O'Bannon plans for progress

INDIANAPOLIS -- In his fifth "State of the State Address," Gov. Frank O'Bannon addressed the concerns of Indiana residents and outlined his plans for "keeping Indiana in a state of progress."\nAlthough O'Bannon praised the state's "unprecedented economic growth," he urged citizens to prepare for a decline in the state's economic condition, as the national economy slows as a whole.\n"Because our economy is cooling down, our reserve is precariously low," O'Bannon said.\nAs the state prepares for a slowdown, O'Bannon proposed using $410 million of surplus gaming money to fund top spending programs, including education.\nO'Bannon referred to education as one of the state's most important priorities. He said he will strive to see higher student achievement from all schools and districts.\n"Focus, commitment, consensus cooperation are the essential ingredients of real (education) reform," he said.\nWhile speaking to members of the General Assembly, the governor attributed the change of direction in public schools to the creation of an "Education Roundtable."\nThe roundtable includes business, education and community leaders who meet periodically to discuss methods to improve Indiana's education system. Any changes they agree upon are recommended to the Board of Education.\n"Before the creation of the roundtable, experts characterized our standards as weak and confusing," O'Bannon said. "Before the roundtable, the Fordham Foundation gave Indiana an "F" for English and a "C" for math. And the Fordham Foundation now gives Indiana standards an "A" for English, an "A" for math and an "A" for science."\nWhile he gave a great deal of attention to K-12 schools, the governor did not make much reference to higher education. His proposed budget, which he submitted to the legislature last week, freezes funding to all state colleges during the next two years.\nEducation Proposals\nOne of his first budgetary proposals for his new term will include a $50 million school readiness program initiative, creating 500 master reading and math teachers for schools in need. It will offer schools flexibility with the age at which students enroll and subsidize full-day kindergarten. \nAnother proposal includes O'Bannon's "Ready to Read" initiative which will help fund summer programs, reading institutes and tutors for those students who struggle.\n"The 50 schools that make the most improvement in reading and math will be rewarded," he said. "Our students must not only be good scholars, but good citizens."\nTo ensure that schools continue on an upward trend toward progress, O'Bannon said he is proposing a $30 million teaching initiative. The goal will be to "fund professional development for teachers" in areas such as:\n • Reading and math achievement\n • Classroom management and discipline\n • National Board Certification\n • Character education\n"We need a budget that pays for the professional development that our teachers need and that our children deserve," he said. "This should be a top legislative priority and we must fund this program."\nAdvancing Indiana\nIn his current term, O'Bannon also said he will look toward advancing Indiana in terms of research and technology. He asked for continued support of the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund, which was created to boost economic development and support the advancement of research.\n"Indiana is reaping the rewards of our investments, and we can't stop now," he said. "We need to reauthorize the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund and invest $50 million in it over the next two years."\nAnother proposal necessary for advancing Indiana, O'Bannon said, is the passage of the 2016 Skills Program. These state training programs have helped more than 700 companies retain 200,000 workers, he said.\nDuring O'Bannon's time as governor, Indiana also saw the implementation of Crossroads 2000. O'Bannon called this program the "largest single infrastructure investment in Indiana history."\nThe program, which has improved roads and bridges throughout the state, will continue to receive funding, if O'Bannon has his way. He's asking the legislature for an additional $310 during the next two years.\nAfterthoughts\nFirst lady Judy O'Bannon thanked the numerous volunteers who have stood by her and her husband throughout the years. She recalled how she has listened to her husband speak for 43 years and how lovely it is to return from the state chambers to be embraced by thousands of supporters.\n"You are the people who are not going to leave us now when the best is yet to come," she said.\nAlong with legislators and local residents who listened to the State of the State Address, some high school students attended the speech at the encouragement of their government teacher.\n Republican response to the governor's speech was lukewarm.\n"We need to have a clearly articulated vision of the next 10 years of the future of Indiana," said House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis. "While we worked on things this evening, the vision is lacking"