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SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a series of education and business proposals and priority shifts during her State of the State address Monday morning, outlining the ways she believes the state can expand economic prosperity to all through education programs.
At the heart of her address is “Future Ready Oregon,” her new five-step agenda to refocus education on graduating students from high school by preparing them for open jobs in technical careers, and putting $300 million toward those classes in the next budget.
These efforts will be especially directed toward rural areas and communities of color, including Oregon’s Native American tribes.
“For too many in Oregon, the American Dream has become the Impossible Dream,” Brown said. “It seems no matter how much you work, it’s very hard to get ahead.”
Brown laid out for the joint legislative session and assembled guests the situation she has seen in the state: Families are struggling to make ends meet with low-paying jobs, while technical job creators want to hire more people into well-paying careers but are forced to look out of state for employees.
This skills gap in the state is the “opportunity” Brown wants to take advantage of.
She noted that 86 percent of high schoolers in Oregon who had hands-on education, including career technical courses, graduated high school, 10 points above the state’s overall rate. Oregon has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country.
A high school degree or equivalent is the focus because the occupations driving economic growth are jobs that don’t require a college degree: advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, healthcare, bioscience and IT services.
Brown laid out a five-pronged plan to achieve her goal: create high-tech apprenticeships, incentivize rural construction, build more home in rural communities so people can live near those new job, focus growth on often overlooked communities and align education with entry-level job qualifications.
“By working together, we can ensure that economic prosperity reaches every single corner of the state,” Brown said, one of her speech’s handful of applause lines.
In a statement, House Republicans seemed more concerned about the problems Brown didn't bring up. They criticized her for not mentioning the millions of misspent dollars by the Oregon Health Authority, for not providing a plan on how to fix the state's foster care system, and for only giving passing reference to the massive PERS unfunded liability.
“It’s hard to appreciate Gov. Brown’s future aspirations for our state when she has failed to address so many problems here in the present," House Republican Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, said in a statement.
House Democrats, meanwhile, were complimentary of the speech, saying Brown's intent to expand economic opportunity in the state matched their various legislative goals for this session.
“I stand with Gov. Kate Brown and her vision for an Oregon where everyone, regardless of where they live, has the ability to succeed and thrive," House Democratic Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, said in a statement. "We must continue to capitalize on our success and make progress for Oregon’s future."
Toward the end of her address, Brown offered a strong rebuke of some policies coming out of Washington, D.C. She promised to protect Oregon's immigrants and Dreamers, maintain health care coverage in the state and preserve public lands.
Contact the reporter at cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich
