WGVU’s Decision 2018 continues the countdown to the August 7th primary profiling the gubernatorial candidates. WGVU asks Republican Brian Calley three questions.
Q: What is your plan for expanding the state’s economy?
A: “Talent is the new currency of economic development. The most important thing that we can do is invest in our people, and that means having the best pre-K through 12 system in the country. It means bringing back skilled trades in a big way with the Marshall Plan for Talent, and also social service reform. Helping people, but helping people get back on their feet so they don’t need so much help anymore.”
Q: How would you improve the state’s educational outcomes?
A: “There are a lot of facets on this but we need to invest in our teachers. It’s professional development of our teachers, and helping good teachers become great teachers; teacher coaching, master teachers, and supporting them and getting the latest and greatest in research and development and best practices from where they’re developed into the classroom real time to help kids, especially kids with disabilities and non-educational barriers to learning.”
Q: Funding and improving the state’s infrastructure?
A: “We have rolling into place right now a $1.2 billion package that will be in perpetuity to fix our roads and bridges. Paying down the rest of our debt we’ll put another $200 million a year into our roads, but we also need to coordinate the repair and maintenance replacement work so that you’re not tearing up roads for different reasons year after year. Between new money, higher standards, more efficiency, we will have a better future for our roads.”