2004 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Education
Bill Ritter:
Cut the high school drop-out rate in half in a decade
About 30 percent of Colorado high school students don’t graduate. Less than half of the black, Latino and American Indian students who start high school in Colorado actually finish. Our goal: cut the drop-out rate in half within 10 years. The
achievement gap separating poor and minority students from more affluent and white students is about 30 percentage points on the CSAP tests. I also want to keep the emerging technology gap from widening so we don’t leave poor and rural kids behind.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2007
Mike Beebe:
Propose additional funding for students with special needs
I propose approximately $19 million in additional revenue for public education above that recommended by the education committees. This support will be devoted to school districts & students with special needs. Education is not a process that
should end at the schoolhouse door. It is about continuous, lifelong learning. We provide ARKids First for children in need of health care so they can lead healthy lives, and pre-K education to at-risk children to help them begin school ready to learn.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 10, 2007
Mike Beebe:
Encourage parents & state employees to volunteer at schools
We’ll create partnerships with industry to expand opportunities for parents or guardians to be able to attend parent-teacher conferences and volunteer at their children’s schools with paid leave. That means leading by example. We will propose,
by legislation or rule, as appropriate, to permit state employees in the executive branch one day of paid leave each year to volunteer in their children’s schools or attend parent-teacher conferences.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 10, 2007
Butch Otter:
Recommend $1.36 billion to advance educational goals
I’m recommending a general fund appropriation of more than $1.36 billion to advance our educational goals and meet all the statutory requirements for public education and to cover the cost of a safe school study, while providing more than $5 million
for classroom supplies and almost $10 million for textbooks. For our colleges and universities, I am recommending a general fund appropriation of more than $275.6 million. That includes $12.9 million to help make salaries more competitive.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 8, 2007
Butch Otter:
Provide needs-based scholarships for college-bound students
To provide scholarships for those students who can least afford to go to college, I am recommending that $38 million be used to create a needs-based scholarship endowment for Idaho students. The earnings from this endowment will provide at least
$2 million per year for needs-based scholarships. We must maintain local control over our community colleges. We already have the legal framework in place to create additional community college districts with the support of local voters.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 8, 2007
Eliot Spitzer:
Increase investment in education with transparent funding
Our reform agenda for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade is built on a simple premise: in exchange for new money, school districts must show where that money is spent and whether it’s getting results - with consequences for failure and rewards
for success. My upcoming budget will include a new, transparent school funding formula that dramatically increases investment over the next four years throughout the state, targeting the investment where we need it most.
Source: 2004 State of the State Address
Jan 3, 2007
Jeb Bush:
Voluntary universal Pre-K: fund 9,600 pre-school teachers
In this country true opportunity starts with education. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark case that guaranteed equal access to education. Today, Florida is closer to fulfilling the promise of
Brown v. Board than ever before, because the Legislature had the will to pass sweeping education reforms and demand more for our children.
Next year, we'll add voluntary universal Pre-K, and I urge you to provide the resources we need to train 9,600 pre-school professionals this year, and to create the framework for a comprehensive high-quality program focused on critical
early literacy skills. As we increase the number of children ready to learn when they enter kindergarten, we decrease the number who will struggle, be retained, and require remedial help in higher grades.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the Florida Legislature
Mar 2, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Equip every 7th grader with a laptop computer
I announced last week a pilot program that will bring basic change to how mid school and high school students learn. More than 700 students and 80 teachers will receive laptop computers in the first phase of this initiative.
