Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Governor Visits County Tells Of Goals

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has some lofty goals for the state's residents.

Concluding a day in Arkadelphia, where he'd been touring, Huckabee said he wants every person in Arkansas to have the option of being having high-speed Internet connection, so they can keep track of what the state government is doing 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

Talking to a group of about 60 people on the Clark County Courthouse lawn, Huckabee said the recent session was a good one, as "we did what we set out to do."

He pointed out three issues the legislature approved, saying the most important was the teacher pay raises. The other two included the chart plan to use Arkansas's portion of the tobacco lawsuit settlement and a technology infrastructure package.

The state, he said, is in the midst of a teacher shortage, starting the current academic year needing 250 teachers, especially in the areas of math, science and language. This shortage resulted in the loosening of requirements for instructors.

The Arkansas Department of Education relaxed the qualification standards, he said, allowing those with degrees, but not teaching certificates, to step into classrooms. This, though, doesn't mean these instructors aren't qualified for the job.

"Most people with a degree can make two or three times more in the private sector than in teaching," he said. "This is why the raises are so important."

And, he continued, the raise issue is far from over. Huckabee plans to bring it up at the next legislative session and keep doing so until teacher pay is where he thinks it should be.

The technology infrastructure package, he said, will help move Arkansas forward.

One way it's being utilized today is by allowing people to purchase their vehicle tags via the Internet, instead of going to the local revenue office, or mailing them in.

A chief information officer will be hired to coordinate all of the state's technological purchases.

Currently, Huckabee said, each department buys its own equipment, and often the equipment bought isn't compatible with what other departments have or buy.

The CIO will make sure all computer hardware is compatible in the future.

In addition, work will be done in the technology arena to simplify things, especially in state purchasing and the budget.

The package, he said, will also include Internet filters to prevent students from being able to access pornography on computers in schools and libraries.

The interstate renovation project, he said, is on schedule in most places, being ahead of schedule in some.

"We've been pushing to get the contractors in and done. The good news," he said, "is we're totally rehabilitating the interstate."

Of course, the bad news is the delays experienced by motorists passing through construction zones.

This project, he said, is the largest capital construction done in Arkansas, with about 40,000 people working on it throughout the four-year plan.

Huckabee was questioned about the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, and whether it survived the budget cuts.

While it survived, he said, it was modified with the income ceiling dropped from $70,000 per year to $50,000 per family.

"This is one of the most successful programs in the state, and it broke the budget of the education department by giving out 10,000 scholarships.

"I don't support the changes made. I objected to dropping the income level and would like to take the mean's testing out of it completely.

"It's called the academic challenge, not the income challenge."

Changes other than the income level being dropped, were raising the grade point average students must have from 2.5 to 2.75.

While in college, the students must carry 30 hours per year, or 15 hours per semester to continue receiving it.

However, there is a bonus of $500 per year for those students who earn and maintain a 3.25 GPA in college.

The scholarship can provide up to $10,000 over a four-year period.Huckabee said it's not fair to penalize students for what their parents earn, because there are a number of loan programs, grants and scholarships available based on low income levels, and there needs to be something in place for families making from $70,000 to $150,000 a year.

When asked what small towns can do to promote economic growth and attract industry, Huckabee said they need to see themselves as greater than their city borders.

He pointed out the phenomenal growth in northwest Arkansas, where the communities quit fighting one another for the same jobs, and formed a regional economic plan to attract the jobs.

This is also happening, he said, in northeast Arkansas in the Jonesboro-Beebe area, and in the south part of the state with Camden, Magnolia and El Dorado forming the "Golden Triangle".

The governor also forecasted growth in the area of aviation in the state, another area important for economic improvement.

Arkansas, he said, utilizes its air fuel tax to upgrade airports and improve runways. Because of this, major companies are locating in the state.

Henderson State University's aviation program, he said, is an important part of the state's economic future.

Along with this, Huckabee told the crowd Arkansas is home of the largest aircraft refurbishing in the world.

His news, though, wasn't all good. He pointed out the state is also in the midst of a nursing shortage, as the demand is huge, while the supply isn't.

Part of the reason is nurses in the U.S. have been hired by other nations.

What may have to happen, he said, is nurses may have to be offered hiring incentives and bonuses to keep them here. Or, it could be the state may need to look into hiring foreign nurses.

Overall, though, Huckabee said things are going well in the state.

Several bills were introduced during the session dealing with economic development, one to expand the flexibility on tax incentives to attract industry to the state.

The majority of the economic bills, he said, were to help Arkansas be more competitive with nearby states vying for the same industries.

But, he said, it's the people that make Arkansas the state it is. This is a right-to-work state, he pointed out, with low worker compensation insurance costs.

However, it's the work ethic industry leaders see when they visit they find most impressive. People in Arkansas, Huckabee said, are willing to drive for a good job. In fact, Arkansas workers have the longest commute to and from work of any other workers in the U.S.

He also talked about renovations to the Governor's Mansion, saying it could take anywhere from 12-18 months for the project to be completed.

"It's a government project on a historical structure," he said. "It's going real slow."

Janet, his wife, he said, took the lead in getting the renovation project off the ground.

"In the meantime, we're enjoying triple-wide life. I've had a great time being there and it would be fine if we stayed there the rest of my tenure."

Huckabee said the mobile home is considerably larger than the duplex on Caddo Street he and Janet shared when they first married.

The duplex, he said, was so small when one of them wanted to be in the room with the other, the one there first had to leave.

This community forum was one of many Huckabee has held since becoming governor.