Daily News - Strickland ties education to the economy

(Dayton Daily News)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate ties education to economy

His 'Turnaround Ohio' plan emphasizes the need to educate and retrain workers in a global economy.

By William Hershey

Staff Writer

COLUMBUS — Democrat Ted Strickland lumps Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell right in with the rest of the Republicans running state government when it comes to assigning blame for Ohio's economic decline.

Strickland, 64, a U.S. House member from Lisbon, said he knows that globalization — the development of a global, interdependent economy — has adversely affected Ohio companies and workers.

"I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and say that's not a factor, (but) the way the political leadership has responded to the loss of manufacturing jobs, the way it's neglected education, workforce development ...

"All of those are things that could have diminished the impact of globalization, and they weren't done. We find ourselves suffering from the effect of a political leadership asleep at the switch."

His "Turnaround Ohio" plan wouldn't reverse Ohio's fortunes immediately, Strickland said.

"I'm not pretending this is going to be easy or all of the problems can be ameliorated. ... We can do better in the future than if we continue the leadership we have," he said.

His plan emphasizes what Strickland sees as the direct connection between education and economic development, starting with early childhood enrichment programs right through worker training and retraining efforts.

"I think we could have focused more seriously on education a decade or a decade and a half ago. ... We would be in a much better position to be competitive," he said.

He said he's still working on some proposals, such as revamping primary and secondary education. He said he's considering whether year-round schooling and a longer school day should be considered.

A governor can't impose a solution on his own, Strickland said.

"I'm in consultation with a lot of folks. ... A governor can provide leadership. A governor can keep this matter in a highly visible position," he said.