2011 State of the State Addresses Education-Related Proposals by Issue

The following summary includes education-related proposals from the 2011 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 6 Accountability--Reporting Results 1 Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions 1 Accountability--School Improvement 2 Assessment 4 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention) 1 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education 1 Attendance 2 Bilingual/ESL 1 Business Involvement 5 Career/Technical Education 4 Choice of Schools 3 Choice of Schools--Charter Schools 8 Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Cyber Charters 1 Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Finance 1 Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment 2 Choice of Schools--Tax Credits 2 Choice of Schools--Vouchers 2 Choice of Schools--Vouchers--Privately Funded 1 Class Size 1 Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language 1 Curriculum--Mathematics 1 Curriculum--Science 1 Economic/Workforce Development 18 Finance 17 Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost 1 Finance--District 3 Finance--Facilities 3 Finance--Federal 3 Finance--Funding Formulas 3 Finance--Resource Efficiency 1 Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures 13 Finance--Taxes/Revenues 2 Governance 7 Governance--School Boards 2 Governance--State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies 2 Health 1 High School 7 High School--Advanced Placement 3 High School--College Readiness 6 High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates 2 High School--Dual/Concurrent Enrollment 1 High School--Graduation Requirements 2 Leadership--District Superintendent 2 Leadership--District Superintendent--Compensation and Diversified Pay 1 Leadership--Principal/School Leadership 4 Online Learning--Virtual Schools/Courses 2 P-16 or P-20 5 P-3 5 P-3 Grades 1-3 4 P-3 Kindergarten 1 P-3 Kindergarten--Full-Day Kindergarten 3 P-3 Preschool 2 Parent/Family 1 Postsecondary 8 Postsecondary Accountability 1 Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid 6 Postsecondary Affordability--Textbooks 1 Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees 5 Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees--Prepd/College Savings Plans 1 Postsecondary Faculty--Compensation 1 Postsecondary Finance 13 Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Teacher Compensation/Benefits -- Ask teachers to contribute more to their individual retirement and to health care insurance programs. -- Repeal the DROP Program which has overly taxed our retirement system. State Funding -- Don't reduce state-funded teacher units. -- Don't cut classroom sizes. -- Don't cut the length of the school year or contract days for teachers or support personnel. -- Devote $5 million dollars in the education budget specifically for classroom teaching supplies. -- Protect: Alabama Reading Initiative; Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative; and ACCESS Distance Learning. Advanced Placement -- Expand our programs that prepare students for college by increasing the number of AP teachers in our high schools. Economic/Workforce Development -- Strengthen our work force training programs in our two-year college system. Local Decisionmaking -- Give flexibility to local school boards to prioritize and make decisions that affect the schools in their districts. -- Remove restrictive language from legislation that dictates decisions made by these schools board and give them additional funding and flexibility so they can put the money to highest and best use. Postsecondary Finance -- Increase state funding for higher education and give our presidents more flexibility in their budgets. Special Education -- Provide significant increases in state funding for disabled and special needs children and adults. ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- N/A: Newly Elected Governor http://www.governor.alabama.gov/downloads/SOTS-2011.pdf Alaska Governor Sean Parnell's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Postsecondary Scholarships -- Give, in the next three years, 30,000 high school students the opportunity to earn an Alaska Performance Scholarship. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Job Training, Postsecondary Scholarships -- Implemented the Alaska Performance Scholarship giving more than 9,000 high school seniors the opportunity to earn scholarships for university or job training. Facilities, Vocational education -- Built and renovated schools across the state--adding gyms and space for vocational education. Postsecondary Finance, Tax Credits -- Boosted tax credits for gifts to higher education and job-training institutions. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/speech?contentId=540473 Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Finance -- Increase per-pupil funding by 2%. -- Push more of the funding that comes into the state meant to close achievement gaps into active efforts to help students, while still allowing districts to save some funding in reserve. Finance, Postsecondary -- Increase higher education funding by 1% to help institutions with rising enrollment; ask administrators to be measured and modest when looking to raise tuition, as this funding increase will unlikely alone cover growing operational costs. -- Tie funding for higher education institutions more closely to coursework completion and graduation rates, not simply to enrollment. Postsecondary Completion --Double the number of college graduates by 2025 in order to stay competitive. