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Nixon In KC: Battling Jobs Loss

Governor Jay Nixon( D, Mo.) views student work at MCC Tech Center. Staff observe.
kcur photo by dan verbeck\">
Governor Jay Nixon( D, Mo.) views student work at MCC Tech Center. Staff observe.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-817845.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. –
Calling the measure a start, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has proposed raising funding for jobs-related education to a level as high as $21 Million. The driving factor is the state's record high jobless rate. He brought his message to Kansas City.
The governor's intended focus was on boosting vocational and technical education. He was asked during a meeting with reporters at Metropolitan Community College Technology Campus why unemployment is so high in a state with relatively low taxes. His response was,"I don't think we've done enough as a state to define a pathway to education for folks without getting debt as a graduation gift"
Nixon says students used to graduate, buy a car and a house. But now they are paying instead for the degree. In the mind of the governor, Flat tuition without any increase, as he proposes, is one answer.

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