Vision for Ohio

Ted Strickland has been working in public service now for more than 25 years.  When you have been involved in helping and dealing with the public for that long, you naturally develop ideas that you feel could aid in enriching your community.  I have listed a few of his ideas here....

1. Provide every child a fair start through access to high-quality early care and education.

2. Create schools that work for every child by giving teachers the tools and technology they need to stimulate creative, problem-solving students to power Ohio's 21st century economy.

3. Dramatically increase the number of students in Ohio's colleges and universities by broadening access and ensuring that those who attend succeed and graduate with a degree that counts.

4. Focus on Ohio's strengths by building on Ohio's regional economies and globally competitive industries, spurring small and mid-size business growth, supporting emerging entrepreneurs in our cities, fostering innovation and unleashing the potential of Ohio's great universities and investing in next generation energy as a job source as well as a resource.

5. Provide all Ohioans the opportunities to attain skills for high-quality jobs.

6. Stabilize health costs for government and businesses alike and advance the health of our citizens by increasing the number of Ohioans who have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare, preventing illnesses and injury and focusing on community-based services for children, families, older adults and persons with disabilities.

7. Retain, create and attract jobs worthy of Ohio workers by focusing on industry sectors in which Ohio companies are growing, and which will spur our economy to generate wealth and prosperity for the future.

Learning for Life: High-Quality Education for High-Quality Jobs

Introduced: April 24, 2006

To turnaround Ohio and give all Ohioans and their families an opportunity to better themselves, we must sharply increase the percentage of Ohioans who go on to complete college, certification or other training and make sure that high-quality jobs are awaiting them when they do so. We must change our entire attitude about the importance of lifelong learning. Ohioans must be able to access a fluid, continuous learning system – one that provides a seamless progression from early childhood through higher education and on, with each step in the progression equal in value. We must set high goals, raise aspirations and expectations and open the doors for every Ohioan to the learning environments that will challenge and prepare our next generation.

Jobs Worthy of Ohioans: The Strickland/Fisher Strategy for Job Creation in Ohio

Introduced: April 10, 2006

The Strickland/Fisher Strategy for Job Creation in Ohio proposal meets a number of Turnaround Ohio's most important goals: developing the jobs of the future, providing opportunities for our young people, boosting the wages of Ohio workers, promoting better labor relations, spurring entrepreneurship and enterprise expansion, and renewing the state's economic infrastructure. With these goals, we can raise the incomes of all Ohioans and propel our economy into the 21st century.

BroadbandOhio: Powering Ohio's Economy and Connecting it to World Markets

Introduced: March 13, 2006

The BroadbandOhio: Powering Ohio's Economy and Connecting it to World Markets proposal aims to help meet one of Turnaround Ohio's most important goals: developing the jobs of the future by leveraging the state's investment in broadband infrastructure to create a competitive, well-connected economy in Ohio.

Learning for Life: Skills for High-Quality Jobs

Introduced: March 6, 2006

Businesses tell us that the biggest obstacle they face in expanding and growing is their ability to attract and retain highly skilled and motivated employees. We need to face facts, and get Ohioans ready for the jobs of the 21st century. Ohio has 1.4 million workers with less than a high school diploma and an additional 1 million with some college, but no degree.

More than 60% of jobs that our businesses will create by the year 2012 will require some college education. Census data shows that just two years of education, such as an associate's degree, is worth $400,000 to an who pursues additional education. And, as Ohio's economy continues its transition to a service and knowledge-oriented economy, recent SBA studies show that higher rates of educational attainment will result in higher small business survival rates.

Ohio spends about $400 million a year on and workforce education and training. Our investments should be reaping tremendous rewards for our state, and helping us to create jobs, stimulate new business development and help companies to better meet the global competition of new markets. But they are not.

Learning for Life: A Fair Start for Every Ohio Child

Introduced: February 14, 2006

Children are born learning. The miracle of brain research has shown us that roughly 85% of a child's brain is developed by age 5. Yet, currently, less than 1.5% of Ohio's investment in children occurs by that time. The earliest years offer a tremendous opportunity for building a lifetime of positive outcomes. We can and should support Ohio's parents in making smart choices that help each child have the best possible start in life.

Investment in high quality early care and learning will help us simultaneously improve Ohio's social, education, and economic outcomes.

Far too many Ohio children are falling behind at the start of their academic journeys. This achievement gap has roots that begin long before a child enters the schoolhouse door. Participation in high quality early learning programs is a demonstrated method for boosting school readiness for vulnerable children. We must make such opportunities available to all Ohio's children, particularly those at risk of failure.

Powering Ohio's Economy: The Strickland Strategy for Creating Good Jobs through Clean Energy in Ohio

Introduced: December 9, 2005

Ohio has one of the most energy intensive economies in the country. To put it simply, our industries, from farming to chemicals, from automotive parts to software, use a lot of energy. According to the United States Department of Energy, Ohio is 6th in total energy consumed; 4th in use of electricity and the 4th largest industrial energy user in the US.

So when energy prices skyrocket, not only do ordinary Ohioans struggle to make ends meet, but the vast supply chain that powers Ohio's businesses is vulnerable. Thousands of Ohio jobs are at stake in the three industry sectors in which energy and jobs are closely intertwined: automotive manufacturing, agriculture and power generation.

Because of this reality, Ohio has a tremendous opportunity to grow its economy by building on its existing strength in energy production. A recent study by Policy Matters and the Apollo Alliance showed that as many as 22,000 new jobs could be created in Ohio by investing in alternative energy.