Governor Gregoire Addresses the League of Women Voters Annual Lobby Day (As Written)

January 19, 2007

Thanks for inviting me here today and for all that you do to strengthen our democratic system. I have enjoyed participating in your candidate forums and appreciate the many ways you connect the public both to their elected officials and to candidates.

I�m happy to take this opportunity to talk about my plans for improving our education system.

As you may have heard me say, Washington is more like a small nation than a state and I truly believe that if we are to continue to succeed in today�s economy, we need to change our education system.

Our current system is not equipping Washington students with the skills they need to compete in the global economy. Our students are falling behind international standards, particularly in the areas of math and science, and our employers can�t find enough qualified people to fill their jobs.

The goal of Washington Learns is to prepare our children for today�s economy by building a world-class, learner-focused, seamless system that educates more people to higher levels.

So this is how I hope to do it:

First, we need to build on the progress we�ve made in emphasizing early learning by adding more early learning slots for kids than we have in almost two decades. The research is clear. For every dollar we invest in early childhood education we get $8 in return with children who are more likely to graduate from high school and college, get a good job and raise their families and less likely to get stuck in our social service net or the criminal justice system.

Washington Learns also recognizes that we need to dramatically increase our investment in math & science learning. The top jobs in the new economy require an understanding of math and science, so our math and science curriculum must prepare students to meet state and international standards. To make this happen, we�re going to reduce math and science class sizes, hire 750 new teachers statewide in math and science, and provide more training for those teachers who are already doing this important work.

We also need to change the way we educate our children by personalizing education to meet their individual learning styles and interests. New approaches like the LASER program, which provides hands-on science instruction, will be extended to 1,000 more Kindergarten through 8th Grade classrooms. And we�re also going to use technology, both online and in the classroom, to provide more interactive learning opportunities for our children,

A high school education in the future may not be enough to find a good job. That�s why we need to continue our investment in running start for the trades, our school-to-work partnerships and mentoring programs to provide the kinds of specialized skills our economy needs. By providing more information, opportunities and financial aid to our students, we can build a workforce that fills the jobs that are in high demand today such as nursing, construction, and engineering.

Finally, an emphasis on quality and accountability must guide our efforts to change the education system in our state. We cannot simply throw money at the status quo. We need to make reforms that show us real, measurable results.

The budget I have proposed encompasses these necessary changes, investing $2.4 billion over what was provided in the last two-year budget for education, including $1.7 billion alone for Kindergarten through 12th Grade. We�re providing an increase in per student funding of 14% or $864 over what was provided in the last two-year budget.

I thank you for your interest in this important subject and ask for your help in realizing these changes. To implement these crucial changes, I need your help. Talk to your legislators today about this. Let them know that you care about improving opportunities for our kids and that the future of our state depends on investing in our young people.

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