If you build it, they will come. But who? From where?

The Utah State Legislature had the foresight to approve USTAR (Utah Science, Technology And Research) — a $200 million economic development initiative. They thought it critical in order for Utah to compete in the new economy where knowledge and innovation are key to success.

They were convinced that in order to create the high-paying jobs essential for sustaining our growing Utah population, they had to invest in developing the necessary infrastructure — science and technology facilities, and to recruit the best and brightest researchers. USTAR was announced as a partnership between government, business and university leaders. It is supposed to create 123,406 new high-paying jobs, $62 billion in salaries and 422 new companies over the next 30 years. The partners were quick to sell the public on the need for USTAR so they could carry out the "far reaching effort . . . (and) carefully planned strategy" because Utah's economic future was at stake. They were right — but only half right.

The missing half of their strategy is the K-12 school system that has to deliver the Utah students for the high-paying jobs that USTAR is supposed to create. However, by not including elementary-secondary education as part of the initiative's strategy, many Utah students may not be able to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to have a chance to get one of those high-paying jobs.

The government, business and university people somehow failed to understand the broader problems and the needs of all our people. Had they looked closely while they were planning on building this great economic development system to create knowledge jobs, they would have found problems. The folks in higher education were not talking to each other; no one pointed out that higher education officials were concerned about the declining enrollment in their institutions. Business people were pointing out the social consequences of the state's "lowest per-pupil education spending in the nation." In spite of that, and that our students are not being attracted to math and science, they continued to develop only one half of the system in accomplishing their stated goals.

The other, and equally important, half of the strategy is to invest in the K-12 infrastructure that is struggling to prepare students with the math and science needed to enter higher education. If the Legislature, higher education and the business partners are serious about those 123,406 proposed high-paying jobs going to Utah students, then they need to start expending the same kind of money, energy and political clout to improve public education so it can deliver a stream of well-educated students needed to make the economic system work. That will require that they recruit "the best and the brightest" teachers that can instill the love of learning in students; that they make classrooms where teachers are excited to teach, and where students are eager to be challenged. Utah does not have a teacher shortage; it has a hemorrhage problem. Many teachers leave because of the stressful, unsupportive and overregulated environment in today's educational system.

USTAR may be one of the most visionary and necessary initiatives this state has seen, but without fixing the educational system that prepares our students for the new economy, it just may fall short of its great ambitions. We can't afford to let that happen.

Let's build it so our kids will come.

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Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: ">jdflorez@comcast.net