Dive Summary:
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam promoted his "Drive to 55" education initiatives to 300 business, political and education leaders during a 90-minute presentation Wednesday at Nashville's Music City Center.
- At least 55% (494,000) of the state's residents must have college degrees or certificates by 2025 in order for it to remain economically competitive, and other speakers at the event stressed the future need for some post-high school education for all workers.
- Programs launched by the Republican governor include the private scholarship fund TNAchieves, a partnership with online Western Governors University, and pre-college math remediation from Chattanooga State's Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support.
From the article:
... "The stakes have never been higher," Haslam told the crowd.
Later, in a meeting with The Tennessean Editorial Board, he said the push would figure heavily into the 2014-15 budget proposal and his legislative agenda, but he declined to offer specifics. ...