2015 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Education
Tom Wolf:
$15M for community colleges but they must freeze tuition
This budget increases our investment in public schools at every grade level. It also recognizes that our responsibility to provide a great education does not begin at kindergarten and end with high school. That's why my budget also expands access to
early childhood education by increasing the number of children in Pre-K by 75%. That's why we are increasing funding to community colleges by $15 million. And that is why we are restoring 50% of the cuts to our state system of higher education.
But those improvements come with a string attached. In return for these increases, today I am calling on our institutions of higher education to freeze tuition, and I expect them to answer that call.
These investments in higher education and community colleges will help prepare our young people for jobs that pay.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Pennsylvania Legislature
Mar 3, 2015
John Kasich:
$120 million student debt relief fund; plus online college
They're going along with this idea of two-year schools being able to award a bachelor degree. Unbelievable. And they're going to adopt new online competency-based courses. In other words, if you're a nurse and you're 32 and you want to get a bigger
certificate, you're going to be able to go online and get that done. And you'll be able to take those courses and get that degree. You won't even have to sit in a classroom if you've got it all together. With lower costs, and a freeze on tuition, more
students can afford college, hopefully finish without the huge debts. And we have $120 million in this student debt relief fund. Honestly, I think it's like a thimble in the ocean. We know how tough it is. We know you have a lot of debt.
We want to do something to help you. It could be related to the fact that if you take an in-demand job and you stay in Ohio for five years, we'll give you the help you want. We think it's absolutely critical.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Ohio Legislature
Feb 24, 2015
Greg Abbott:
Additional funding for schools to adopt high-quality Pre-K
[Since the 1980s], the State of Texas has been mired in litigation about school funding. I think we can all agree it's time to put school finance litigation behind us. It's time to stop fighting about school finance and start fixing our schools.
To improve our schools we must begin by building a strong foundation at the very beginning. Our goal should be to ensure all Texas students are performing at grade level in reading and math by the time they finish the 3rd grade.
To begin that process, my budget provides additional funding for schools that adopt high-quality Pre-K programs. My plan also provides Pre-K through 3rd grade teachers with world-class literacy and math teacher training.
To begin the process of building a better education system in Texas, we must improve early education. This is why I'm declaring early education as my first emergency item as governor. Our children and their future have no time for delay.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Texas Legislature
Feb 17, 2015
Greg Abbott:
Ensure having the best teachers by saying NO to Common Core
An essential ingredient to better schools is ensuring we have the best teachers in our classrooms. In part, that means saying no to common core. We can bring out the best in all of our teachers by getting rid of the one-size-fits-all mandates and
trusting our teachers to truly educate our students. My budget invests in more STEM teachers and in teachers who serve our most disadvantaged students.We must also return genuine local control to our schools.
This book contains all the education-related laws in Texas. It's absurd to micromanage educators with all of these laws. Let's cut it down to size by allowing school districts to opt out of parts of the education code so they can design an education plan
that best fits their community needs.
Local control, however, doesn't end at the school district level. Real local control rests with parents. The ultimate parental involvement is giving parents more choices in their child's education.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Texas Legislature
Feb 17, 2015
Bill Haslam:
Tennessee Promise: two years of free community college
Last year, we introduced the Tennessee Promise--the very first state in the country to guarantee high school graduates two years of free community college or technical school. This year, of our 65,000 high school seniors, 58,000 of them applied for the
Tennessee Promise. And 9,200 adult Tennesseans signed up to be volunteer mentors for those students.For the last 30 years, Tennessee's greatest need has been for better trained workers who can fill the jobs that companies want to bring here.
We think the Tennessee Promise is a game changer.
We're also going to include $400,000 in this year's budget to establish the Tennessee Promise Bridge Program. It's a pilot program to bring first-generation students to campus
prior to fall enrollment. When nobody in your family has ever gone to college before, being there can be intimidating. This is one more step to make sure these students have the best chance possible to succeed.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Tennessee Legislature
Feb 9, 2015
Bill Haslam:
$2.5M for SAILS program: math tutors for high school seniors
It is also why our SAILS program is so important. SAILS gives students who need extra support in math that attention during their senior year in high school so they can avoid remediation when they enter college. We piloted the program two years ago, and
the results speak for themselves. Last year, 8,100 students were served by the SAILS program, and almost 70 percent of those students completed all remediation while still in high school. That saved families nearly $6.5 million in tuition.
This year we are including $2.5 million to sustain the success of the SAILS program.But the reality is that just reaching high school graduates won't be enough to reach our goal. In Tennessee, there are nearly one million adults with some
post-secondary credit but without a degree. We have to figure out ways to reconnect those adults and remove the barriers that are preventing them from earning their certificate or degree, which will lead to a better job and future.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Tennessee Legislature
Feb 9, 2015
Martin O`Malley:
Encourage more public charter schools
We have some great schools here in Maryland, but the gap between the best and the worst schools is dramatic. I believe that every child in Maryland deserves a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they grow up in.
