In the coming months, the governor and legislators will be asked to make some difficult decisions as the state confronts a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.
This is a time when we need our elected officials to demonstrate not only a solid understanding of our state’s finances, but also leadership and common sense. Programs may need to be eliminated. Some state jobs may have to be cut.
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Our elected officials now have the enormous responsibility to make sure the cutbacks are made in the right places – for the right reasons.
Many state-funded programs reach the heart of our small business community – programs that do not necessarily earn headlines. They are programs, in fact, that take on added significance when the economy falters.
One example of such a program is the Rhode Island Workforce Literacy Collaborative. The organization is composed of 15 agencies, which provide a number of literacy-based services to businesses and other institutions.
Two weeks ago, the state Human Resource Investment Council presented the Literacy Collaborative with $2 million in state funding – to be used to help fund programs aimed at promoting literacy in the workforce.
Why is such a program so important?
Recent studies have shown that 46 percent of Rhode Island adults are reading below levels necessary to succeed in today’s workforce. Lee Arnold, director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, sees the need for adult literacy training as paramount to a qualified workforce.
“The need for improved literacy skills in today’s workforce is essential,” said Arnold. “Not only is it necessary for the operation and success of a business, but it is key that our workforce is equipped with the tools for personal success, growth and opportunity.”
This is the kind of program that is critical to the state’s economic development efforts. It, and others like it are a worthy investment of taxpayer dollars.
