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Education Dive
The
50 States of Education Policy: A breakdown of governors' State of the
State addresses
With nearly all 50 governors having delivered their 2019 speeches, we
analyzed what they said about K-12 education and what it means for
potential policies.
Jessica Campisi
March 26, 2019
This latest column focuses on some of the key takeaways from what's
happened in state legislatures during the past month. Previous
installments of The 50 States of Education Policy, along with an
interactive map that breaks down policies in each state, can be found
here.
By the end of March, 48 of 50 governors will have delivered their 2019
State of the State addresses. For 19 of them — plus former educator and
current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — this year's State of the State is
their first since taking office. And while there's variation among
state officials and what they hope to conquer, as well as what their
states already have, education is a common thread across the nation.
An analysis by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) found that
all 48 governors who have delivered a State of the State address so far
this year mentioned education in some capacity, whether it was to tout
a victory or put forward a policy proposal.
Below are the biggest trends from this year's speeches and what they
mean for state education policy:
The main takeaways
Based on the ECS analysis, four overarching K-12 topics throughout
governors' addresses were school finance, teaching quality, early
learning and school safety.
School finance
At least 36 governors discussed school finance, ECS notes. California,
Maryland, Iowa and Utah governors pushed for significant increases in
education spending for the next fiscal year.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to inject more than
$80 billion into the state's public education system, while Maryland
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa
boasted record-high education funding. Hogan said his proposed budget,
for the fifth year in a row, "provides historic, record-high funding
for our schools," investing $32 billion in K-12. Reynolds mentioned her
state's record investment in K-12 in 2018.
Other governors — from Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska and Washington, among
others — talked of fully funding at least basic education. Arizona
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey moved to fully fund education in the state,
while Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Nebraska Republican Gov.
Pete Ricketts called for fully funding schools. Washington Democratic
Gov. Jay Inslee mentioned his state's "years-long effort to fully fund
basic education."
Many governors outlined proposed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year
that include increased spending for schools and specific K-12
initiatives.
Teaching quality
Another popular topic in State of the States was teaching — mentioned
by at least 26 governors, ECS notes — and, among other ideas, raising
teacher salaries and boosting recruitment and retention for
high-quality educators. More than 20 governors called for increasing
teacher pay, Education Week reports, with raises reaching as high as
20% in Arizona. Governors in Arkansas, Maine and New Mexico moved to
raise the minimum salary for teachers.
In addition, as states struggle to recruit and retain teachers,
governors suggested financial incentives, such as benefits, bonuses,
student loan repayments and investments in living wages. Maine
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt
called for changes to their states' respective teacher certification
processes.
In her address, Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey cited increased
funding for a math and science teacher education program, "which
provides a better pathway to certify future computer science teachers."
Early learning
At least 24 governors emphasized directing more money into
early-childhood education. Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker
praised his state, which "invested over $100 million in new funding
into our early education system," and New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil
Murphy said 4,000 more 3- and 4-year-olds are now in high-quality pre-K
programs. Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed increasing
Early Childhood Block Grant funding by $100 million, totaling $594
million.
The governors of Rhode Island and New Mexico also advocated for
universal pre-K in their states, while Mills of Maine proposed giving
all 4-year-olds access to pre-K programs.
School safety
School safety remains a trend in policymaking, as shown through at
least 18 governors' annual speeches. A major piece of these proposals
is adding more specialized staff — including both school resource
officers and more mental and behavioral health specialists.
Arizona, Nevada and South Carolina all saw State of the State addresses
that advocated for more security officers. Ducey of Arizona suggested
funding to put a police officer on every school campus in need of one,
while South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said funds were
increased so every public school in his state would have a trained
full-time law enforcement officer.
Governors in Indiana, Rhode Island South Carolina and Utah were among
those who talked about either expanding mental health initiatives in
schools, boosting funding for related programming and staff, and
ensuring that students have more of these resources and supports.
While Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo asked her state to
"ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and [to] ban guns in
schools," Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis advocated for the
state's legislature to support and enact the recommendations put forth
by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission,
which formed in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, shooting in
February 2018. Part of those recommendations includes arming teachers.
Other topics
ECS also notes a number of emerging trends: school health, high school
issues (including dropouts, Advanced Placement classes and college
readiness), technology and rural education.
What this means for state ed policy
With every governor mentioning education so far, it's evident this
continues to be a top subject nationwide. The past few years have seen
a surge in educator activism, as well as public awareness and support
for struggles teachers and administrators are facing, and this increase
in dialogue has transcended to policymaking.
As the top state executive, a governor holds a degree of power and
influence. While they can't single-handedly pass legislation, he or she
can certainly propose something, advocate for — or against — it, and
choose to sign or veto what's passed through a state legislature.
Outside the lawmaking process, what the governor deems a priority is
poised to get more attention than what isn't deemed a top concern.
This trend is a likely predictor of what might come up during the two
remaining addresses: that of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on
April 3 and of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on April 8. Walz, a
20-year classroom educator, has already presented his budget, which
noted increases in school funding, support for community schools and
more effort to recruit teachers of color. Edwards has also detailed
several education-related priorities, including raising teacher pay,
increasing school funding and recruiting more qualified educators.
Ultimately, education is, at the very least, on all governors' radars.
And with hundreds of education-related bills still moving through
committees and full chambers, these speeches suggest education will
continue to be a major focus in this legislative season.
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