"The state of our state is wrong," Governor Matt Blunt said at the opening of his annual address, claiming lawsuit reform, regulatory reform, working with businesses, and keeping an eye on taxpayer dollars were responsible for that.
As usual, it appears that the governor is pausing at certain spots in his speech and waiting for the loyal Republicans to interrupt him with applause, though it has not been quite as embarrassing as last year.
"We took our state from a budget crisis to three consecutive budget surpluses." Despite all of the costly programs and changes the governor has been calling for over the past several weeks, he said he plans to increase the budget and reduce taxes.
"Education is the most important investment we can make in our own and in our children's future," Blunt said. "Education remains my highest budget priority."
The budget will include "significant increases" in funding at all levels of education," the governor said, ranging from pre-school to post-secondary. He called for improvements in Missouri students' achievements in math, science, and technology.
"I want Missouri students to be at the head of the class." Blunt recommended three quarters of a million dollars to train new advanced placement teachers in math and science and $5 million to create 100 technologically advanced classrooms and $1.1 million for after-school programs.
Moving on to colleges and universities, Blunt requested the improvements in Columbia and Kansas City that were nailed by the GOP to punish senators who opposed them during the last legislative session.
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