Eventually, I want every 7th grader to have one. Every teacher in every discipline - math, languages, social studies, history - will be trained in how to make use of the computer and the internet directly in their subject areas.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Increase the salary of school teachers
We gave teachers - the cornerstone of our educational reform - a dramatic salary increase. The School Improvement Act of 2003 set ambitious goals for school reform. It also created a three-tier licensure system for New Mexico’s teachers -
a system that will recognize and reward excellence in the profession. And let there be no misunderstanding - I support funding art in the school, but in every school. Art will be funded at the end of the process, and in a comprehensive manner.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
A plan that can reach straightforward education goals
I [will] focus on improving student success, & responsibly implementing critical reforms. My education plan provides for retention of quality teachers, completes the implementation of statewide full-day kindergarten, creates an extensive student testing
program to accurately gauge student progress, and puts in place significant reform initiatives such as family resource services to meet student social service needs, taking the pressure off teachers so they can concentrate on teaching our children.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Charter schools show tremendous promise
I am a strong supporter of charter schools. They provide opportunities for students to connect with the education process, and find a path to success. They are showing tremendous promise as alternatives for families who want something different -
within the public school system - for their children. I promised to allocate additional resources for charter schools, and to help provide them a more level playing field with other public schools.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Bill Richardson:
Expand the lottery scholarship program for college students
My higher education plan limits tuition increases to three percent, while keeping open all financial assistance options for our students. I want to expand the lottery success scholarship program to provide more opportunity to lower income New Mexicans.
We can afford it, and we must not shirk from our responsibility. My plan fully funds the new higher education formula, and provides a one-time four percent bonus for faculty, and a two percent bonus for other employees.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to the New Mexico Legislature
Jan 20, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Recommend funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten
My budget will recommend first-year funding for voluntary full-day kindergarten to be phased in over the next five years. This phase-in begins where it is needed the most, in schools with at least 90 percent of students
who participate in the federal free or reduced-fee lunch program. In years two to five of the phase-in, funding will be distributed to all Arizona school districts.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Emphasize the importance of reading literacy
Every parent and teacher should know that so long as I am Governor, every first-grade child in Arizona will receive a book. To ensure that reading literacy is better-emphasized throughout elementary and middle school, I also am calling for improvements
in the teacher certification process. We must insist on additional middle school literacy training, to empower teachers to aggressively attack reading deficiencies at every grade level, through the 8th grade.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Scholarship program for early childhood education teachers
We must support teachers who provide education to our youngest children by offering scholarships so that they can improve their own education and thereby the education of preschool children.
This year we will build on a $1.6-million early childhood educator grant we recently received from the US Department of Education, by implementing a statewide scholarship program for early childhood education teachers.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
Help teachers undergo the necessary training
Getting master teacher accreditation not only is challenging, it also can be quite expensive for teachers who seek it. I will establish the Arizona Master Teachers program, to secure public and private funding to help teachers undergo the necessary
training to receive master teacher status. I challenged every school district in Arizona to convert an additional five percent of district operating budgets to classroom-related spending, and I gave them two years in which to do it.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Janet Napolitano:
No cut in higher education funding
I am ready to work in partnership with Arizona’s universities and community colleges to enhance access to a higher education, intensify university research efforts, and increase graduation rates.
My budget recommendation for this year will continue to invest significantly in Arizona’s universities and community colleges so that they can continue to grow into their new and more vital 21st Century role.
Source: 2004 State of the State speech to Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Education First: Target additional $300M where most needed
My Education First plan will provide an additional $300 million to Kansas schools over the next three years. It’s a responsible plan that targets additional resources to where they are most needed: teachers; early-education programs,
including all-day kindergarten; and at-risk students who need our help to succeed. It invests $10 million in Smart Start programs across the state. Early learning programs are among the best investments we can make in the future.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Minimize the need for college tuition increases
It’s critical that we do more to sustain our institutions of higher learning.
Because of our difficult financial times, we have failed to keep a promise made to the state’s colleges and universities to provide funding to retain key faculty and minimize the need for tuition increases. My proposal fulfills that promise.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Review district finances and bring efficiency
I propose we create a school audit team in the Division of the Budget to review district finances and help schools become more efficient. I expect these reviews, which have been successfully launched in Texas, Virginia, and a handful of other states,
will provide that confidence to taxpayers and parents. I believe they’ll help Kansas school districts streamline their management and business practices so that more dollars reach the classroom and fewer are spent on unnecessary layers of bureaucracy.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Kathleen Sebelius:
Pay teachers adequately and provide them with health care
In exchange for additional resources, we must also demand that school districts be good employers. We must demand that they adequately pay teachers
and provide them with the health coverage that other public employees enjoy. We know that health insurance is a powerful recruitment and retention tool. Providing it to teachers will keep talent in Kansas classrooms.
Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature
Jan 12, 2004
Page last updated: Nov 30, 2018