Gov. Ted Kulongoski dismissed the idea that Oregonians are in as deep and dark an economical hole as the rest of the nation, and recently said in his annual “State of the State” speech that the top priority for his administration will be to keep building the state’s economy by investing in education.
In Kulongoski’s speech, which outlined his future goals for Oregon, he praised the state for being a “guiding star for the young, imaginative and entrepreneurial.” He cautioned, however, saying that “if you want to know what the state of our state will be in five, 10 or even 20 years down the road, tell me what the state of our commitment to education is right now – today. Because that will make all the difference.”
His education plan involves investing in all schooling levels from pre-kindergarten to college to career and technical schools for adults returning to the workforce or looking to change careers.
For his higher education goals, the governor plans to reinvigorate technical and apprenticeship programs, keep Oregon University System institutions’ enrollment numbers growing and help find a way for all students who qualify for his special financial aid program to receive the funding needed to attend college.
In 2007, the Shared Responsibility Model was implemented to help students obtain college financial aid beyond the traditional federal help. A student’s need is based on family income, and the program requires the student to hold a part-time job during the school year and full-time job during summer. If all the requirements are met, the student will receive funds that go toward covering the costs of attending a college.
In the 2008-09 school year, the average grant per student is $980, but under the governor’s new plan, an estimated 42,000 students would be eligible for an average individual grant of $2,100, said Jillian Schoene, a spokeswoman for Kulongoski.
Kulongoski’s plan to invest in the education of younger students includes the ability of every 3- and 4-year-old child to be eligible for Head Start programs, reducing class sizes for K-12 students and restoring art, music and physical education classes.
The State of the State speech was Kulongoski’s sixth such address; however, the event was the last opportunity he had to deliver such a wide breadth of priorities on one platform before facing the last regular legislative session of his term in office. In January 2009, the state legislature will meet for its biennial session, during which the topics the governor discussed in his speech will most likely be debated.
Included in his speech was a new form of the Kulongoski’s “Healthy Kids Plan,” which would provide health coverage for the estimated 116,000 who do not have access to adequate health care. The funds would come from a proposed tobacco tax that the governor has said would likely be less than the 84.5 cents-per-pack tax that failed in last year’s ballot.
The governor also discussed providing a “greener” transportation initiative. It would be a “comprehensive plan that will give consumers choices they can feel good about by investing in alternative fuels for cars and trucks and alternative modes of transportation,” Kulongoski said in his speech.
Rounding out the governor’s future plans for Oregon is a group of policies that would generate a conscious effort to battle global warming by building a sustainable economy. The plan would reduce the greenhouse gas level to 10 percent less than 1990 levels by 2020, and according to government documents, make key investments in a cap and trade system, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, a clean technologies workforce and a secure a clean, stable water supply.
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