Arkansas
August 17, 2006
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Jobs:
• Mike Beebe says jobs are the essence of opportunity for people, and central to the success of Arkansas. He says “Arkansas cannot afford to lose a single job – not one – to another state or another country.”
• Mike Beebe has pledged to increase the incomes of Arkansans at a growth pace greater than the national average, expand entrepreneurship and have a retention strategy to decrease plant closures and compete more effectively with neighboring states for new businesses and new jobs.
• Mike Beebe also says he will increase the number of workers with post secondary training so they are ready for a job when they enter the job force and prepared for new jobs in the future.
Education:
• Mike Beebe is encouraging additional educational consortia. A remarkable example of what can happen when educational institutions come together is the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium. Recognizing the need for a workforce with a specific type of education, community colleges, the Department of Health and Human Services, Workforce Education, and Economic Development Agencies, the federal government, and many others are working together to bring access to advanced automotive and manufacturing training to the Delta. Mike Beebe believes this collaboration will ensure that new jobs will be filled with productive and educated Arkansans, growing the economy while serving the needs of the community and its members. We will facilitate discussions among industry leaders and community colleges throughout the state to ensure that collaborations such as the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium can develop and thrive.
• Mike Beebe has said he will support early education by providing an additional $40 million annual appropriation for the growth of pre-k when the legislature is next in session, and continue to make state appropriations for each year afterward until the state has established a universal pre-k system that is supported by regular state revenues.
• Mike Beebe says he will convene a task force composed of teachers, parents, school district and school board representatives, child advocates, and the State Department of Education to assess the whats, wheres, and whens of after-school and summer programs.
