The 66% campaign is phase II of Education First Utah’s mission to “Put our economy first by putting education first.”
The premise is to have two-thirds (66%) of Utahns educated beyond high school with either a trade certification or a degree by the year 2020.
The petition circulating toward the end of fall semester 2011, initiated by Education First Utah was phase I of this mission, SLCC students provided 9,000 signatures in support of it.
“Research has shown that by the year 2020, two-thirds of the jobs in Utah will require a post-secondary degree or some kind of certification,” says Utah Governor Gary Herbert. “Continuing your education past high school is not only a necessity, it’s an investment.”
“The three main focuses of the [66%] campaign are competitive funding, a 1% pay increase for outstanding faculty and staff and to encourage scholarships and grants for high demand jobs,” says Mike Bird SLCC student body president.
On Thursday, March 1, 2012 Education First Utah will present caucus training events on four of SLCC’s campuses.
- 11:00 a.m. on the South City Campus (East Entrance – South Foyer)
- 11:00 a.m. on the Miller Campus (MFEC Building Rm. 203)
- 1:00 p.m. at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus (Oak Room second floor of the Student Center)
- 1:00 p.m. at the Jordan Campus (Student Pavilion).
The training events will cover how and where people can attend the precinct caucus meeting in their neighborhood and how to become a legislative delegate.
The events are non-partisan and designed to give participants the tools they need to have a voice in government decisions that affect the funding of their own education.
“We need students to be trained as delegates to better represent higher education… legislation needs to see education as a priority,” says Bird.
Securing Utah’s economic future
Education First Utah is a citizens group dedicated to improved accountability, innovation, and increased funding for education in Utah.
The group includes Utahns from all walks of life that share the common goal of securing Utah’s economic future by ensuring that the workforce of tomorrow has the skills to compete in a global marketplace.
They believe that this can only happen through education and therefore support public officials and candidates for office in Utah who support our state’s economic future by putting education first.
