Opportunity to Learn: College, Knowledge, and the American Dream

I wanted to make sure you saw this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch op-ed by Tom Farrell and Heywood Fralin expressing their support for Governor McDonnell’s budget initiative for higher education and economic opportunity. Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman and CEO of Dominion, chairs Governor Bob McDonnell’s Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment. W. Heywood Fralin, chairman of Medical Facilities of America Inc., leads the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

The text and link to this commentary are included below.

We hope you enjoy this great piece about the Governor’s efforts to make college more affordable and accessible for Virginia students, and please it around to your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers!

Thank you very much for your continued support!

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/oped/2012/feb/15/tdopin02-college-knowledge-and-the-american-dream-ar-1688982/

College, Knowledge, and the American Dream

By: TOM FARRELL, HEYWOOD FRALIN | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: February 15, 2012 Updated: February 15, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Not since Gov. Mills Godwin launched the community college system a half-century ago has a Virginia governor put higher education at the top of his budget priorities.

Now, as the General Assembly prepares to act on Gov. Bob McDonnell’s budget proposals, our commonwealth is poised to take another crucial step forward: investing in a 21st-century higher education system that can help expand the Virginia economy and revitalize the American Dream.

As a candidate, McDonnell highlighted the connection between college-degree attainment and Virginia’s success in the competitive, knowledge-based economy of the new century. He spoke of a college degree not as the only path to fulfillment but as an avenue of opportunity that should be open to all capable and committed Virginia students.

He noted higher education’s unequaled return on investment and stressed the need to reverse a decade of disinvestment in which per-student state support at four-year colleges had been cut roughly in half, forcing tuition higher.

Finally, in proposing a sustained program of reform-based investment, he challenged college administrators, business leaders and state officials to partner actively for greater innovation and efficiency, so that a nationally acclaimed Virginia higher education system can become more productive and have a broader economic impact.

Candidate McDonnell’s vision was widely shared by the commonwealth’s business leaders, many of whom had been advocating such a forward-looking approach for years. Now, that vision is well on its way to becoming a reality, thanks to a promise-keeping governor and supportive General Assembly who put Virginians first and partisan politics second.

Last year, the legislature unanimously enacted McDonnell’s blueprint for Virginia’s higher-education renaissance. The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 (“Top Jobs Act”) codified recommendations of the governor’s higher education commission and committed the commonwealth to an ambitious but achievable goal of conferring 100,000 more college degrees on Virginia students over the next 15 years.

While the new degrees touch all disciplines, the “Top Jobs” legislation places increased emphasis on degrees in high-demand areas that are essential for American competitiveness, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health care (“STEM-H”).

It provides for expanded partnerships in research, workforce training and business recruitment that will fuel economic development and job creation, and it promotes innovative and affordable new pathways to college degrees for more in-state students.

The landmark statute also institutionalizes reform. It requires more efficient year-round utilization of college facilities, ties resources to improving graduation and retention rates, rewards increased enrollment, and promotes technology-enhanced instruction and resource-sharing across institutions.

The key to the “Top Jobs” legislation’s success will be sustained state support.

Gov. McDonnell has proposed $230 million in new funding during the coming biennium — part of a long-term investment strategy that will enhance instructional quality, expand economic impact, and enlarge affordable access for deserving students from throughout Virginia.

Since passage of the Top Jobs legislation, key stakeholders have worked to flesh out a higher education funding model that implements the new statute and integrates the individual colleges’ strategic plans.

The result is a balanced plan that incorporates performance incentives, funds enrollment growth, rewards collaboration and efficiency, and supports innovative local initiatives in STEM-H, research and other Top Jobs priorities. It also begins restoring state-level base funding to reduce reliance on tuition, increases financial aid, and enhances tuition grants for students attending independent colleges.

The governor’s budget proposals are supported by the hundreds of public-spirited citizens and community leaders who make up the bipartisan Grow By Degrees coalition (http://www.growbydegrees.org), led by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

Young people are also voicing support. Last week, the Virginia21 student organization presented petitions bearing more than 10,000 signatures of young people whose studies are shadowed by fears of a jobless recovery and mountains of student debt.

The governor’s plan admittedly is not a panacea. K-12 schools have to do a better job of producing college- and career-ready graduates. Career and technical education, rather than college, is the right path for many young people. Even a Virginia higher education system that ranks high nationally needs to get more out of each tax and tuition dollar.

But Gov. McDonnell has picked the right place to plant the flag for Virginia’s future!

In the knowledge-based economy, growing enterprises will locate facilities in countries, states and communities with the best-prepared workforces. For many of these expanding businesses, the litmus test will be the availability of employees with college degrees in demanding disciplines.

