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Governor Leavitt proposes statewide "digital state" and aggressive education overhaul
Summary
In his 1999 State of the State, Gov. Michael O. Leavitt called for a "digital state" of high‑speed Internet access to schools, homes and businesses and proposed a sweeping education package: early reading tests and summer remediation, competency exams tied to diplomas, middle‑school reforms and a new scholarship program.
SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Michael O. Leavitt used his 1999 State of the State address to propose a statewide "digital state" and to lay out an ambitious education agenda aimed at improving reading and basic-skills competency.
Leavitt told the joint convention of the Utah Legislature that the state should build "the foundation of a truly digital state," providing high-speed, high-capacity Internet access — which he called "WebTone" — to every school, business and home. He said the infrastructure would support distance education, online government services, telemedicine and broader markets for Utah businesses and urged the state to "remove unnecessary barriers to innovation" while protecting ratepayers and encouraging competition among providers.
"WebTone is not a term that's familiar to everyone, but it will be," Leavitt said, arguing the technology would be as common as a telephone dial tone.
On education, Leavitt identified reading as the top priority, saying fourth- and fifth-grade reading scores had slipped below the national average. He proposed testing every first, second and third grader by the end of 1999; students not reading at grade level would be offered an additional 30 days of summer school in classes no larger than seven.
"Eighty percent of all the children who haven't attained the appropriate reading level by the end of the third grade never catch up," he said, using the statistic to underscore urgency for early intervention.
Leavitt also proposed stronger competency expectations for high school graduates: beginning in 2001, 10th graders would take a basic-skills exam in reading, writing, math and technology that would become a prerequisite for receiving a high-school diploma. Students who fail would be allowed to retake the exam in 11th and 12th grades; graduates who have not demonstrated the required skills would receive a certificate of completion rather than a diploma but could return to obtain a diploma later.
The governor proposed a "New Century Scholarship" that would cover two years at a four-year state college or university for students who earn an associate degree concurrently with their high-school diploma. Leavitt said the tuition value of the program would exceed $15,000 for many students.
He also urged improvements in middle schools, proposing smaller class sizes, alternative highly supervised middle schools for students who repeatedly break rules, and greater tools for principals to remove chronically ineffective teachers.
Leavitt framed the education reforms as part of a larger effort to prepare Utahns for the information age, calling on colleges and the Board of Regents to deliver rapid, repeated training for the state's workforce.
The address concluded with an anecdote about a foster family and a call for citizen involvement in education and training volunteers to help students who lag behind.
What’s next: Leavitt said he will support legislation in the session to implement many of these proposals; specific bills and funding levels were not detailed in the address.
