From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 3:31 PM
Subject: What the Governor's Talking about This Week

Importance: High
What the Governor’s Talking about This Week

Friday, November 6, 2009

Governor Applauds Congress for Extending Unemployment Benefits

On Thursday the governor issued the following statement regarding congressional passage of an extension in unemployment benefits: 
 
“I want to thank Congress, especially members of the Michigan congressional delegation, for extending unemployment benefits.  Almost 100,000 Michigan workers who would have exhausted their benefits by the end of this year will receive help while the economy recovers and we continue to focus on creating jobs and diversifying our economy.

 

“I am grateful Congress has taken this action, I am thankful the president will sign this bill, and I am pleased that we will be able to continue to protect the unemployed during these difficult economic times while injecting more resources into the Michigan economy.”

 

Governor Hails New W.K. Kellogg Foundation Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship

In her radio address this week, the governor said Michigan has been chosen for a new teaching fellowship program that will benefit almost 20,000 Michigan public school students in high-need schools.

 

The program will train 240 new math and science teachers to teach in middle and high schools that desperately need teachers in these subjects.  Over a period of five years, almost 20,000 Michigan public school students will receive high-quality education in science, technology, engineering and math from these new teachers.

 

The statewide teaching fellowship program is made possible by a $16.7 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.  The result is the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship.

 

Key messages:

 

 

Michigan Working to be Wind Manufacturing Center, Governor Says

The governor said Michigan is working to become a world center for wind and clean-energy manufacturing, which is part of her strategy to grow the state’s economy and create jobs.  The governor’s remarks came during her address on Wednesday to the American Wind Energy Association’s Small and Community Wind Conference & Exhibition in Detroit.

 

Michigan is well-positioned to be a leader in wind energy manufacturing given the state’s manufacturing talent and infrastructure, and its geographical location which enables wind products to be shipped via the Great Lakes, the governor said.  She added that the state is helping the wind industry in areas such as capital acquisition, job-training, and research.

 

Key messages:

 

 

K-12 Funding Efforts Continue

This week the governor traveled to Saginaw, Traverse City, Macomb County and Monroe to participate in roundtable discussions with local school board officials, superintendents, educators and parents about the impact of cuts in funding for K-12 schools.

 

Efforts continue to find revenues to restore cuts in school aid.  The governor wrote an op-ed on K-12 funding that appears in today’s The Detroit News.  Following is a link to the article: http://www.detnews.com/article/20091106/OPINION01/911060345/1008/opinion01/Stop-school-aid-bleeding

 

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