Many parents worry that their children will not enjoy the same opportunities as prior generations. They fear the American dream is dimming.

But that dream doesn’t belong to sleepy citizens or a complacent commonwealth. It is a dream to be seized and shaped by people of vision and vigor. It is a dream that comes to those who will work for it, study and train for it, and invest in it.

Gov. McDonnell has crafted a reform-based investment program for higher education that is right for Virginia’s economic future. In time, it may well be a model for national renewal as well.

Let’s pass it promptly and get to work making the American Dream a reality for a new generation of young Virginians.

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman and CEO of Dominion, chairs Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment. W. Heywood Fralin, chairman of Medical Facilities of America Inc., leads the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

17 days

It is our turn - On March 6th, Virginia will help decide who should challenge Barack Obama for the White House. We need a candidate who has the proven leadership skills to turn our country around; A leader who has balanced budgets, cut spending, reduced taxes and created jobs. And that is why I Stand with Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney has achieved tremendous successes as a job-creating businessman, head of the U.S. Olympics and as Governor of Massachusetts. Mitt Romney is a results-oriented conservative with a record that I am honored to support. Now, I hope you’ll join me in this support and help work over the next 3 weeks to win Virginia for Mitt Romney and put our nation on the path to a better future.

There are many ways for you to get involved:

1. Sign up for a MY MITT account to stay informed with the national, state and local campaign.

2. Connect with your local Romney Team by contacting (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

3. Call from Home - Spend a few minutes each day contacting Virginia voters and letting them know why you support Governor Romney.

4. Visit our Virginia State Page for updates on activities, endorsements and events.

Every vote counts—trust me I know this well!. Now, Mitt needs yours. Absentee voting has already started and election day is March 6th. Please be sure to ask your friends, family and neighbors to vote for the results-oriented conservative leader our nation needs in the White House, Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney believes in opportunity. He knows it’s the private sector that creates the good jobs our citizens need and deserve. As a businessman he created over 100,000 jobs. As a Governor he closed a $3 billion deficit and cut taxes 19 times. He has built a record of results. He has a positive, conservative vision for the future. America needs Mitt Romney. Together, let’s do our part in Virginia to elect him as the next President of the United States.

I need your help

I am writing to ask for your help in ensuring that each student in Virginia has access to a quality education, no matter where they live, no matter what their zip code may be.

Access to education, and our citizens and our economy depend upon the success of our K-12 education system. In an increasingly competitive global economy, students must graduate from high school being either college ready or career ready.

As the General Assembly session reaches the half-way point next week, we approach a critical time in the effort to move landmark education legislation forward. This year I put forward a number of important proposals that will enhance teacher quality and reward the great teachers we are so fortunate to have in our classrooms, build upon successful legislation in 2011 that expands charter, virtual and college lab schools, and continue to work toward our responsibility – providing each child with a world class education.

My full Opportunity to Learn agenda is below. I need your help in communicating to the General Assembly why this legislation is key to the success of each and every student and family in Virginia. 

Please take a few minutes and contact your legislator. Your help is critical in bringing real improvements to our public schools

Who’s My Legislator?

http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

House of Delegates Contact Information:

http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios.nsf/MWebsiteTL?OpenView

Senate of Virginia Contact Information:

http://apps.lis.virginia.gov/sfb1/Senate/TelephoneList.aspx

I hope you each had a teacher that inspired and challenged you to work hard; I know I certainly had many teachers that made me a better student. I want that for each and every student that attends a Virginia school. Until then, we have a shared responsibility to demand the best for our students.

Sincerely,

Bob McDonnell
Governor of Virginia

Enhancing Teacher Quality…

Recognize Exceptional Teachers – HB576 (Richard P. Bell) / SB438 (Obenshain): This bi-partisan issue is critical for ensuring continued success and quality of Virginia’s education system. This bill establishes a eliminates the continuing contract, better known as teacher tenure and provide for a three year contract that prioritizes professional development opportunities and reward good teachers. It will allow for a new evaluation system to work by attracting and retaining the top tiered educators in our K-12 public schools.

Expanding Education Opportunities for Virginia Students…

Scholarships for low-income students — HB321 (Massie) / SB241 (Obenshain): This bill provides tax credits to companies that contribute to the educational improvement scholarship fund for low-income students.

Innovative Technical Advisory Group – HB 756 (Dance): This bill establishes a group of national experts to review and give guidance to potential applicants and the Board during the planning process for charter schools, college partnership lab schools and virtual school programs. The Governor provided $201,624 over the biennium to support the work of this group.

Public Charter Schools – HB 1173 (Lingamfelter) / SB 440 (Obenshain): Legislation would require a minimum of 90% of the cost per child to follow student to an approved charter school. Local school board must allow public charter schools to lease or purchase vacant or unused properties.

