based economic development organizations, our universities will develop a single internet portal for investors to understand both the types of research being done on Virginia campuses and how they can be a part of bringing those new technologies to market. -- Require in the Code of Virginia that all state and local government buildings meet either LEED or Green Globes standards for efficiency. Focusing on conservation efforts will also lead to construction jobs. Employing carpenters, electricians, installers, and other contracting professionals to retrofit old buildings is one way to put people back to work. In addition, expecting new construction to meet enhanced environmental standards will provide additional opportunities for advanced construction jobs. Community Colleges, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance (Postsecondary), Financial Aid -- Propose difficult cuts in higher education. -- Propose a lesser cut for community colleges--the most affordable point of entry into the state's higher education system. -- Provide $26 million in additional support for need-based financial aid to assist middle and lower-income students. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance--Funding Formulas -- Propose targeted, performance-based cuts, instead of across-the-board cuts. -- Focus state funds to protect the students' experience in the classroom, which I consider that the state's core priority. -- Reduce funding for administrative and support personnel in schools and central offices by applying a funding cap for these positions (a cap is already applied to determine the number of teachers and principals the state funds). Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Finance--Taxes/Revenues -- Tighten the belt of government. -- Pledge to not meet the budget shortfall through a general tax increase on Virginia's families. -- Maintain tax cuts already put in place--elimination of the estate tax, sales tax holidays for school supplies and energy efficient appliances, and the elimination of all income taxes for nearly 140,000 low-income Virginia workers. -- Propose one targeted tax increase--a 30 cent per pack increase on the cigarette tax (would bring Virginia's tobacco tax up to about half the national average). http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/Speeches/2009/SOTC.cfm Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal's State of the State Address Career/Technical Education, Community Colleges, Finance, Finance--Funding Formulas, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Postsecondary -- Urge the legislature, particularly the Joint Education Committee, to work with the superintendent to figure out why the state ranks first or second in K-12 funding effort, but not in test scores, matriculation or drop out rates. The state is placing education funding at a high enough level that the goal of providing students an opportunity to acquire sufficient knowledge and skills at a minimum to enter the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges, to prepare students for the job market or post-secondary, vocational and technical training and to achieve the general purposes of education, should be achievable. This question should be considered before the school financing formula is recalibrated. Economic/Workforce Development, Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Fund capital construction projects such as highways, airports and other projects across the state that impact the economy and create jobs. -- Provide $900,000 for targeted advertising to help maintain some normality in the tourism sector. The tourism sector is not only important for that sector itself, but it is important because it may be the one source of additional retail expenditures for many of the stores, cafes and other operations in Wyoming. -- Commit to investing funding in the future of the state. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures -- Make difficult decisions about the budget--decisions that have to do with saying "no" in a way that we have never had to say it before. Revenues are available, but that does not mean that they need to be spent. Now is a good time to consider whether we spend state funds properly. -- Fund the First Children's Finance Program--the state's continuing effort to address the lack of available child care in Wyoming. I have identified sources within the current funding stream to fund this program and thus am not asking for additional General Fund consideration. Finance, Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures, Teaching Quality--Compensation -- Address accrued obligations, such as the actuarial shortfall in the retirement account caused by the past increase in teacher salaries. To address this I have allotted $150 million to eventually fund that shortfall. http://governor.wy.gov/Media.aspx?MediaId=745 Finance--Local Foundations/Funds 1 Finance--Lotteries 5 Finance--Performance Funding 2 Finance--Resource Efficiency 12 Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures 45 Finance--Taxes/Revenues 20 Governance 10 Governance--School Boards 4 Governance--State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies 28 Health 10 Health--Mental Health 1 Health--Nutrition 4 High School 13 High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates 9 High School--Dual/Concurrent Enrollment 1 High School--Early Colleges/Middle Colleges 1 High School--Exit Exams 1 High School--Graduation Requirements 2 International Benchmarking 1 Leadership 8 Mentoring/Tutoring 2 Middle School 1 Minority/Diversity Issues 2 Online Learning--Virtual Schools/Courses 4 P-16 or P-20 3 P-3 15 P-3 Early Intervention (0-3) 1 P-3 Family Involvement 1 P-3 Finance 5 P-3 Grades 1-3 5 P-3 Kindergarten 6 P-3 Preschool 4 P-3 Public/Private Partnerships 1 Parent/Family 7 Postsecondary 40 Postsecondary Accountability 1 Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid 17 Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees 22 Postsecondary Faculty 5 Postsecondary Finance 25 Postsecondary Governance and Structures 1 Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges 16 Postsecondary Institutions--For-Profit/Proprietary 2 Postsecondary Participation--Access 4 Postsecondary Participation--Enrollments (Statistics) 1 Postsecondary Students--Adults 10 Postsecondary Students--Graduate/Professional 2 Postsecondary Success--Completion 4 Promotion/Retention 1 Public Involvement 5 Reading/Literacy 2 Rural 4 Scheduling/School Calendar 3 Scheduling/School Calendar--Extended Day Programs 3 Scheduling/School Calendar--Summer School 2 School Safety 4 School/District Structure/Operations 10 School/District Structure/Operations--School Size 1 Service-Learning 1 Social/Emotional Learning and Non-Cognitive Skills 2 Special Education 3 Special Populations--Foster Care 3 Standards 4 State Policymaking 2 STEM 1 Student Achievement 13 Students 1 Teaching Quality 18 Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure 1 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay 25 Teaching Quality--Induction Programs and Mentoring 2 Teaching Quality--Preparation 3 Teaching Quality--Professional Development 3 Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention 5 Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention--At-Risk Schools 3 Teaching Quality--Teacher Attitudes 1 Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract 1 Teaching Quality--Unions/Collective Bargaining 4 Teaching Quality--Working Conditions 3 Technology 13 Technology--Computer Skills 2 Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware 3 Technology--Equitable Access 1 Textbooks and Open Source 1 Urban 2 Whole-School Reform Models 1 799