2011 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Education
Bill Haslam:
Remove 90-cap limit on charter schools
Charter schools open new opportunities for learning and we have asked for the 90-cap limits to be removed and for more students to have the option of a charter school as a learning environment. There are a number of innovative approaches to
classroom instruction underway and we can learn from the experiences of others. The City University School of Liberal Arts is a charter school with a college preparatory foundation. Students have full access to diverse advanced placement
courses and dual enrollment at Christian Brothers University. In Nashville the LEAD Academy is the city's first charter high school with a vision to do Whatever It Takes to ensure students graduate from high school and attend college.
The Metropolitan Nashville school system is 1 of 9 in the country recognized by the Gates Foundation for a collaborative approach to blend charter schools in with other district schools.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Mar 14, 2011
Rick Scott:
Increase the number of charter schools
We need to focus on our incredible opportunity to improve our K-through-12 education system. We now have real innovators offering a 21st century approach to education. And many of those new approaches offer better outcomes without increasing costs.
I am calling for an increase in the number of charter schools--which are public schools that are allowed to work independently of their school board and can innovate in ways that encourage all schools to improve.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Florida legislature
Mar 8, 2011
Tom Corbett:
Families trapped in failing schools: make funding portable
There are too many mandates that tie the hands of local school boards. This administration is committed to curbing these mandates, including one that violates every law of economics: the inability to furlough employees when there isn't
the money to pay them. Pennsylvania needs to re-think how best to educate our children. We simply can't work within a broken system. We need to change the whole system. We need a new set of priorities: child, parent, and teacher--and in that order.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Pennsylvania legislature
Mar 8, 2011
Tom Corbett:
Families trapped in failing schools: make funding portable
There are too many mandates that tie the hands of local school boards. This administration is committed to curbing these mandates, including one that violates every law of economics: the inability to furlough employees when there isn't
the money to pay them. Pennsylvania needs to re-think how best to educate our children. We simply can't work within a broken system. We need to change the whole system. We need a new set of priorities: child, parent, and teacher--and in that order.
What we have now in too many places are schools that don't work. Families are trapped in failing schools, or schools that are a bad fit.
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. One size does not fit all. But as it now stands, not all get to choose. Let's give them school choice.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Pennsylvania legislature
Mar 8, 2011
Robert Bentley:
Though benefits will be cut, no teaching jobs will be lost
Beginning with 2012, we will ask our teachers to contribute more to their individual retirement and to health care insurance programs. We are only asking our teachers to do what virtually everyone else has been forced to do in these tough economic times.
And though there will be sacrifices--I will not sacrifice one single teacher's job. Classroom sizes will not increase. There will be no cuts to the length of the school year or to contract days for teachers or support personnel.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Alabama legislature
Mar 1, 2011
Pat Quinn:
Consolidate from 868 school districts to save $100M
Illinois currently has 868 school districts, and our fiscal reality demands consolidation. I am proposing the formation of a commission that will review the number of school districts in our state.Consolidation lowers administrative overhead, improves
efficiency and will save taxpayers $100 million. I am also proposing eliminating state funding for the salaries & offices for regional school superintendents. The $13 million annual savings will be spent in the classroom, rather than on administration.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
Bev Perdue:
$400M federal funds for Ready Set Go! Initiative
A year ago I asked North Carolina to join me in our Career and College Ready Set Go! initiative. We challenged educators at all levels, from kindergarten through community colleges and universities, to focus on one single goal: to prepare all students to
graduate ready for a career, college or technical training. North Carolina accepted that challenge with gusto. Then we took it a step further. Using Ready Set Go as our foundation, we applied for federal Race to the Top funds--and we won.
Because we are not afraid to think differently and to demand more from our students and educators, we were recognized nationally as one of only 12 states leading the way in education reform. Career and College Ready Set Go! won us
$400 million in federal Race to the Top funds and a spot on the lists of states to watch. So we are resetting state government, and resetting education. And we are also resetting the way we go after businesses--and the jobs they bring.
Source: North Carolina 2011 State of the State Address
Feb 14, 2011
Martin O`Malley:
Complete College Maryland: incentives to finish on time
We must continue to make college more affordable for more families. Today, the University of Maryland is a top-5 national value. Access to college is important, but completing college is essential in this knowledge-based economy. That's the goal of
Complete College Maryland, which I hope you will support in this year's budget. It's a step--but only a step. To move forward, we must rethink the way we fund higher education so there is a greater incentive for completing college on time.
Source: 2011 Maryland State of the State Address
Feb 3, 2011
Steve Beshear:
Alternative programs to reduce school dropout rate
It's incomprehensible that some Kentucky leaders passively watch while so many of our youth walk away from school with no plan for their future. The Graduation Bill will change that. House Bill 225 phases in the new requirement to give schools time
to implement it. And it answers concerns about unmotivated students by creating alternative programs. Some students simply don't learn as well in traditional settings.
