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Corzine Encourages Higher Standards in Education

New Jersey – A suggested framework for preparing every New Jersey student for college and the workplace was the result of a multi-year study on improving high school education in the state. The policy paper provides recommendations that focus on five areas, including standards and high school graduation requirements, assessment alignment, teachers and school leaders, learning communities and personalized education, and P-16 alignment. “The Task Force has admirably addressed every aspect of high school education and the potential for its seamless integration into higher education in New Jersey,” said Corzine. “We have an obligation and a vested economic interest to equip our high school students with the tools they need to build successful lives. These recommendations are a blueprint for this process.”
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CAMPAIGN NEWS

WA – Gregoire Earns Major Endorsement. Washington’s largest labor union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is endorsing Gov. Chris Gregoire in her re-election bid. Union leaders say their 100,000-plus members will support her in her bid for a second term.
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MO – Nixon Proposal Would Expand Access to Higher Ed. Missouri Governor hopeful Jay Nixon outlined the Missouri Promise, a new plan that would create a pathway for those who complete community college or technical school to earn a four-year degree from a state college or university without paying tuition. “With tuition skyrocketing at colleges and universities across the state, too many middle-class families in Missouri are getting squeezed by the cost a college education,” Attorney General Nixon said. “While other states have been making college more affordable and accessible, Missouri has moved backwards. The Missouri Promise will create a pathway to a four-year degree for those families struggling to afford college tuition during these difficult economic times. We must make the dream of a college education a reality for all Missouri families.”
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GENERAL NEWS

MI – Granholm Signs Bills to Reform Business Incentives. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed into law a package of bills reforming the state’s major business incentive to allow more flexibility in meeting interstate and international competition for business investment. The bills that strengthen the Michigan Economic Growth Authority Act were passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and are part of an overall job creation and economic stimulus package proposed by the governor in her State of the State address earlier this year. “We are recharging our most powerful business incentive program as part of the most aggressive strategy of any state to build a diversified and global 21st century economy,” Granholm said. “These changes are powerful new tools that will provide us with more flexibility to help companies grow and create new jobs in Michigan.”
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MT – Schweitzer Appears on CNN to Promote Alternative Energy. Gov. Brian Schweitzer was a featured guest on CNN’s Glenn Beck show, where he discussed the importance of achieving energy independence. He said, “We have to break that addiction to foreign oil. And we break it in several different ways. We use American ingenuity. We need to have a diversity of fuel supplies. Yes, wind power, solar power, coal gasification, more domestic drilling of oil. We’ve got to protect the environment. But we have the energy supply here.”
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NY – Paterson Delivers Funds for River Conservation. The state will pay $10 million toward a $15 million research facility on the South Troy waterfront that experts say will be a global model for river conservation. As a lone fisherman cast his line from a wharf in the background, Gov. David Paterson said the Madison Street site will anchor a $200 million network of sensors and underwater robotics along 315 miles of the Hudson River. “You can clean up the environment and rebuild at the same time,” said Paterson.
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OH – Strickland Celebrates Bipartisan Victory for Ohio. Gov. Ted Strickland and Republican legislative leaders have unveiled a compromise job stimulus package that would require less state borrowing to accomplish while still creating tens of thousands of new Ohio jobs. The $1.57 billion initiative would target funding to logistics and infrastructure improvements and work force training and related efforts. Additional monies would go to the Clean Ohio program (continuing funding that is set to expire this year), advanced energy and historic preservation. The governor and Republican legislative leaders believe the package will create about 57,000 jobs—a number they said was conservative. “This is in response to a national economic downturn that has affected every state and cost the nation jobs,” Strickland said, calling the revamped package a “bipartisan victory for the people of Ohio.”
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TN – Bredesen Promotes Pre-K Programs. Gov. Phil Bredesen was in East Tennessee promoting pre-k schooling. The governor is trying to squeeze out as much money as possible for the state-wide program which serves 17,000 at-risk children in 934 classes. “With the economy the way it is right now we’re having a very tough year. We’re going to have to cut 500 million from the budget, so I’m not going to be able to do as much for everything, and certainly not pre-k, as I wanted to. I’m certainly not going to cut it. I want to grow it some again this year to keep the momentum going, but it’s going to be a tough year the economy. It’s not something specific to Tennessee, it’s just a reflection of the national economy things are getting really tight.”
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VA – Kaine Seeks Emergency Funding for Storm Relief. Gov. Tim Kaine said he will seek emergency funding from the federal government to assist the state in its efforts to aid southeastern Virginia localities affected by yesterday’s tornadoes. Kaine characterized the damage to Suffolk, Colonial Heights and surrounding areas as “very, very serious devastation” and said it was “amazing” that there weren’t more serious injuries resulting from the storms, which severely damaged roughly 150 homes and resulted in more than 200 injuries.
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WI – Doyle Considers English Partnership to Fight Global Warming. Gov. Jim Doyle says Wisconsin and England might work together on research projects into global warming, and share information on ways to fight it. Doyle met with British environmental policymakers on his trade mission to England and Ireland and says the two could share data on new technologies to fight climate change and educate the public together on related issues.
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