Posts
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 30, 2011 12:00 AM
Gov. Jan Brewer and the state's top lawmakers got a reality check Tuesday from former Intel Chief Executive and Board Chairman Craig Barrett, who told them Arizona's education system is hindering economic-development efforts.
 |
| Read more here |
Education is a major sticking point in the discussions; Brewer is proposing a $170 million cut to universities and a reduction of $72 million in K-12.
The Senate has passed a budget with deeper cuts - $235 million to universities and $242 million to K-12. The House has yet to begin its deliberations.
"Quality education is extremely important to a place like Intel," Barrett said. "(The) education cutbacks don't bode well for that."
Barrett, who said he was not speaking for the company, made his remarks at a board meeting of the newly created Arizona Commerce Authority, the quasi-public agency that replaced the state's Department of Commerce.
Barrett said if Intel were starting anew, Arizona likely wouldn't be in the running for its business.
"I hate to say it, but I think Arizona would not be in the top 10 locales to make that investment," he said.
He added that the company might not even select the U.S. because of non-competitive immigration and tax policies. Intel has invested at least $14 billion in new Arizona plants over the past decade and plans to spend another $5 billion on a fabrication plant in Chandler.
Continue reading here.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/03/30/20110330arizona-education-intel-ceo.html#ixzz1I7PFAgVS
Brewer says nothing would cause her to back off her plans to cut university funding or pare community colleges by half. See East Valley Tribune article Former Intel CEO: Quality of Arizona education too poor to attract new businesson Brewer's reaction to Barrett.
