Napolitano seeks to improve state education, cost of living

September 27, 2005
NEWS
Napolitano seeks to improve state education, cost of living

Michael Rich
Mesa Legend

During an East Valley Policy Forum held at Mesa Community College on Sept. 12, Gov. Janet Napolitano said education is the greatest challenge the people of Arizona face.
“We set expectations too low when all we talk about is reducing the drop out rate,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano stressed the importance of Arizona students’ not only graduating high school, but moving on to sources of higher education. “The earlier you can reach and stimulate a child’s mind, the higher the likelihood is for success in all aspects of that child’s life,” said Napolitano.
Napolitano’s plan for better education in Arizona starts with her new P-20 counsel.
The P-20 council is a committee of leaders from all levels of the education system. It is designed to help modernize Arizona schools, better prepare students for the future and ensure that quality teachers keep teaching. Napolitano hopes that with the help of this new council she can raise the achievement level of education in Arizona.
Arizona community colleges becoming four-year universities is another hot topic Napolitano responded to. Napolitano believes one or two of the community colleges in Arizona need to be transformed into four-year universities.
“The issue is extremely difficult because we do not want to dilute the mission statements of our community colleges, so educators need to look at the colleges and figure out which are best suited to become four-year universities,” said Napolitano.
Another issue Napolitano discussed is the rising cost of living and the escalating prices of homes in Arizona with little change in the average income level.
Napolitano believes that housing communities need to have mixed pricing brackets so the people that serve the Arizona communities can afford to live in those communities.
“The average family has not received a raise in the past two years but the cost of living has risen drastically,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano believes that further-educating the Arizona work force will lead to higher salaries for workers. “It is also important, with the growth taking place in the Valley right now, to ensure the proper steps are taken to maintain the Arizona style of life,” Napolitano said.
The governor also spoke about giving our communities the resources to plan and develop communities effectively. This includes information regarding the distribution and managing of water resources.
“If the all the states can come together so quickly to help the victims of (Hurricane) Katrina, there is no reason why Arizona cannot move equally as fast to improve the quality of life for its citizens,” Napolitano said.