2018 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Education
Chris Sununu:
Give parents choice instead of one-size-fits-all system
Surprisingly, I am the first Governor in the past 25 years to come up through New Hampshire's public schools.
Our schools are ranked the best in the country, because they deliver results. I believe in Teachers. I believe in the students.
However, I think we can all agree that a one-size-fits-all system doesn't always work for each student, which is why our education system must give parents choice and flexibility.
Education Savings Accounts will be our most significant step yet, in giving parents and children the ability to choose the education path that is best suited for them.
Source: 2018 New Hampshire State of the State address
Feb 15, 2018
Asa Hutchinson:
Fund colleges based on productivity
When they get to college, we want them to succeed, which is why we worked to change the way we fund our universities & colleges. In 2017, we passed the Higher Education Productivity Funding Formula. Now we base the funding of our 10 public universities
and our 22 community colleges on how well students perform and progress rather than how many students show up on the first day of class. We want students who enroll in our universities to graduate or earn a certificate and move on to good careers.
Source: 2018 Arkansas State of the State address
Feb 12, 2018
Jeff Colyer:
My (Re) Employment Plan: KANSASWORKS technical education
I was visiting Pittsburg, and Southeast Kansas continues to struggle. Without prior warning, I stopped in to visit the KANSASWORKS office which helps people looking for work: professionals provide personalized job search assistance. To address this
issue my Administration will be launching a program called the My (Re) Employment Plan, [which] will provide, free of charge, a skills assessment, resume, interview & networking assistance, & labor market information highlighting current in-demand jobs.
Other Kansans have the talent and drive but not the immediate technical skills to find a good paying job. The budget proposal includes significant investments in career and technical education. It will give Kansas high school students the
opportunity to learn technical skills before they've even received their high school diplomas. Older students can also learn skills needed to compete for in-demand jobs. It will increase the apprentice program, and support the jobs of the future.
Source: 2018 Kansas Inauguration/State of the State speech
Feb 8, 2018
Jeff Colyer:
Invest in early childhood education & invest in our future
Finally, and perhaps the most pressing question in many of your minds, where will we go on education? And before we get to the elephant in the room, let me first thank you to the legislature for the remarkable investments you have made in early
childhood education. Early childhood education works.On my first day as governor, I had the opportunity to visit a public school in my hometown of Hays. I want you to know that your Governor is a supporter of public education.
In Kansas, we invest in our schools, not because a court tells us to, but because we want to invest in our children and our future. We invest in teachers because they invest in our kids.
We support things like the Kansans Can Redesign program because we are willing to do hard things for the youth of this state.
Source: 2018 Kansas Inauguration/State of the State speech
Feb 8, 2018
Jeff Colyer:
Increased investments in K-12 Education
What I learned from President Reagan is that we develop principles that allow us to resolve our issues. As the sign on his desk and now mine says, "It can be done." With that in mind, I will offer a framework that I hope you can see fit to support:
- We must keep our schools open.
- We need a definitive solution that ends the school finance lawsuits FOR GOOD.
- Increased investments in K-12 Education must come through a phased in approach that doesn't increase the tax burden on
Kansas families and ensures schools can effectively allocate any new funds they receive.
- Lastly, and most importantly, we must insist on accountability and improved outcomes.
I will sign school finance legislation that meets these objectives.
This will not be easy, but public servants and leaders are not called to make the easy choices. We're here to do the right thing, and the right thing is never easy.
Source: 2018 Kansas Inauguration/State of the State speech
Feb 8, 2018
Kate Brown:
Future Ready Oregon: Prepare students for today's jobs
I am launching Future Ready Oregon. The goal is to close the skills gap between the workforce we have and the workforce we need to fuel Oregon's economy. We need to make sure every student graduates with a plan for their future and the tools that
they need to compete in a global economy. Hands-on learning connects classrooms to career, inspiring students with a sense of purpose, giving them the drive they need to walk across that graduation stage and into their first job.
Source: 2018 Oregon State of the State address
Feb 5, 2018
Bill Haslam:
Boost public education by $1.5B
If the budget I am proposing for next year is approved, we will have added nearly $1.5 billion to K-12 education, with more than $500 million for teacher salaries. These are unprecedented increases and anyone who claims this administration is not fully
committed to public education is simply ignoring the facts. We have supported our educators and public schools and we will continue to do so. But we will do it in a way that improves student outcomes, not one that erases the gains we have made.
