By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says he’s pleased overall with the legislative session this year, though he acknowledges lawmakers failed to get some measures across the finish line.
Parson says he wants the state to focus on the workforce of tomorrow, which led to a $6 million appropriation for Hillyard Technical Center operated by the St. Joseph School District and $2.5 million to complete the financing of the Convergent Alliance Technology Center on the Missouri Western campus.
“A high school kid needs to understand, maybe you’re going to go to college, maybe you’re not,” Parson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post during a stop in St. Joseph. “Maybe you’re not suited to go there and we need to put them in other avenues to say, okay, maybe you need to go to a tech school, maybe you need to go community college, maybe you need to go to some sort of training. Then maybe college is not going to be the route and we need to be honest with them and try to get people in the right direction they need to go.”
The technology center will be jointly operated by Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College of Trenton.
Parson says a quality workforce is key to maintaining a strong state economy.
A quality workforce is one of the keys to the economy, according to Parson, who adds a lack of quality child care is holing Missouri back. Parson says state government can play a role in enticing residents to re-enter the workforce by helping workers secure child care.
“Probably the number one thing that we lose quality work on is child care, because you’ve got parents out there trying to make the decision do I stay at home with the child or do I go to work?” Parson says. “And they should never be in that position.”
Parson sees two big problems with child care: availability and affordability.
Parson is disappointed the legislature failed to pass a child care tax credit bill pushed by St. Joseph state Representative Brenda Shields, designed not just to help workers afford child care, but to encourage growth in the child care industry.
Parson does say he’s pleased the legislature appropriated $150 million toward expanding child care options.
“So, we made one of the largest investments this year in child care and we’re going to continue to do that. Because, again, we know that keeps people out of the workforce and that’s the last thing we want to do,” Parson says. “So, you’re going to see more investments in that. I think we made about $150 million this year towards that and next year I’m sure we’re going to be trying to do more on the day care side.”
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