Performance Agreements Pilot Program Passes House and Senate Adopting accountability standards and outcomes-based management of the state's higher education system is a centerpiece of the Prosperity Partnership's higher education proposal. This session, Representative Fred Jarrett, along with Reps. Priest, Wallace, Ormsby, McIntire, Sells, Morrell, Upthegrove, Sullivan and Haler introduced House Bill 2641, which would do just that. If enacted, HB 2641 would create performance agreements that are pilot-tested with the state's public four-year institutions. The bill directs policymakers and each institution of higher education to jointly develop performance agreements. The agreements will align goals, priorities, desired outcomes, flexibility, institutional mission, and accountability, with funding. Adopting mechanisms to ensure the efficient and effective conferring of high-quality bachelor's degrees is essential in order to prepare students for participation in the region's economy with limited government funding. This is critical step in the right direction and could be a great victory for students and the economy. HB 2641 has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting gubernatorial action. Click here for more information on HB 2641. back to top Cleantech Alliance Unveils Washington’s “ever GREEN” Story The Washington Clean Technology Alliance (WCTA) this week begins an ambitious program to promote and publicize Washington clean technology in a variety of new media. “Washington is leading the nation in clean tech innovation and it’s time to assert ourselves,” said David Allen, a Co-Chair of WCTA and Executive Vice President of McKinstry. Debuting at the GLOBE 2008 Conference in Vancouver, a major international gathering of leaders in the environmental industry, is the first offering from this partnership, a ten-minute film entitled “The ever GREEN State: Washington Clean Tech at Work.” The film introduces the underpinnings of Washington’s Cleantech strategy - a Business Focus, Innovative Technologies, and Visionary Leadership - and features comments and endorsements from an impressive array of cleantech advocates, including Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, Congressman Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and even presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama, who visited McKinstry and praised WCTA leadership in a February visit. The video will be available at the WCTA website following GLOBE next week. “We’re excited because this is just the first chapter in this dynamic, important, story,” said Executive Producer Hal Calbom. Calbom and his production team at More Dust than Digital Films have won numerous awards for business and environmental reporting, including the Champion Award for Economic Understanding, presented by the Tuck School of Business for a series of reports on Pacific Northwest energy policy. They were also the team behind the videos presented by the Prosperity Partnership at its Fall Lunch in November. back to top Regional Board Recommends Projects for Economic Development Funding The region's Economic Development District (EDD) has identified two projects as top priorities for federal economic development funding in 2008: the Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center: Duwamish Apprenticeship and Education Center at South Seattle Community College and the City of Auburn's Downtown Promenade and City Hall Plaza. The two projects were selected in the regional competition for potential funding under the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Public Works Program. "The projects we've selected this year are excellent examples of grassroots economic development that will help grow good jobs in the region," said EDD President Deborah Knutson, who is also President of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. "Both the Auburn project and the Duwamish project bested strong competition and we're confident that they will get priority attention from the EDA" The Auburn Promenade will be the centerpiece of a redevelopment of downtown Auburn, not only increasing employment in several sectors including life sciences, but also creating transit-oriented development that fits with the region's growth management and transportation strategies. The grant request for this project is $2 million. South Seattle Community College's Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center will create a vibrant new campus in the heart of some of Seattle's most economically distressed neighborhoods, giving underserved communities the opportunity to gain skills in some of our region's most vital industry clusters. The center will boost workforce development training in two of the Prosperity Partnership's key clusters: Clean Technology and Logistics and International Trade. The grant request for this project is $1 million. The goal of the Economic Development District's Public Works Program is to support long-term economic development in areas experiencing economic distress through investments in public infrastructure and facilities necessary to generate private investments that provide higher-skill, higher-wage jobs. The EDD submits the top projects to the EDA to compete for funding. The top ranked projects are often successful in receiving funds and the ranking can be used to leverage additional funding sources. back to top