[StBernard] Governor Blanco opens session focused on historic education agenda

[Westley Annis]

Governor Blanco opens session focused on historic education agenda
Calls for "High-Five" investment for academic success

BATON ROUGE - Calling on members of the Louisiana Legislature to chart a course for our future, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today outlined her priorities for the 2007 Regular Session of the Legislature. Topping her list is an historic education agenda designed to accelerate Louisiana's economic prosperity. 

"Education is our future," Governor Blanco said. "Right now, we can make the single largest increase in education funding ever in Louisiana's history. We can invest one-half of the new state money - over $600 million - in education. This investment will place Louisiana on center stage - where we belong - as education leaders." 

Gov. Blanco's education agenda calls for a High-Five investment for academic success: 

FIRST - Expand access to LA-4, Louisiana's Pre-K program, with $30 million in increased funding to serve every at-risk four-year-old. 
SECOND - Provide $15 million to fully fund BESE's high school redesign proposal with a goal of cutting high school dropout rates in half. 
THIRD - Get Louisiana's teachers to the SREB average by granting a $2,400 pay raise, giving our state the competitive salaries needed to recruit and retain good teachers. 
FOURTH - Make college affordable for everyone by investing $15 million in the state's first need-based financial aid program. 
FIFTH - Fully fund the higher education formula for the first time since 1981, giving Louisiana colleges and universities competitive funding and enhanced opportunities to serve more students. 

"If you make these five key education investments, you will give our students - and our state - a winning High-Five! And you will be proud to be known as the Education Legislature," Gov. Blanco said. 

The Governor also urged legislators to support the Blanco-Donelon plan for affordable insurance. With Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, the Governor crafted a package aimed at attracting more insurance companies to do business in Louisiana, and protect the consumers they insure. 

"Too many citizens were left abandoned by their insurance companies," she said. "These companies overreacted to a single event. This legislature can not go home without addressing our insurance crisis."

Gov. Blanco also asked legislators to invest in Louisiana's workforce by granting competitive pay to police, firefighters, and state workers - a $1,500 pay raise. She asked them to support her proposal to invest $450 million of the state surplus in road projects, and $200 million of this one-time money in coastal restoration and hurricane protection. 

Her health care package includes $184 million to expand insurance coverage for at-risk children, coordinate the care of the uninsured, and increase access to preventative care by investing in community health clinics. 

Gov. Blanco also presented her plan for targeted tax cuts to spur economic development, including a reduction of utility taxes on businesses, and a back to school sales tax holiday and child tax credit for families. She asked legislators to add another $100 million to the $300 million incentive fund to help lure a steel mill to Louisiana.

"We have an unprecedented opportunity before us," Gov. Blanco said. "We can address the insurance crisis, increase access to health care, expand economic development, cut taxes, and improve our roads and infrastructure. And we must seize this opportunity to make the historic investments in education that will define our future." 

Click here <http://www.gov.state.la.us/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&catID=4&articleID=2833>  to read the full text of Governor Blanco's address to the legislature.

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