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Standards, Student Achievement -- Acknowledge that stronger standards and increased funded are producing positive results; we've come from consistently settling among the bottom few states in the nation to number 6 in the nation for K-12 education. http://governor.arkansas.gov/newsroom/index.php?do:newsDetail=1&news_id=2686 Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's State of the State Address Education is the social bedrock for the hopes and dreams of our children and the foundation that is necessary for their future prosperity. No community can have sustained economic growth without a good education system. PROPOSALS Finance -- Have a moral obligation to the children of Colorado to do all that we can in the midst of this economic downturn to see that our budget decisions avoid compromising their future. Student Achievement -- Have important work to see through – both the goal of ensuring a student-centered education system articulated in CAP4K [Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids] and the creation of a fair and effective educator evaluation system. -- Must change the dynamic that a child's potential not be predetermined by his or her ZIP code. Postsecondary Finance -- Commend the strategic plan recently completed by [former] Gov. Ritter's citizen panel, outlining the stark choices we must make for higher education in Colorado. Work with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to help us make the tough decisions. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A - Newly-Elected Governor http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/GovHickenlooper/CBON/1251588091187 Maine Governor Paul R. LePage's 2011 Biennial Budget Address PROPOSALS Finance (K-12 and Postsecondary) -- Increase state aid to local education by $63 million over the biennium from the state aid provided in FY 2011. In 2013 we will contribute $914 million to General Purpose Aid to Education. .... We should ALL be spending our first year on oversight and decision making. Every agency, program and service ought to start at zero and justify their objectives and practices. And before a budget is drafted, suggestions for improvement should be considered. -- Make reasonable changes to the retirement system that save $524 million over the current biennium, with most of the savings accruing to the General Fund. This budget asks retirees to forgo cost of living increases in the short term and to accept modest increases in the future. This budget also asks retirees for the same shared sacrifice we are asking of our state employees and increases the retirement age to 65 for new and recent hires. -- Make no cuts for higher education. -- Continue to provide strong support for scholarship programs. -- Consider additional ways to pay for the cost of higher education as well -- start the discussion about creating Maine Higher Education Savings Bonds. Career and Technical Education -- Support a new collaboration between the Kennebec Valley Community College and Good Will-Hinckley to expand opportunities for kids who need a stable, alternative learning environment. The program will provide career training and prepare students for Maine's workforce. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A -- Newly-Elected Governor http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov_Speeches&id=197265&v=article2011 Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's 2011 State of the State Address PROPOSALS College Affordability -- Continue to make college more affordable for more families. Governance Structures -- Merge the Higher Education Commission and Department of Education. Postsecondary Completion -- Support Complete College Maryland in this year's budget. -- Rethink the way we fund higher education so there is a greater incentive for completing college on time. ACCOMPLISHMENTS School Finace -- For the past four years, every year, we've increased education funding. -- Last year, we chose to make the largest investment we've ever made in public education. University Tuition -- Alone among the 50 states we chose to freeze in-state tuition four years in a row. http://www.governor.maryland.gov/speeches/2011SOTS.pdf Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer's State of the State Address PROPOSALS College Tuition -- Urged lawmakers not to raise college tuition, as his proposed budget provides enough state funding for colleges to cap tuition for students. Education Funding -- Increase state funding for the University System and public schools; not the time for education budget cuts because funding is available. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Accessibility, Finance, Technology -- Created an education system that is more affordable, more accessible more digital and more relevant. Full-Day Kindergarten -- Invested in full-day kindergarten four years ago and it is just now starting to pay off. http://governor.mt.gov/speeches/speeches.asp?ID=182 Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Economic/Workforce Development -- Create a Nebraska Internship Program to increase the number of college and university students interning with Nebraska businesses. P-20/Virtual High Schools --Support the Department of Education, the University of Nebraska and Nebraska's P-16 Initiative in their joint efforts to develop a virtual high school to allow: ---->High school students to take courses ranging from basic Spanish to AP courses. ---->Rural Nebraska communities to to hire foreign language, math and science teachers. ---->To complete course work on their timetable in the evenings or on weekends. ---->To expand learning beyond the traditional school day and school year. Accountability -- Focus on education accountability. Truancy Reduction -- Support Senator Ashford's efforts to reduce truancy. Postsecondary -- Invest a one-time $25 million in the University of Nebraska's Innovation Campus. -- Maintain higher education funding for the University of Nebraska, state colleges and community colleges. ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- Have made fundamental investments in education and the economic vitality of the state and as a result Nebraska has made significant progress. -- Prioritized education in the two-year budget despite a nearly $1 billion projected shortfall. State funded state aid to education in FY12 remains at $810 million and increases by $50 million to $860 million in FY13. -- Thanks to the leadership of the Legislature, Nebraska is moving to statewide reading and math assessments. http://www.governor.nebraska.gov/news/2011/pdf/2011%20State%20of%20the%20State%20-%20FINAL%20READING.pdf Nevada Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Accountability -- Improve accountability report cards. Choice of Schools -- Use open enrollment, better charter school options, and vouchers to make private school education a possibility for more families and provide more parental choice. Governance -- Reform K-12 governance. Support the recommendations of Nevada's Promise to provide an improved governance model in which the governor appoints the state board of education and the superintendent of public instruction. Teaching Quality -- End teacher tenure. An important first step is to eliminate the protection of seniority when decisions about force reductions must be made. -- Rely heavily on student achievement data in evaluating teachers and principals. As incentives, provide $20 million in performance pay for the most effective teachers. -- Eliminate costly programs that reward longevity and advanced degree attainment. Student Promotion -- End social promotion. Students who cannot read by the end of third grade will not be advanced to the fourth grade. Economic Development -- Redesign the Commission on Economic Development and recommend a 50 percent increase in General Fund dollars to run it. -- Create a new entity, Nevada Jobs Unlimited, as a public-private partnership existing largely outside state government. With a private sector mentality, it will be more nimble. And it will be a Cabinet-level agency, with the governor joining the lieutenant governor, Senate majority leader, Assembly speaker, and representatives of higher education and other critical stakeholders on the board. A majority of the board members will come from the private sector to ensure the focus is squarely on jobs. -- Develop a more strategic focus that connects degree programs and the state's economic development efforts. Finance -- Reduce Basic Support in our K-12 schools by $270 per pupil. The change in total support from current spending is just over nine percent. -- Create a Block Grant Program that encourages districts to be innovative and results-oriented. If one district chooses to continue class size reduction, so be it. If another district wants to pursue other programs, we will no longer hold them back. Flexibility, local autonomy, and accountability are the keys. -- Change the level of reserves required for debt service in all those counties with bond funds. School improvements, maintenance, and equipment purchases will continue – which means no construction jobs will be lost. Simply put, these tax dollars were unnecessarily locked away in one of those separate buckets. -- Use $425 million of these funds to offset the $440 million in lost local funding. The money will stay in education and be used in the district of origin. Replenish these funds over time as the Local School Support Tax rebounds. -- Make temporary use of room tax revenue now slated for teacher salaries in order to defray the costs of overall education spending. Pay-for-performance is still included in the budget, just on a different scale. Postsecondary Finance, Tuition, Financial Aid -- Redirect nine cents of property tax from Clark and Washoe Counties. Restrict this money to the support of universities and community colleges in those counties, because property values rise and economic growth occurs where universities contribute to economic development. -- Reduce state, local, and student revenue for the Nevada System of Higher Education by less than seven percent. With the loss of one-time stimulus dollars, the total reduction is 17.66 percent. However, the Regents have the option of bringing tuition and fees more in line with other Western States, so many of these funds can be recovered. -- Grant autonomy over tuition to the Regents. Nevada's tuition rates are well below our Western neighbors – the Regents have long asked for the authority to raise them. Reserve 15 percent of any increased tuition to ensure access for those who need financial aid. As we increase autonomy, we will also increase performance indicators so that graduation rates, completion times, and access are measures of success. -- Budget an additional $10 million to preserve the Kenny C. Guinn Millennium Scholarship. