Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) • March 22
Calling it a “fair shot” budget, Washington’s mayor announced a proposed budget that devotes millions of dollars to early K-12 education and early-childhood programming.
Among the increases would be an additional $75 million to the District of Columbia’s regular public schools and charter schools, to a total of about $1.6 billion for fiscal 2017, to handle enrollment growth, new schools, and school programs. The proposed budget would also devote $220 million to school modernization in fiscal 2017 and 2018, with plans to renovate all schools by 2022. Also, the budget sets aside $3.6 million to support new federal rules that require stricter standards for child-care providers that receive funds through the Child Care Development Block Grant.
“In order to do all the other things we want to do as a city, we have to get education right,” Bowser told city residents in her State of the District address.
—Christina A. Samuels
OHIO
Gov. John Kasich (R) • Feb. 6
In a break from the presidential campaign trail, Kasich, who is seeking the Republican nomination, largely avoided issuing broad policy proposals in his annual address to lawmakers, though he called for expanding the teaching of the so-called “STEM” subjects, plus the arts, throughout all K-12 grades.
“Science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts,” Kasich said. “Arts community, did you ever think you’d see a conservative Republican say this?”
Kasich touted his previous education policies supporting early dropout prevention, improved school counseling and career apprenticeship, and elementary-grades reading. He also called for a much stronger focus on drug prevention and treatment—an effort that he said should heavily involve awareness campaigns in schools.
—Sean Cavanagh