We must fix our under-performing schools while also giving parents and children realistic and better alternatives.So, let's expand families choices.
Let's encourage more public charter schools to open and operate in Maryland. This month, our administration will submit legislation to strengthen Maryland's charter school law.
This legislation will expand choices for families and make it easier for more public charter schools to operate in Maryland.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Maryland Legislature
Feb 4, 2015
Martin O`Malley:
Tax credits for contributions to private & parochial schools
Our administration will also push for the enactment of the "Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers" legislation, also known as "BOAST." It provides tax credits to those who make voluntary contributions to private or parochial schools,
and it will help free up more money and resources for our students in public schools. This legislation has been debated in these chambers for more than a decade. It is the right thing to do.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Maryland Legislature
Feb 4, 2015
Andrew Cuomo:
Invest in the teaching profession, plus teacher evaluations
2015 Opportunity Agenda: proposals involving grade-school education:- Proposal #36: To invest in the teaching profession, create a residency program for teachers
- Proposals #37-41: Strengthen teacher evaluations
- Proposal #42: Create a $20
million Teacher Excellence Fund to support top teachers
- Proposal #43: Make it easier, fairer and faster to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom
- Proposal #44: Implement the Massachusetts Model in NY to transform failing schools
- Proposal
#45: Give students in failing schools a preference
- Proposals #46 & 47: Add another 100 slots to the charter cap and remove the regional limits
- Proposal #48: Propose "anti-creaming" legislation to ensure that charters are providing opportunities for
high-needs populations
- Proposals #49 & 50: Pass the $100 million Education Tax Credit for public and private scholarships to promote choice in education --and pass the DREAM Act, with $27 million in this year's budget to make it a reality
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New York Legislature
Jan 21, 2015
Andrew Cuomo:
Ambitious P-12 agenda to stop NY from falling behind
We will pursue an ambitious P-12 agenda:As of this year, school aid is at its highest level ever and over 65 percent of recent increases were directed to high-need school districts. But New York students are still falling behind:-
New York lags behind 31 other states in student performance in math on "the nation's report card";
- Barely three in four students graduate from high school on time;
-
The graduation rate achievement gap between Black and Latino students and white students persists, especially when it comes to the percent of students earning Advanced Degree diplomas.
- Only 38 percent of students who do graduate from high school
are college- and career-ready; and
- Only one-third of students in grades 3-8 scored at the proficient level and above in math and English Language Arts.
It is time for dramatic change and an ambitious P-12 reform agenda.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New York Legislature
Jan 21, 2015
Andrew Cuomo:
MA model for NY: receivership when schools fail for 3 years
"Priority schools" are defined as schools that- are in the bottom 5% of schools statewide, based on combined ELA & math scores, and are not showing progress in test performance or
- have graduation rates that are below 60% for the last 3 years.
77 of these schools have been failing for nearly a decade. At least 250,000 students were enrolled in these 77 schools since they've been failing. To ensure that the most chronically underperforming schools in the state improve at a faster rate, the
Governor proposes legislation modeled after the Massachusetts education receivership model. When a school fails for three years, a nonprofit, another school district, or a turnaround expert must take over the school. That entity will have the
authority to:- Overhaul the curriculum.
- Override agreements to terminate underperforming staff.
- Provide salary incentives to recruit high-performing educators.
- Obtain priority over community schools and other State grant programs.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New York Legislature
Jan 21, 2015
Andrew Cuomo:
Expand charter schools: more lotteries; 100 more slots
- Give students in failing schools a preference: To provide students in failing schools with additional options in the short-term the Governor will create a preference in the charter school lottery for such students.
- Add another 100 slots to the
charter cap and remove the regional limits. The number of charters in New York is capped at 460 and New York City currently has only 24 charters remaining under the cap.
The Governor proposes that we make the overall cap statewide instead of artificially restricting it by region.
- Propose "anti-creaming" legislation to ensure that charters are providing opportunities for high-needs populations: To ensure that charter
school student populations reflect the communities that they serve, we will create an "anti-creaming" provision in law that requires charters to submit enrollment rates to SED for Free and Reduced Price Lunch (FRPL) students.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New York Legislature
Jan 21, 2015
Andrew Cuomo:
Full SUNY or CUNY tuition for schoolteachers
2015 Opportunity Agenda involving colleges:- Proposal #10: $110 million round of NYSUNY2020 and NYCUNY2020
- Proposal #12: Align community colleges with the Regional Economic Development Councils
- Proposal #35: Pay full SUNY or CUNY tuition for
the top graduate program candidates who commit to teaching in NY for at least 5 years
- Proposal #57: Invest $15 million to open the nation's first emergency preparedness college
- Proposal #65: Expand SUNY Sexual Assault Policy statewide
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New York Legislature
Jan 21, 2015
Nikki Haley:
Incentives for teachers, including tuition & grad school
We've proposed a new initiative that will help our rural schools get, and keep, the kind of highly qualified teachers their students deserve.- First, if a student graduating high school is willing to spend eight years teaching in their underserved
home district after college, we will pay for up to four years of tuition at a state school.
