State of the States (National) summaries of recent annual addresses by governors
State of the States (National) summaries of recent annual addresses by governors
January 17, 2012
Summaries of recent annual addresses by governors
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/01/18/17sos.h31.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell gestures as he delivers his State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers in Richmond last week. The Republican devoted much of his speech to education.
—Steve Helber/AP
ARIZONA
Gov. Janice K. Brewer (R) • Jan. 9
In her State of the State address to Arizona lawmakers, Gov. Janice K. Brewer made no specific policy announcements about K-12 education, highlighting instead the state's role as a "leader in allowing parents to choose a school that best meets their children's needs."
The governor pledged to provide "quality teachers, a safe environment, a setting of a parent's choosing, data-driven decisions, and the highest of standards," in the state's public schools, but offered no specifics about how she would deliver on those promises.
Gov. Brewer also promised that the additional 1 cent sales tax she had supported in 2010 to help the state weather the economic recession would expire in 2013 as scheduled. Two-thirds of the revenue generated by that tax has gone toward the state's public schools. The governor did not say how the state would make up for the loss of those funds for public schools.
—Lesli A. Maxwell
FLORIDA
Gov. Rick Scott (R) • Jan. 10
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who oversaw major cuts to school funding last year, is now asking state lawmakers to boost spending on education, though Democrats say his proposal doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
The first-term Republican, in his annual State of the State address, reiterated his call for increasing spending on schools by $1 billion annually, a plan that would boost per-student funding by about 2 percent, to $6,372.
In a speech that was otherwise heavy on anti-tax and anti-government themes, Gov. Scott said he was proposing increased funding for schools in response to calls from state residents.
"I heard one thing very clearly, over and over," said Mr. Scott, according to his prepared remarks. "Floridians truly believe that support for education is the most significant thing we can do to ensure both short-term job growth and long-term economic prosperity for our state."
Last year, the governor and the state's gop majority in the legislature angered teachers by approving deep cuts to K-12 spending, and laws that phased out tenure and implemented merit pay for teachers and required them to pay more for pensions.
Florida Democrats greeted Gov. Scott's call for new education funing skeptically, saying he was proposing to raise funding for schools by gutting other government programs, particularly in health care. Those gains would not fill the hole left by earlier cuts, they argued. Nan Rich, the Democratic minority leader in the state Senate, said the governor's budget created a "false choice, pitting our hospitals against our teachers."
—Sean Cavanagh