By Josie Hathway
February 6, 2006

St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, Chair of the Jobs, Education and the Workforce Standing Committee, led mayors in the first meeting of the newly formed committee. Slay said, “We’ve got a very challenging budget and policy situation this year. In particular, I am very concerned about our youth. With the elimination of the summer jobs program and increased pressure on students graduating from high school, young people in our cities are often in very vulnerable positions.”

Lee Foley, Managing Partner of Foley, Maldonado & O’Toole, outlined the challenging budget situation for this year. Foley indicated that at least a 5 percent cut below current levels is expected for discretionary programs in the President’s proposed FY 2007 Budget. He predicted a significant cut in the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration budget from the current level of $5.6 billion to five billion. Foley said that there will be some significant changes in Hill appropriations staff this year, and therefore it will be critical to educate new staff on mayoral priorities in order to protect core funding for education and workforce programs.

At the same time investments are declining, the impact of education and workforce training on the economy is increasingly important. Marc Tucker, Founder and President of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) gave a preview of the revised version of NCEE’s 1990 report “America’s Choice: High Skills or Low Wages." The report, due to be released in June, will take another look at the global economy, how education and workforce policy impact a nation’s ability to compete successfully, and present an agenda for dealing with dramatically changed circumstances. America’s once commanding lead in educational attainment is nearly gone. The two largest countries in the world, India and China, have been able to develop highly-educated citizens that are willing to work for a fraction of the wages offered to comparably educated people in the most advanced nations. The increase in the global workforce has expanded the middle class to the largest ever and, according to Tucker, the question is, how will America fare in this market place? In order for the U.S. to get its fair share in this market, Tucker said, “We have to completely rethink our education and training requirements. We need a better and differently educated workforce. We must redesign the system.” Tucker supported the Committee’s focus on vulnerable youth, aligning education and workforce systems and sharing practices on mayoral involvement in public schools.

The Committee was presented the first copies of the just released Mayoral Leadership and Involvement in Education: An Action Guide for Success, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which highlights mayoral roles in education. The Committee was also updated on the first ever Mayors’ Urban Education/Workforce Forum funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Motor Company Fund, and the Putting America To Work: Highlighting the Innovations of the Public Workforce System funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.