Focus on education to shore up state's economy

"What works?" That's the question lawmakers usually ask when funding programs. Utah legislators understand the importance of preparing our children for a changing economy, and when former Gov. Mike Leavitt proposed the New Century Scholarship program in 1999, they strongly supported it.

The 2006 Legislature had the foresight to fund USTAR (Utah Science, Technology and Research), which has proven to be very successful in creating the high-paying jobs needed for Utah's growing population. The New Century Scholarship is a means for generating the pool of new workers for those jobs.

Last August, the Legislature reaffirmed its commitment to the scholarship program by restoring its funding. The decision is a good one and comes at a time when the nation suffers from loss of jobs that will not be back. Two years ago, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce report, "Tough Choices," found that for the United States to compete in the global economy, it would have to prepare workers with the skills the new economy now requires — knowledge, innovation and creativity.

The scholarship program has been successful, but earlier this year, about 2,000 students were in danger of having their scholarships reduced and even in danger of the program ending. Because of budget cuts, higher-education officials informed recipients they would not be receiving the full scholarship, which pays 75 percent of tuition. Later, however, lawmakers voted to meet the commitment they had made to students. The New Century Scholarship, along with the Regents' Scholarship program, has succeeded in motivating students while still in high school to seek higher learning.

The irony is that policymakers are constantly asking, "What works?" Then when something does work, they ponder whether they can afford it. As Marty Stephens, then speaker of the House, said in 2002 when the program was running out of funds, "When we make a commitment to the kids, to the children of this state, we're going to keep that commitment." The fact is that the state cannot afford to lose on the investment it has made to improve Utah's economy. While lawmakers struggle to educate a growing young population, other states have an aging and shrinking work force. Our people, with a strong work ethic, have always been the state's natural and most valuable resource and now are more important than ever.