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A Newly-elected Governor http://nv.gov/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=4294969086&libID=4294969085 North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Economic/Workforce Development -- Invest in research and development in the university system. -- Foster a culture of entrepreneurship where all four-year universities operate business incubators that support start-up enterprises of all kinds. -- Build, educate and retain the workforce. Postsecondary Education -- Encourage young people to seek advanced education. -- Make post-secondary education more affordable for all of our young people. -- Begin a new approach to funding higher education based on the outcomes that education leaders and citizens would like to see from their college campuses. School Finance -- Finish the job of funding adequacy and move to the great challenge of improving the quality of instruction in our schools. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A: Newly-Elected Governor http://governor.nd.gov/events/2011-state-state-address Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett's 2011 Executive Budget Address PROPOSALS Teacher Pay -- Public school employees should agree to a one-year freeze on pay increases to save school districts $400 million. -- Employees in the State System of Higher Education should consider sacrifice. School Finance -- Any new property tax increase beyond inflation should be put on the ballot. -- When it comes to higher education we should do the same thing that we do in basic education: the dollars should follow the student. Local Control -- Give school boards some breathing room. Curb mandates that tie the hands of local school boards. School Choice -- We need to develop a system of portable education funding; something a student can take with him or her to the school that best fits their needs. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A - Newly-elected Governor http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=18&objID=1049038&mode=2 Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee's 2011 Executive Budget Address PROPOSALS School Finance -- Provide additional funds necessary to support the school funding formula. Postsecondary Funding -- Provide an additional $10 million for our higher education system. Pensions -- Ask that all state employees contribute their 3% July raise toward the state pension program. Ask teachers to match the new state employee rate of 11.75%. ACCOMPLISHMENTS N/A - Newly-elected Governor http://www.governor.ri.gov/budgetaddress/2 Washington Governor Christine Gregoire's State of the State Address PROPOSALS K-12/Governance/High School Senior Year -- Create one agency - the Department of Education - which will focus solely on student education with one plan for a seamless system from pre-school to Ph.D. -- Make the 12th grade relevant and exciting. Give our students a leg up in the competitive world of tomorrow by ensuring they leave their senior year on their way to certification, apprenticeship or college credits. Postsecondary Attainment/Postsecondary Affordability/Postsecondary Accountability -- Encourage every student to "complete to compete"— complete an AA, bachelor's or advanced degree so he or she can compete for the jobs of tomorrow. -- Establish tuition flexibility at our colleges and universities to keep the doors of higher education open to all and to maintain high-quality education in good and bad times. -- Adopt the recommendations of the Higher Education Funding Task Force, which increases the number of graduates, requires greater accountability from our colleges and universities, ensure stable funding, and establish a $1 billion Washington Pledge Scholarship Program. ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- Not prominently included, focused on proposals. http://www.governor.wa.gov/speeches/speech-view.asp?SpeechSeq=217 Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding 1 Postsecondary Institutions 2 Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges 3 Postsecondary Participation--Access 6 Postsecondary Participation--Affirmative Action 1 Postsecondary Students 1 Postsecondary Success--Completion 7 Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation 1 Postsecondary Success--Transfer/Articulation 1 Privatization 1 Promotion/Retention 3 Reading/Literacy 2 Remediation (K-12) 2 Rural 2 Scheduling/School Calendar 1 Scheduling/School Calendar--Extended Day Programs 1 School Safety 2 School/District Structure/Operations--District Consolidation/Deconsolidation 2 School/District Structure/Operations--Facilities 1 School/District Structure/Operations--Shared Services 2 Special Education 2 Special Populations--Military 1 Standards 2 Standards--Common Core State Standards 1 State Policymaking 5 STEM 6 Student Achievement 8 Teaching Quality 6 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay 5 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Pay-for-Performance 3 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Retirement/Benefits 5 Teaching Quality--Evaluation and Effectiveness 8 Teaching Quality--Paraprofessionals 1 Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention 1 Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract 5 Technology 4 Technology--Computer Skills 5 Technology--Equitable Access 1 Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training 1 Textbooks and Open Source 1 Youth Engagement 1 329