Budget Address by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, excerpted:
"I am proposing to merge the vo-tech high school and community college systems, together with the state’s Office of Workforce Competitiveness, to create the Middle College System – a system of coordinated academic programs that bridge the gap between high school and higher education, allowing students to earn 60 college credits within five years of starting high school.
"Middle College students would have access to state-of-the-art facilities and gain college-level experience tuition free.
"My proposal lights a clear path to success for more than 10,000 students now in Connecticut’s vo-tech high school system and will sharply improve the graduation rates and career prospects for our community college students – all while ensuring that a skilled work force will be in place to help us achieve economic success. . . .
"The heart of what we do, not just as a government, but as friends and neighbors, is the basic part and the best part of our humanity. . . .
"We can help people put food on the table but we also need to help get them back to work – temporarily and permanently.
"For the short term, I am setting aside $7.5 million in the budget to bring back an old idea – one that dates back to the Depression, one in which my own father participated: the CCC, or Civilian Conservation Corps.
"In our case it would be the Connecticut Conservation Corps and we would hire people in need of work, particularly those with dependents, and pay them a decent wage to help with projects such as cleaning beaches and clearing trails at state parks.
"Good and honest work on projects we need undertaken in exchange for good and honest wages that some need to support their families.
"The program has not yet been finalized but money has been set aside in the budget. I ask your help, as the legislature, to craft a formal and final plan with me so that we can put it into place by July 1.
"I also ask your help in another area. As I have said repeatedly, we need to position Connecticut to soar when our economy recovers. That means making Connecticut the best place to do business and making sure we have the nation’s most well-trained work force. . . .
"I am also proposing we combine our two financing agencies – the Connecticut Development Authority and Connecticut Innovations – into the new Connecticut Economic Innovations Authority. . . "
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