State Budget Reflects Poorly on the Residents of New Hampshire June 26, 2011 Nashua Telegraph Guest Commentary by Sen. Molly Kelly
It is my belief that, in the end, a budget is a reflection of values and goals. The New Hampshire state budget should do the same.
But the House of Representatives and Senate budget as recently passed do not represent what is most valued by the people of New Hampshire: providing equal opportunity, creating new jobs and growing the
economy.
A lot has been made about this year’s state budget, specifically the harsh and unwise cuts to many essential services. In the House, pleas to restore funding fell on deaf ears; and in the Senate, they listened, restored some funding but did not fund at levels that protect our most vulnerable citizens during these tough times. Putting aside the many worthy programs that this budget cuts or eliminates, this budget is simply bad for business.
According to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, the Senate budget cuts almost $114 million from the University System of New Hampshire and almost $30 million from our community college system. By reducing our commitment to our higher educational system, we are setting off a
chain reaction that would drastically alter our work force and negatively affect our economy.
New Hampshire is blessed with a well-educated work force that has helped us to maintain an unemployment rate that is almost half that of the national average throughout the current economic downturn. As we continue our economic recovery, you would think the priority in any state budget would be to strengthen our local economy and to create an environment to attract businesses and create jobs. But the budget passed by the Senate last week
does the opposite.
Right now, our community colleges are educating and training our current workers to meet the demands of our changing economy. Through my work on the Governors’ Advanced Manufacturing Educational Advisory Council, I hear from New Hampshire manufacturers almost every day that they have
job openings but not enough trained workers.
Our community college programs are helping train the workers needed for these jobs and are helping to ensure that we keep the employers we have in our state and attract new businesses.
Just as New Hampshire’s community colleges are training our current work force, our university system is educating our future employers and workers. Our universities attract the brightest minds who had the privilege of growing up in New Hampshire and those from out-of-state who come here to start their career and raise a family.
But, because of these cuts, tuition will rise dramatically and force our own young people to attend another school out of state or not attend college at all.
Similarly, tuition hikes will keep students from out of state from attending our great colleges and remaining here in our state to help strengthen our work force and our economy.
Either way, these cuts stop the progress we’ve made in educating and training the workers we need to get our economy back on track and to strengthen our economy in the future.
The opportunity for a great education has always been the great equalizer. With these dangerous cuts to our university system and our community colleges, we are creating a system of have and have-nots. By increasing the cost of an education, we are ensuring that the only people who will have access to an education are those who can afford the increases in tuition.
Our young people deserve an equal opportunity to succeed, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this opportunity continues to exist.
There is no doubt, particularly here in New Hampshire, that there is a strong link between a strong educational system and a strong economy. Investing in education is the smartest and wisest investment we as a state can make, and it gives us the greatest return on our investment: a strong and productive work force that helps attract employers to our state.
So, what will we be left with here in New Hampshire? A less-educated work force that will force employers to take their businesses out of New Hampshire and turning away other good-paying jobs.
We have a responsibility to the people of New Hampshire, young and old, to sustain and grow our economy. This budget takes our economy backward, both in the short term by putting up roadblocks to train our current workers for jobs that already exist, and in the long term by hindering our ability to maintain a strong and well-educated work force.
We can do better. Going forward, the people of New Hampshire deserve a more responsible budget. And our economy needs a more sustainable budget.
Sen. Molly Kelly, a Keene Democrat, represents
District 10 in the New Hampshire Senate.
But the House of Representatives and Senate budget as recently passed do not represent what is most valued by the people of New Hampshire: providing equal opportunity, creating new jobs and growing the
economy.
A lot has been made about this year’s state budget, specifically the harsh and unwise cuts to many essential services. In the House, pleas to restore funding fell on deaf ears; and in the Senate, they listened, restored some funding but did not fund at levels that protect our most vulnerable citizens during these tough times. Putting aside the many worthy programs that this budget cuts or eliminates, this budget is simply bad for business.
According to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, the Senate budget cuts almost $114 million from the University System of New Hampshire and almost $30 million from our community college system. By reducing our commitment to our higher educational system, we are setting off a
chain reaction that would drastically alter our work force and negatively affect our economy.
New Hampshire is blessed with a well-educated work force that has helped us to maintain an unemployment rate that is almost half that of the national average throughout the current economic downturn. As we continue our economic recovery, you would think the priority in any state budget would be to strengthen our local economy and to create an environment to attract businesses and create jobs. But the budget passed by the Senate last week
does the opposite.
Right now, our community colleges are educating and training our current workers to meet the demands of our changing economy. Through my work on the Governors’ Advanced Manufacturing Educational Advisory Council, I hear from New Hampshire manufacturers almost every day that they have
job openings but not enough trained workers.
Our community college programs are helping train the workers needed for these jobs and are helping to ensure that we keep the employers we have in our state and attract new businesses.
Just as New Hampshire’s community colleges are training our current work force, our university system is educating our future employers and workers. Our universities attract the brightest minds who had the privilege of growing up in New Hampshire and those from out-of-state who come here to start their career and raise a family.
But, because of these cuts, tuition will rise dramatically and force our own young people to attend another school out of state or not attend college at all.
Similarly, tuition hikes will keep students from out of state from attending our great colleges and remaining here in our state to help strengthen our work force and our economy.
Either way, these cuts stop the progress we’ve made in educating and training the workers we need to get our economy back on track and to strengthen our economy in the future.
The opportunity for a great education has always been the great equalizer. With these dangerous cuts to our university system and our community colleges, we are creating a system of have and have-nots. By increasing the cost of an education, we are ensuring that the only people who will have access to an education are those who can afford the increases in tuition.
Our young people deserve an equal opportunity to succeed, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this opportunity continues to exist.
There is no doubt, particularly here in New Hampshire, that there is a strong link between a strong educational system and a strong economy. Investing in education is the smartest and wisest investment we as a state can make, and it gives us the greatest return on our investment: a strong and productive work force that helps attract employers to our state.
So, what will we be left with here in New Hampshire? A less-educated work force that will force employers to take their businesses out of New Hampshire and turning away other good-paying jobs.
We have a responsibility to the people of New Hampshire, young and old, to sustain and grow our economy. This budget takes our economy backward, both in the short term by putting up roadblocks to train our current workers for jobs that already exist, and in the long term by hindering our ability to maintain a strong and well-educated work force.
We can do better. Going forward, the people of New Hampshire deserve a more responsible budget. And our economy needs a more sustainable budget.
Sen. Molly Kelly, a Keene Democrat, represents
District 10 in the New Hampshire Senate.