Source: 2011 Kentucky State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2011
Jerry Brown:
Let people vote to avoid cutting schools & colleges
If you are a Democrat who doesn't want budget reductions in programs you fought for & deeply believe in, I understand that. If you are a Republican who has taken a stand against taxes, I understand where you are coming from. But things are different this
time. In fact, the people are telling us--in their own way--that they sense that something is profoundly wrong.At this moment of extreme difficulty, it behooves us to turn to the people and get a clear mandate on how we should proceed: either to exten
the taxes as I fervently believe or cut deeply into the programs from which--under federal law--we can still extract the sums required. Unfortunately, these would most probably include: elementary, middle and high schools, the California State University
system, prisons, and vital health programs.
My plan to rebuild California requires a vote of the people, and frankly I believe it would be irresponsible for us to exclude the people from this process. They have a right to vote on this plan.
Source: 2011 California State of the State Address
Jan 31, 2011
Jack Markell:
Ensure we have the best possible public schools
[We will work] with Delaware's excellent educators to ensure we have the best possible public schools. Employers want to know that their children will have a great place to learn and that our schools will graduate young people ready to thrive in the work
world. Our students today are graduating into a job environment far different from what their parents faced. They are competing with graduates from around the world for jobs and we are competing with governments to help make those opportunities available
Source: 2011 Delaware State of the State Address
Jan 20, 2011
Nikki Haley:
Educate kids not based on where they happen to live
Our children are our future workforce, our future business owners, and even our future governors. The quality we give them now is the quality they will return back to South Carolina, the quality that will define our state long after we're gone. [Let's]
reform the Department of Education. We'll start with the funding formula. We need to educate our children not based on where they happen to be born and raised, but on the fact that they deserve a good, quality education, and they are our future workforce
Source: 2011 South Carolina State of the State Address
Jan 19, 2011
Susana Martinez:
Kids First, New Mexico Wins: 4 key initiatives
I propose a comprehensive reform package that will transform our schools. Our "Kids First, New Mexico Wins" plan is comprised of four key initiatives.- We will get money out of the bureaucracy and into the classroom. Today, only 61 cents of every
education dollar makes it to the classroom. Wasting money on lawyers in the Public Education Dept. does nothing to help a child read. By cutting waste & inefficiency in the bureaucracy, we will increase the percentage of funds that reach classrooms.
-
We will adopt an easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement system of grading. Schools will be assigned letter grades A, B, C, D or F. And these grades will be posted to the Web. That's real accountability that will yield real results.
- We will end social
promotion, the practice of passing children from one grade to the next before they have mastered the basics. The New Mexico "Ready for Success" initiative will get struggling students the help they need before we pass them on to the next grade.
Source: 2011 New Mexico State of the State Address
Jan 18, 2011
Dave Heineman:
$1.5M Nebraska Internship Program for college students
I am pleased to announce today the Talent and Innovation Initiative, a four-part plan designed to enhance our economic momentum.- I am proposing a Nebraska Internship Program to increase the number of college and university students interning with
Nebraska businesses. This $1.5 million training program will be funded by redirecting resources from the Nebraska Job Training Cash Fund and matched by funds from the private sector.
- I am proposing the creation of a $7 million program, the Business
Innovation Act to leverage entrepreneurship, to increase private sector research and innovation, and to expand small business outreach efforts.
- I am proposing the creation of a new $3 million Site and Building Development
Fund to increase the number of sites and buildings available for business development projects.
- I am proposing a $5 million Angel Investment Tax Credit Program to foster high-tech startups in Nebraska.
Source: 2011 Nebraska State of the State Address
Jan 13, 2011
Earl Ray Tomblin:
One-time $800 enhancement now; teacher raise later
I know that our teachers deserve a higher salary. But at this moment, we cannot afford additional pay raises that will add to the State budget forever. I am proposing a one-time, $800 across-the-board enhancement for our teachers. This recognizes the hard
work that our teachers put into our system while at the same time does not add to our base budget. Frankly, it should be more and we need to strive for a day when our teachers are paid at a rate equivalent to the most important role they play.
Source: 2011 W.V. State of the State Address
Jan 12, 2011
Matt Mead:
Charter schools provide new ideas for traditional schools
The issue of charter schools is one I'm interested in moving forward. It is my belief that charter schools could provide some new ideas to be used at traditional schools. For this model to work, the charter schools cannot cherry pick the best students.
We all talk about local control, but I expect school districts to use block grants--state money--in ways that put our students in the best position to succeed. We cannot provide endless funds to school districts without results.