- Second, if a teacher who has graduated from college and is burdened by student loans commits to teach in a rural district, we will contribute to their student
loan repayment.
- Third, if a teacher has less than five years' experience and begins teaching in an eligible district, he or she will receive a pay bump, advancing his or her salary to the level of a teacher five years further down the road.
-
Finally, if a teacher wants to attend graduate school at a state college or university, we will cover the cost of that education, again in exchange for a commitment to teach in a rural or underserved district.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 South Carolina Assembly
Jan 21, 2015
Terry McAuliffe:
Don't wait until kindergarten to prepare for success
We cannot forget that our economic future runs through public school classrooms across this great Commonwealth. That is why my budget contains NO program cuts to K through 12 education.Public education is the backbone of a healthy economy.
So let us pledge tonight to avoid acrimony on this topic and agree that we will not cut a single dollar from our schools during this legislative session. We cannot wait until our students reach kindergarten to begin preparing them for success.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Virginia Legislature
Jan 14, 2015
Chris Christie:
Tenure reform for failing teachers; merit pay for good ones
We have also done much in the past five years to reform our education system. For the first time in 100 years, we came together to reform tenure, so that failing teachers can be removed from the classroom.For the first time, we brought the concept of
performance-based pay to schools in our largest city, Newark--so that we can pay the best teachers more.
We have expanded charter schools. And together we have enacted urban hope legislation to create renaissance schools in our highest risk districts.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New Jersey Legislature
Jan 13, 2015
Chris Christie:
Choice of schools to meet child's needs
For four years in a row, we've provided a record amount in aid to our public schools--over $11.9 billion in the current fiscal year. But more school reform is needed. And a great first step would be to pass the opportunity scholarship act, to give
parents a choice of a school that meets their child's needs.Let's give families an alternative to chronically failing neighborhood schools. Let's keep driving for better outcomes. Let's give parents and students more choice.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 New Jersey Legislature
Jan 13, 2015
Scott Walker:
Choose schools based on objective info, not Common Core
We will ensure every child--regardless of background or birthright--has access to a quality education. We will continue to empower families to make the choice that is right for their sons and daughters. Tonight, I call on the members of the state
Legislature to pass legislation ensuring objective information is available for each and every school receiving public funds in this state. Provide the information and allow parents to make the choice.
No need for bureaucrats or politicians to make that choice--I trust parents. Give them access to objective information and they will make the choice that is best for their children.
And speaking of what is best for our students,
I call on the members of the state Legislature to pass legislation making it crystal clear that no school district in the state is required to use Common Core standards. Going forward, I want to eliminate any requirement to use Common Core.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Wisconsin Legislature
Jan 13, 2015
Scott Walker:
Over past 4 years, graduation rates & ACT scores are up
The Wisconsin Comeback is working. School scores are up and more students are graduating.We empowered local school boards to hire and fire based on merit and pay based on performance, so they can keep the best and the
brightest in the classroom. And it's working.
Over the past four years, graduation rates are up. Third grade reading scores are up. ACT scores are up--and Wisconsin now ranks 2nd in the country.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Wisconsin Legislature
Jan 13, 2015
Doug Ducey:
American Civics Bill: pass civics test like new citizens
In Arizona public schools, we can do better. A snapshot of Arizona public education came in a survey a few years ago. It measured some basic knowledge among students, on matters where knowledge should be assumed.
It was an elementary civics test, along the lines of the test required of every new citizen. And when 96 percent of our kids could not pass, you know something is missing.
This is an issue that can and should unite us. These are our children. How can we expect them to protect the principles on which this country was founded, if we are not preparing them for that task right now?
It's time to make this right and there's a bipartisan bill--the American Civics Bill. Send it to my desk, and I'll sign it immediately.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2015
Doug Ducey:
Classrooms First Initiative: end one-size-fits-all model
It's time to take charge of our public schools and take responsibility for their results. For too long, the federal government has forced a one-size-fits-all model on our education system. Politicians and bureaucrats on the other side of the country,
with no understanding of our state or the needs of our teachers and students, have sought to impose their standards and their will on our youth. In Arizona, educational excellence is a priority. For the next four years,
I intend to lead under a "Classrooms First Initiative." Our goal is simple: To improve outcomes in the classroom for all our children. That's why I propose to spend not less in the classroom than last year, but more.
Right now we spend far too much on administrative costs--on overhead--and that's got to change. We know where education happens, between a teacher and a student. In my administration, we will honor teachers and the good work they do.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Arizona Legislature
Jan 12, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018