Governor Gregoire addresses the Sound Alliance Founding Assembly

June 1, 2008

*As Written*

Thank you.

I very much appreciate being with you today at your founding assembly to create an agenda for the common good. Congratulations on the work you�ve done.

I deeply admire and respect your work and your goals to improve the state of civil rights, health care, education, employment, the environment, and housing.

Your goals are ambitious and there is much work to be done. But I know you are up to the challenge.

Let me share with you some of the real progress we have made in the past three years past three years to serve Washingtonians, and it begins with education.

The fact is, we can�t expect to maintain our innovative, powerful, economy if our kids can�t speak, write, do math, master a trade, or above all � think.

We�re creating a world-class, learner-focused, seamless education system that gives our kids a chance to get a good job.

Three years ago, voter-approved initiatives to cut class sizes and increase teacher pay were shelved. But I took them off the shelf, and we�re investing in smaller classes, paying more to keep and attract our great teachers, and setting high standards for our schools.

I know all of you are concerned about the high-school dropout rate. We have taken several big steps to reduce the dropout rate, including investment in programs to help students figure out what they might want to do when they graduate -- and then help them prepare for that.

Not everyone wants to go to college, and we are providing the opportunity for these students to flourish.
Our Running Start for the Trades Program is working. By connecting motivated high-school kids to the trades, we are increasing graduation rates, preparing kids for a good career, and meeting the need for these high-demand, good-paying jobs.

We are helping thousands of kids succeed and making our workforce strong. In the last three years we have nearly doubled the number of apprenticeships to 14,500.

For college-bound kids, we�re opening the doors wider. We�re making room. And we are making college more affordable by increasing the number of scholarships, and offering financial aid to more students.

My number one job is to make sure every young person in Washington knows that if they work hard, they will have the chance to compete with anyone, anywhere in the world, for jobs in the new global economy found right here in Washington.

We also know that health care is a huge worry and concern.
The wealthiest nation in the world must relieve some of this fear and suffering. But since we aren�t getting the help we need from Washington, D.C., we are doing what we can ourselves � the Washington Way.

Like providing health insurance to kids.

Three years ago we were cutting health insurance for kids. We now cover 84,000 more kids and are on our way to covering all children by 2010.

Why is this so important? Because as any mom or dad knows, healthy kids do better in school and in life. And health insurance helps keep kids out of emergency rooms where costs are much higher to taxpayers.

Fundamentally, it�s our moral obligation to provide health care to the children of our state when their families can�t provide it!

We have been working hard to improve the health of our environment, as well. This year I signed a bill that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Washington State get us at the forefront of an exciting future. The law is comprehensive, it demands results, and it is realistic.

We are setting our goals for emission-reductions into a plan for real limits. The new law requires the largest emitters in the state to report those emissions to Ecology starting with 2009 emissions.

It requires the Department of Transportation, with help from other state agencies, to come up with ways to reduce transportation emissions by looking at vehicle miles traveled -- and to consider the consequences of those strategies.

It�s an inconvenient truth that about half of Washington�s carbon emissions are caused every time we turn the ignitions in our cars.

And we are laying important groundwork so we can develop thousands of green collar jobs � Washingtonians who will make good livings helping us transform ourselves into a greener, cleaner state.

I also would like to share with you what we are doing to help legal immigrants. Our recent establishment of the New American�s Policy Council is a big step to help our vibrant and growing population of immigrants.

I will be looking to the council for real guidance on how we can better help legal permanent residents become naturalized citizens.
For example, I will be looking for better ways to help immigrants learn English, which is integral to becoming a citizen, and also what we can do to better recognize and transfer skills, certifications immigrants bring with them to this country.

In a broader sense, I want this council to model and kindle public-private partnerships to integrate immigrants into the fabric of Washington.

On this day you are doing some of that work. We ask ourselves to find ways to also be engaged.

The State of Washington, with your help, will lead by example � now and always.

Thank You