Source: 2011 Wyoming State of the State Address
Jan 12, 2011
Nathan Deal:
$15M for science/tech charter schools
Let me highlight some of the projects I propose for bond funding: $231 million for K-12 construction, equipment and buses; $15 million for funding for STEM charter schools that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, areas
that are vital to our competiveness in the global economy; $35 million for water and sewer infrastructure; $50 million for repairs and renovations in the University System, and $28 million for upgrades at our technical colleges.
Source: 2011 Georgia State of the State Address
Jan 12, 2011
Chris Christie:
Expand 73 charter schools to replace 200 failing schools
We cannot ask children and families stuck in chronically failing public schools to wait any longer. It is not acceptable that a child who is neglected in a New Jersey school must accept it because of their zip code. We must give parents and children a
choice to attend better schools.Over 100,000 students are trapped in nearly 200 failing schools. We need to tell those children, and those families, trapped in poor schools that we are coming--and that before this Legislature goes home we will give
them more help toward improvement, more hope, and more choice. We must expand the charter school program beyond the six we approved this year and the 73 operating in New Jersey. That is a top priority. I am ready to work with the Legislature to attract
the best charter school operators in America to New Jersey; to increase our authorizing capacity so they can start charter schools here; & to implement the interdistrict school choice law we passed last year.
Source: 2011 N.J. State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Dennis Daugaard:
Repeal 100 student minimum for state aid to districts
We also must do a better job in the fields of science, technology, engineering, & mathematics. I want to allow local school boards and school administrators to run their own districts. I will be sponsoring bills this year to repeal the 100 student minimu
for state aid to school districts, and to remove the cap on school district reserve fund balances. We must trust local officials to make the best decisions for their districts. And if they fail, we must trust local voters to find new local officials.
Source: 2011 South Dakota State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Haley Barbour:
Expand charter schools; expand dual enrollment
Eighty-nine percent of our state's kids go to public schools. To have the kind of workforce to succeed in the 21st century, we start in K-12. Our schools are getting better. Our last NAEP scores were up more than the national average, and the dropout
rate is going down. But that improvement is not enough. We need to make dual enrollment easier and more common. The students can learn more, and their parents will save money as college credits are earned while in high school.
In constrained budget times we must put more resources into the classroom and reduce what is spent on administration. We must continue to focus on improving the quality of teachers coming out of our colleges of education,
while simultaneously using technology more in teaching our kids. Finally, because competition is good in every sphere, I urge you to reform Charter School law so more children can benefit.
Source: 2011 Mississippi State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Mitch Daniels:
Pay teachers, and award tenure, based on effectiveness
We know what works. It starts with teacher quality. Teacher quality has been found to be 20 times more important than any other factor, including poverty, in determining which kids succeed. Class size, by comparison, is virtually meaningless.
Put a great teacher in front of a large class, and you can expect good results. Put a poor teacher in front of a small class, do not expect the kids to learn. Teachers should have tenure, but they should earn it by proving their ability to help kids
learn. Our best teachers should be paid more, much more, and ineffective teachers should be helped to improve or asked to move.
We are beginning to hold our school leaders accountable for the only thing that really matters: Did the children grow?
Did the children learn? Starting this year, schools will get their own grades, in a form we can all understand: 'A' to 'F.' There will be no more hiding behind jargon and gibberish.
Source: 2011 Ind. State of the State Address
Jan 11, 2011
Andrew Cuomo:
Replace formula-based grants with performance incentives
Current education funding is largely formula-based grants with no performance incentives. The federal government's performance-based Race to the Top program has resulted in reform.Therefore, I am proposing two competitive funds. First, a $250 million
school performance fund for districts that proportionally increase performance in the classroom. The second will be a $250 million administrative efficiency fund for districts that can find demonstrative savings through efficiencies.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to New York legislature
Jan 5, 2011
Dan Malloy:
Had learning disability when there were no support programs
Growing up, I had learning disabilities that might have left me on the fringes. Back then, there were not programs to identify and support children with disabilities.
But luckily for me, there was the inspiring dedication and skill of the school teachers who touched my life, and there was the sheer willpower of a mother of 8 children.
Source: 2011 Connecticut State of the State Address
Jan 5, 2011
Jack Dalrymple:
Achieved long-sought goal of 70% funding from state
Senate bill 2200, passed in 2007, laid to rest the issue of equity in school funding. In 2009, House bill 1400 addressed the issue of adequacy and brought us to the long-sought goal of 70% funding from state resources. This measure joined
with another breakthrough piece of legislation to reduce a school districts' reliance on local property taxes through a reduction of 75 mills in the general fund levy. This reduced the bill to local taxpayers by an average of 18%.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to North Dakota legislature
Jan 4, 2011
Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018