Education and unemployment in Idaho will be Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s focus as 2012 takes off.
Otter addressed the Idaho congress in the annual State of the State address Jan. 9.
“I want to see an Idaho focused not on scarcity or what we lack, but on a more prosperous and hopeful future for all of us,” Otter said. “It’s with that Idaho in mind that I set my top two budget and policy priorities for 2012 and this legislative session. And the reality is, those two priorities are inseparable — jobs and education.”
Otter said everything the Idaho legislature plans to do this year will impact his top two priorities.
“And while what government can do is limited, as it should be, we can and will do a better job of reaching out to our businesses and employers as partners in this effort,” Otter said.
Otter said Project 60 will take on new life and be the forefront of the effort to focus on unemployment and education. He said Jeff Sayer, the new director of the Department of Commerce, will bring private-sector entrepreneurial experience, renewed energy, and commitment to actively engaging with the people who make Idaho’s economy and communities work. “(Sayer and Roger Mason, Department of Labor) understand that the role of government — effective government — is not to create dependency, but rather to facilitate opportunity,” Otter said.
Otter said he also plans to implement a new program in 2012 called IGEM. The Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission is based off successful programs in other states, and is intended to support universities and communities as well as Idaho businesses.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel here. We’re just perfecting it for our universities, our communities, and more of our Idaho businesses,” Otter said.
Otter said IGEM involves industry, entrepreneurs, higher education, the Idaho National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies.
“Together, their focus will be on creating value on our campuses that will help our existing businesses grow, nurture the startup of new businesses, and create more jobs and opportunities for Idaho,” Otter said.
Otter said this will require a commitment, targeted investment and significant cultural change in how Idaho’s universities approach research and working with industry. He said he appreciates the university presidents and State Board of Education for supporting the process of implementing IGEM, including funding collaborative research aimed at job creation.
“I’m additionally proposing to fully fund the cost of enrollment growth going forward at our universities, colleges and community colleges,” Otter said. “And it’s my recommendation that we fully fund the cost of moving into and operating new facilities on those schools’ campuses.”
Otter said this solution will address the top priorities identified by the presidents of higher education institutions in Idaho.
In his budget, Otter also proposed setting aside $60 million in the Public Education Stabilization Fund, the Budget Stabilization Fund, and the new Higher Education Stabilization Fund in order to prepare for the next unforeseen downturn in the economy.
“That will help us maintain the kind of fiscal stability, certainty and responsibility that Idahoans deserve and employers look for in their state government,” Otter said.
University of Idaho president M. Duane Nellis said he is heartened by Otter’s emphasis on higher education in his budget.
“It’s also encouraging that the governor — as outlined in his State of the State address — recognizes the significant role that higher education can play in improving Idaho’s economy,” Nellis said. “The past few years have presented ongoing budget challenges for all of public higher education in Idaho and with the governor’s budget recommendations made public, we are hopefully at a positive turning point.”