Source: 2018 Tennessee State of the State address
Jan 29, 2018
Henry McMaster:
Invest in school choice & robust charter school program
On schools: What do we want? And what must we do?We want a multifaceted system, anchored by traditional public schools boasting the best teachers, principals and technologies. We want charter schools--all public--to flourish, including those for
children with special needs. Parents want vigorous, accountable, innovative school choice. So how do we accomplish this?
- Poverty is the enemy of education, but economic development often comes slowly. What can be done in the meantime?
-
Good teachers and good principals clearly are the key to success.
- We must continue to invest in school choice. A robust charter school program allows parents to choose the education opportunities that best suit their children.
With the entry of Erskine College as a new charter authorizer, we are expanding choice across the state.
My executive budget increases per-pupil funding for charter schools, and establishes a transportation program to reduce barriers to access.
Source: 2018 State of the State speech to South Carolina legislature
Jan 24, 2018
Scott Walker:
Help college students refinance loans
To make college more affordable for students and working families, we froze University of Wisconsin tuition for all undergraduates from our state for six years in a row. We're partnering with financial institutions to help graduates refinance student
loans. And financial assistance for students in need is at an all-time high, making higher education possible for thousands of students at colleges and universities across the state.
Source: 2018 Wisconsin State of the State address
Jan 24, 2018
Doug Burgum:
Local control of schools
This is about bottoms-up innovation. This is not top-down Washington DC decides, or Bismarck decides. This is each individual school district can adopt an innovation plan and they can decide locally what they think the best way to try to drive
education, you know, hands on, experience based education in their areas. To get out and really understand more about how we can make that happen we have created a K-12 task force.
Source: 2018 North Dakota State of the State address
Jan 23, 2018
John Carney:
Focus on improving troubled schools
Christina School District's portion of the City schools need our help the most. So for the past six months, we have been trying to form a partnership with the district to lift up our city children. The state has offered Christina support for smaller
class sizes, more professional development for teachers, critical capital upgrades, an early learning center and parent supports. This may be the most difficult thing we do during this Administration, but it is clearly the most important.
Source: 2018 Delaware State of the State address
Jan 18, 2018
Gina Raimondo:
More pre-K classrooms; free community college
We've made record investments in education, and we're committed to ensuring that everyone has a shot to continue their education past high school: Today, there are three times as many public pre-K classrooms as there were four years ago.
We've guaranteed all-day kindergarten for every child in Rhode Island. And more than 1,500 Rhode Islanders are getting a shot at a career because we made community college tuition-free. But there's so much left to do. So let's keep going.
Source: 2018 Rhode Island State of the State address
Jan 16, 2018
Gina Raimondo:
Major investment to repair crumbling schools
Let's make a once-in-a-generation investment in our schools. Together with our cities and towns, let's commit to investing $1 billion over the next five years to fix our public schools. Don't let anyone tell you we can't afford to do this. We can.
We have a detailed plan that outlines how we can invest more and do it smarter so that we protect taxpayers at the same time. Every year we wait, we waste millions of dollars putting band aids on our crumbling schools. So let's act now.
Source: 2018 Rhode Island State of the State address
Jan 16, 2018
John Hickenlooper:
Increase investment in education by additional $100M
Today, in almost every part of Colorado, zip code still determines your educational outcome. And that determines your economic outcome. This needs to change. We re-convened the Education Leadership Council to build a long-term vision and path forward.
We're pumping an additional one hundred million dollars above enrollment and inflation into our schools this year, and adding ten million dollars to address teacher shortages in rural areas.
Source: 2018 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 11, 2018
John Hickenlooper:
Schools should focus on skills for future jobs
We need to transition from a degree-based education system to one that also includes skill-based training. Experts tell us over sixty percent of our kids in school today will not get a 4-year degree. Careers and professions by the dozens will be swept
away in the coming decades. But new industries will emerge at an equally frantic rate. We will need not just engineers but huge numbers of technicians and analysts with new sets of skills. We need to get more kids learning skills that matter.
Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 11, 2018
Jim Justice:
Support non-college career paths
We got to build this workforce like we can't imagine. I want us to develop a way to where kids in high school and the trades can get an associate degree while they're in high school. I also want us to add, if it's possible, a 13th year where they can
get additional accreditation or additional certifications. I want somehow, some way, for us to be able to make our community and technical colleges free.
Source: 2018 West Virginia State of the State address
Jan 10, 2018
Ralph Northam:
Borrower's Bill of Rights to manage student debt
Yesterday, Governor-elect Northam and I stood together and outlined several pieces of legislation that we hope the new General Assembly will pass this year. They include:- Giving Virginians the tools to manage student debt and hold predatory
lenders accountable by passing a Borrower's Bill of Rights and creating a state ombudsman for student debt.
- Building on the executive actions my administration is pursuing to cut carbon and create clean energy jobs by becoming the first Southern
State to formally join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
- Closing a loophole in our ethics laws by prohibiting the personal use of campaign funds.
- Reducing obstacles to voting by doing away with barriers to absentee voting.
None of these
items are inherently political. They are proposed solutions to real policy problems. It could well be the case that there are better ideas to solve these problems & make life better for Virginians. Those are the questions we were all elected to consider.
Source: Terry McAuliffe's 2018 Virginia State of the State address
Jan 10, 2018
Terry McAuliffe:
Borrower's Bill of Rights to manage student debt
Yesterday, Governor-elect Northam and I stood together and outlined several pieces of legislation that we hope the new General Assembly will pass this year. They include:- Giving Virginians the tools to manage student debt and hold predatory
lenders accountable by passing a Borrower's Bill of Rights and creating a state ombudsman for student debt.
- Building on the executive actions my administration is pursuing to cut carbon and create clean energy jobs by becoming the first Southern
State to formally join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
- Closing a loophole in our ethics laws by prohibiting the personal use of campaign funds.
- Reducing obstacles to voting by doing away with barriers to absentee voting.
None of these
items are inherently political. They are proposed solutions to real policy problems. It could well be the case that there are better ideas to solve these problems & make life better for Virginians. Those are the questions we were all elected to consider.
Source: 2018 Virginia State of the State address
Jan 10, 2018
Jay Inslee:
Four-year degree isn't the only path to success
We have to stop telling our children that a four-year degree is the only path to success. That simply is not true. Let's leave a legacy of opportunity for all our students by expanding career-connected learning. During a study mission to Switzerland
last year, our delegation saw a truly remarkable apprenticeship system stemming from a robust partnership with business, labor, and academia. There is no reason our own students cannot have better access to those same opportunities here in Washington.
Source: 2018 Washington State of the State address
Jan 9, 2018
Kay Ivey:
Strong Start, Strong Finish: from pre-K to workforce
For Alabamians to have career opportunities, they must be prepared when the right job comes along. My education initiative, Strong Start, Strong Finish, does just that. Under Strong Start, Strong Finish, we will coordinate our efforts and bring all
stakeholders to the table in order to improve education all the way from Pre-K to the workforce.I instituted Strong Start, Strong Finish, because we must prepare our people for the jobs of today and for the jobs of tomorrow.
By 2020, 62% of all jobs available in Alabama will require some form of postsecondary education. However, today, only 37% of our workforce has achieved such an education. We must ensure that our students graduate high school and then earn
a postsecondary certificate or degree.
I'm proud to have quickly become known as a governor focused on education. Over the past nine months, I have devoted a great deal of my time to my role as president of the State Board of Education.
Source: 2018 State of the State speech to Alabama legislature
Jan 9, 2018
Kim Reynolds:
School choice offers families option to teach their values
Since taking office seven years ago, we have added $735 million in new money to our preK-12 education systems. At $3.3 billion, funding is at an all-time high. Education is a priority, and we will continue to back that up with real money.
We have also maintained our commitment to school choice, which offers families the option to teach their values, beliefs, and viewpoints to their children. That's why my tax reform plan will expand 529 plans to include K-12 education.
Source: 2018 State of the State speech to Iowa legislature
Jan 9, 2018
Phil Bryant:
Parents should have school choice
This session, I will ask you again to expand school choice for certain categories of children, offering special needs scholarships to even more students.
I continue to believe parents should have the freedom to use their tax dollars to send their child to the school of their choice, not one decided by the government.
Source: 2018 Mississippi State of the State address
Jan 9, 2018
Sam Brownback:
Court-ordered education funding won't solve every problem
Six-hundred million dollars is a very significant investment. And Kansans expect to see students in every school in our state thrive and achieve, particularly our students who the Court cited as being inadequately served under our current funding.
We cannot--we must not--repeat the mistakes of others who have gone down the primrose path of thinking that educational results can be forced by massive infusions of taxpayer money alone. Money by itself will not solve the problem.
Source: 2018 Kansas State of the State address
Jan 9, 2018
Butch Otter:
Focus on student outcomes
To ensure we have effective teachers leading that effort in every Idaho classroom, my Executive Budget calls for providing nearly $42 million in 2019 for the 4th year of implementing our career-ladder system for educators. Shifting how we fund teacher
salaries from years of service to student outcomes represents a significant ongoing investment in human capital--supporting teachers' professional development while establishing a long-term blueprint for teacher recruitment and retention.
Source: 2018 Idaho State of the State address
Jan 8, 2018
Page last updated: Apr 07, 2019