Rell: Invest In Education To Stimulate Jobs

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell is angry about recent developments in Connecticut's economy. And that might be an understatement.

After news of job losses, company closings and the Marine One helicopter contract being taken away from Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Rell told business leaders and educators Monday that it is time to fight back.

"Here's a headline for you, and I mean it most sincerely: Governor Rell is mad as hell," she said at a "jobs summit" at the University of Hartford.

In an effort to stimulate future job growth in Connecticut, Rell made a series of proposals primarily aimed at education investment. Rell, who will deliver her budget to the General Assembly next week, promised a "major investment" in early childhood education. Educators have been pushing for more preschool programs, saying children in urban school districts are arriving unprepared for school. They also claim students will be better prepared for careers and less likely to go to jail.

"We need more people with solid skills in math, science and technology, and too few of our young people are excelling in these areas," Rell said. "Some youngsters who might excel in those areas do not have the chance because our urban schools are failing them."

Rell also said she plans to push for a program to forgive education loans for teachers who commit to working in cities. She also said that the state's colleges and universities need to bolster ties to businesses to create cutting-edge technological opportunities.

State Education Commissioner Betty Sternberg said she was encouraged by Rell's commitment to early childhood education. Sternberg, a former kindergarten teacher, wants to offer preschool in the state's neediest school districts to children whose families cannot afford it. Lawmakers have questioned whether the plan is feasible amid the projected budget deficit, but Sternberg has said she believes the state needs to at least lay groundwork for the initiative.

"I think this governor's going to place resources this way," Sternberg said. "The more you get the better, and you wait for the economic context to get better."

The state has been looking for answers to a sluggish economy and job losses. Job recovery has been sluggish in Connecticut since 2000, when the national economy began a downturn that was accelerated by the terrorist attacks a year later. The state recently got some good news, though, as the jobless rate decreased in December to 4.3 percent, the lowest in more than two years. The unemployment rate was down from 4.7 percent in November, well below the 5.4 percent registered nationally in December.

Lawmakers have also proposed a variety of legislation this session to bolster the economy. One bill would force the Department of Economic and Community Development to make sure federal, state and local agencies are coordinated on development work, while another would create a statewide economic strategy. Rell and lawmakers have also backed investments in stem cell research, and others have suggested investing in nanotechnology. In the next several years, Connecticut will have to contend with an aging work force, said Don Klepper-Smith, chief economist with the New Haven-based business consultant Scillia, Dowling & Natarelli Advisers. Data show that entry-level workers between the ages of 20 to 34 are the ones the state is losing, while between 15,000 and 18,000 people are scheduled to enter the age bracket of 50 to 64 annually for the next several years.

"If we're going to have a world-class economy, it starts off with a world-class work force with world-class skills," he said.

Rell's proposals got a cool reception from at least one Democrat, who criticized the governor for not working with lawmakers on ideas to stimulate job recovery.

"She's bringing us in at the end," said state Sen. Gary LeBeau, D-East Hartford, co-chairman of the legislature's Commerce Committee. "I've got no ownership of this plan, and neither does the legislature. That doesn't mean these ideas won't be given fair consideration, but just because the governor says she wants it doesn't mean it's going to happen."

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