Governor's Blog: Posts http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx RSS feed for the Posts list. Mon, 20 May 2013 02:54:19 GMT Windows SharePoint Services V3 RSS Generator 60 Governor's Blog: Posts /_layouts/images/homepage.gif http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/AllPosts.aspx Remembering Mike Haydon http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=125 Body:

Today was another in a series of emotionally difficult days.

Jane and I attended a funeral Mass at St. Dominic Church in Springfield for Mike Haydon, who served as my chief of staff and top legislative adviser. Mike, who was just 62, died unexpectedly on Sunday, and on Wednesday we held a public memorial in the Capitol Rotunda.

Mike was not only one of my top advisers but also a personal friend.

We, like others, remain devastated by his death.

It’s impossible with mere words to capture his spirit and presence and to summarize his impact on life here in the Commonwealth. Phrases like “devoted family man” and “dedicated public servant” are clichés, but in Mike’s case they were absolutely true.

Mike spent more than 30 years in public service at both the state and local levels, including positions as chief of staff for House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, deputy secretary of the Governor’s Executive Cabinet under former Gov. Paul Patton, secretary of the Revenue Cabinet and commissioner of the Department of Property Valuation. He also served as mayor of Springfield and property valuation administrator for Washington County.

To each job he brought a deeply felt desire to help people as well as a personal code of ethics, honesty and loyalty.

As governor, I especially appreciated his intense energy, his candor, his deep knowledge of the state and its history and his unique sense of humor, which was on display in playful moments as well as tense ones.

At the same time, everyone who worked with Mike knew that his No. 1 priority was his family. His wife, Lisa; his three children, Blair, Kate and Ben; his parents and his seven brothers and sisters were never far from him, mentally and physically.

I want to thank them for sharing Mike with the state all these years. In their time of grief, Jane’s and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

We miss our friend dearly.

Published: 8/17/2012 2:19 PM
]]> Steve Beshear Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:22:32 GMT http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=125 Career & Tech Education in Kentucky: A First Choice, Not a Last Chance http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=124 Body:

I talk to a lot of business executives. Their top concern – especially when they’re making decisions about where to locate – almost always comes down to people: Will they be able to find enough highly skilled, educated and trained workers to make their business a success?

Kentuckians are an industrious people, there’s no doubt. But the simple fact is that our workforce, top to bottom, isn’t as strong as it needs to be. Not when you consider how rapidly sophisticated the marketplace is becoming.

Cognizant of that fact, over the past few years we’ve been laying the groundwork for a stronger workforce by revolutionizing our system of career and technical education to make it more accessible to students at an earlier age, more rigorous academically and better aligned with both postsecondary requirements and employer needs.

Today we took another significant step forward on that mission.

I signed an executive order eliminating Kentucky’s current system of career and tech ed – a disjointed, duplicative system that is split between local school districts and the state Department of Workforce Investment – and unifying it under the auspices of Kentucky’s Department of Education.

The executive order also establishes a CTE Advisory Committee to provide guidance as we create a more relevant and efficient system to educate and prepare students for the world of work in a real-life setting.

Today’s career and tech ed is a lot more vibrant and sophisticated than what used to be called “shop” – a handful of carpentry and mechanics classes designed for kids who didn’t plan on going to college.

In fact, last year some 75 percent of Kentucky high school students were enrolled in CTE programs offered at 323 middle and high schools, area technology centers and career and technical centers across the state.

As of next year, students will be able to choose from 16 career clusters, taking hands-on training in areas like agriscience, information technology, machine tool technology, health sciences, electrical technology and business administration.

In short, we’re creating a system of career and tech ed that is a first choice, not a last resort.

And in so doing we’re creating a workforce that companies can’t wait to come to Kentucky to hire.

Category: Education
Published: 8/29/2012 12:17 PM
]]> Steve Beshear Education Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:18:55 GMT http://blog.governor.ky.gov/Lists/Posts/ViewPost.aspx?ID=124