By Shannon Holmes
February 12, 2007

St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, chair of the Jobs, Education and the Workforce Standing Committee, led mayors January 24 in a discussion about the importance of education and preparing the citizens of this country to compete in the global economy, by highlighting the workorce and education components of the Mayors 10-Point Plan: Strong Cities, Strong Families for a Strong America. “As mayors, we must become more engaged in education and take a leadership role to ensure the success of our city schools or we will miss an important opportunity to positively affect the viability, economic development, competitiveness, and future of each of our cities,” Slay said. “We need to focus on making sure that every child is ready for school and graduates from high school with the appropriate and necessary skills and technical training to enter college or the workplace.”

The Mayors 10-Point Plan reflects some of the policies that the Conference has adopted over the past few years and will be used as a guide as the mayors engage the 110th Congress, the Administration, and the 2008 presidential candidates on significant issues and priorities that directly impact America’s cities and families. Mayors from the Conference’s leadership crafted this new Mayors 10-Point Plan during a special leadership meeting January 11 in Washington (DC). The plan was then presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the following day during a strategy session and brought to the full body of the Conference of Mayors immediately following the Committee meeting.

This year, Congress will be undertaking the reauthorization of several bills including the landmark education legislation — The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) — and the Workforce Investment Act. Roberto Rodriguez, Senior Education Advisor for Senator Edward Kennedy (MA), hair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, addressed the Committee about the Senator’s priorities in moving forward with NCLB. Rodriguez stated, “Senator Kennedy is aware of the flaws of the law — the biggest flaw being the funding shortfalls which his amendments to the bill intend to fully restore — and is open to changes, although he agrees with the core principles.” The priorities moving forward with NCLB reauthorization will include the restoration of funding, closing the achievement gap, school improvement and providing services for low-income, low-achieving students.

Pamela Tate, President of The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), presented the Committee with WorkforceChicago 2.0 to address the issue of preparing the future workforce. This initiative is designed to turn the Chicago region into one of the nation’s prime talent pools and increase employer investment in building the skills of their current — and future — employees. WorkforceChicago 2.0 is a collaborative initiative launched by CAEL in 2002, with strong support from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, to expand lifelong learning opportunities through public policy in partnership with employers, colleges and universities and government. The success of WorkforceChicago 2.0 has spurred the development of Workforce Philadelphia 2.0 and WorkforceSt.Louis 2.0, which are in the beginning stages and have the support of Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street and Slay as, well as the business and education communities in the respective cities.

Slay also informed the Committee about the Mayors Summit on At-Risk Youth, a two-day meeting March 22 and 23, in Miami. The Summit will focus on preventing students from dropping out of school and on out-of'school youth, especially those involved with gangs, crime and school violence, to examine strategies, lessons learned, new pathways and a variety of educational and workforce activities or experiences that will keep students interested in staying in school and graduating.

“Education is an issue that affects the core and future of every city. It is a critical element in the development of a thoughtful and productive citizenry,” Slay concluded.