Business Leaders Applaud Legislature’s Support for Education

February 24, 2012
Author: utahpulse.com
http://utahpulse.com/view/full_story/17642533/article-Business-Leaders-Applaud-Legislature%E2%80%99s-Support-for-Education?instance=featured_home_pulse

pros 

02/23/2012

With just 13 days remaining in the 2012 General Legislative Session, business leaders supporting the Prosperity 2020 movement praised lawmakers for their support of education and called for action on three legislative items.

“Our long-term prosperity depends in part on the decisions made in this Capitol,” said Mark Bouchard, chair of the Prosperity 2020 movement and senior managing director of CBRE. “Today we call for action on optional all-day kindergarten, reducing the financial burden on college students and mission-based funding for colleges and universities.”

Already this session, Legislators have advanced education in several ways. Several key bills are making their way through the Legislature, setting clear goals by implementing ACT testing for 8th, 10th and 11th graders (S.B. 10); measuring progress by implementing computer adaptive testing (H.B. 15 and S.B. 97); and evaluating performance to provide new teacher evaluation tools (S.B. 64).

“It is a business principle that you cannot improve anything unless you can measure it,” said Bouchard. “These measurement tools are critical first steps toward improving our educational performance.”

The Legislature has also advanced bills in favor of fair competition, providing pay increases for public and higher education; to embrace innovation, strengthening mathematics and science education, including investment in the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR), and by investing in people, supporting Success Stipends and Scholarships.

Heading into the home stretch of the legislative session, business leaders also encouraged members of the Legislature to support three additional measures.

Optional extended kindergarten

Optional all-day kindergarten is a fundamental and essential investment in ensuring that 90 percent of our students are proficient in reading and math by the end of third and sixth grades, one of the main goals of the Prosperity 2020 movement. Utah has shown strong leadership over the last several years to make all-day kindergarten available for disadvantaged students. 

“It is critical that students get started right, or they will be at a disadvantage their entire educational careers,” said Deborah Bayle, president and CEO of the United Way of Salt Lake. “Students who drop out of high school start down that path in elementary school if they can’t keep up with their peers in reading and math.”

Reduce financial burden on college students

Students are paying an increasing share of the costs for higher education. Just 10 years ago, the state paid 75 percent of the cost of students’ education.  Today, the state pays 52 percent of costs and students pay 48 percent.

“It has a trickle effect into our entire economy,” said Bouchard. “Young people are delayed in being able to invest in homes and support their families. Early excess debt is an albatross to their entire professional careers.”


Mission based funding

Every one of our colleges and universities has a distinctive mission.  To achieve the goals set by Prosperity 2020, we need to invest in technical education, research funding and other unique missions of each institution.   This will enable students to flourish, and will ensure that our research institutions continue to innovate, spinning off businesses and jobs for our future economy.

MORE LIKE THIS

Education gets a boost, but preschool advances remain elusive
March 16, 2013 Author: Benjamin Wood | Deseret News Education funding received a boost at the 2013 Legislature, but specific attention to preschool development for children, caps on class sizes and time for teachers to seek innovative solutions were defeated and remain elusive goals for educators.
Prisoners to preschoolers: Government funding gets innovative
March 13, 2013 Author: Rachel Lewis | KSL SALT LAKE CITY — It's common for governments to issue bonds to raise money from the private sector for projects like building a bridge, library or zoo. But this legislative session, Utah State Senator Aaron Osmond (R-South Jordan) proposed a bill with an innovative solution similar to a bond. However, instead of just a financial return, a social return is also expected in order for investors to get their money back.
Utah preschool advocates show support before upcoming debate
March 4, 2013 Author: Lisa Schencker | The Salt Lake Tribune Parent, teacher and business groups support it, as do at least two Republican lawmakers. Now, the question is whether the rest of the Utah Legislature will give a thumbs up to a bill to create a preschool program for at-risk kids in Utah.
Give. Donate to United Way.
Advocate. Champion the Cause.
Volunteer. Be the Change.
Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Face Book Watch us on You Tube Visit The Hub

MEDIA CONTACT INFORMATION

Jerilyn Stowe
Vice President of Marketing & Communication jerilyn@uw.org 801.736.7709