Funding Virtual Schools – HB 1272 (Richard P. Bell) / SB 598 (Newman): This bill creates a new funding model for virtual school programs by requiring 76% of local share to follow student to the approved virtual school.

Streamline Regulations Governing Virtual Schools – HB 1215 (Richard P. Bell): This bill requires the Board of Education to promulgate regulations for accrediting virtual schools.

Reduce Burdens on Virtual School Teachers – HB 578 (Richard P. Bell): This bill requires the Board of Education to develop alternative licensure for teachers who teach only online courses. This bill recognizes the unique skills required to teach virtual courses and maintains high standards.

College Lab Schools – HB765 (Peace) / SB475 (Locke): This legislation reduces barriers for Virginia’s public schools and  authorizes a partnership between local school boards and institutions of higher education amending the College Lab Legislation to permit any institution of higher education the ability to partner with a local school division

Remove Barriers for Home school Students—HB 947 (Robert B.  Bell): This bill will ensure that home school students will be permitted to participate in interscholastic organizations.

Provide School Calendar Flexibility—HB 1063 (Tata): Allow local school divisions to set their own calendar, thus providing more instructional time before major milestones.

Funding…

• Provide additional funding to support the Early Intervention and Reading Initiative
• Require local school divisions to include in their existing reports to the Department of Education how their financial resources are being allocated
• Provide $2 million in additional funding in FY 13 and FY14 for the Communities in Schools program to expand to Hampton Roads, Petersburg, southwest Virginia, northern Virginia, and Danville. Expansion would also include adding regional field support personnel, on-going state-wide training and technical assistance, and annual total quality system standards reviews.
• Provide $1.8 million in funding in FY 13 and FY14 for 10th graders to take the PSAT and partner with College Board to conduct statewide workshops on using the results to increase AP participation and SAT scores.
• Provide $770, 276 for the expansion of the PluggedInVA model to all 8 superintendents’ regions in the state. PluggedInVA involves enrolling adults both in local GED programs in divisions and also in industry certification programs at the community colleges.
• Provide $80,000 in FY13 to provide planning and first year start-up funding in FY13 for Health Sciences academies.
• Provide $135,794 for the Positive Youth Development Academy pilot program for rising 9th and 10th graders in selected regions of the Commonwealth
• Fund a request for proposals to develop an elementary education preK-6 approved program with a major in mathematics, sciences, or integrated sciences and mathematics and middle/secondary approved programs focusing on the preparation of mathematics and science teachers. The programs must be led by public or private colleges or universities, including collaboration of local school divisions, with preference to a consortia model. Programs will provide support to prospective teachers in completing a program within a four-year baccalaureate degree, offer tuition incentives, and promote distribution of high quality teachers across the Commonwealth.
• Provide $600,000 in funding for incentive awards for teachers in STEM areas. A new teacher with an endorsement in mathematics, physics, or technology education assigned to a teaching position in a corresponding STEM subject area is eligible to receive a $5,000 initial incentive award after the completion of the first year of teaching with a satisfactory performance evaluation and a signed contract for the following school year. An additional $1,000 incentive award may be granted for each year the eligible teacher receives a satisfactory evaluation and teaches a STEM subject for up to three years (maximum incentive award is $8,000). Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis with preference to teachers assigned to teach in hard-to-staff schools or schools in improvement.

Governor McDonnell also committed more than $300 million to support the state’s commitment to teacher retirement.

Great poll and behind the scenes

I wanted to make sure you saw two great news items that just came out about Governor McDonnell.  Quinnipiac University just released another statewide poll of Virginia voters which found, “…Gov. Bob McDonnell remains among the most popular chief state executives in any state surveyed by Quinnipiac University, with a 58 - 24 percent job approval rating.”  This impressive job number includes 3-1 approval from independent voters!  I’ve included the poll at this link.

Additionally, Lorenzo Hall of CBS 6 Richmond recently spent the day with Governor McDonnell for a behind-the-scenes special report on Virginia’s chief executive.

From meetings with legislators, speaking with student groups, radio shows, policy briefings, national interviews and more, see firsthand how Governor McDonnell handles what Hall calls the “juggling act” or “chess game” of being Governor of Virginia.

We hope you enjoy both pieces of great news about Governor McDonnell, and please pass them around to friends, family, neighbors and coworkers!

Thank you very much for your continued support!

Get to know Bob

The Governor recently took a few moments to answer some lighthearted, non-political questions from CNN’s Candy Crowley for a feature she does called Getting to Know….. We thought you might have an interest in taking a look at this “lighter side” interview! 

We hope you enjoy it - please feel free to pass it around to your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers, and thank you very much for your continued support!