As 2017 winds down, Oregon's short 35-day legislative session will be here before we know it. This week we saw a glimmer of things to come, or not, for the legislative session while attending the 15th annual Oregon Leadership Summit. The Leadership Summit brought together business leaders, elected officials, educators, and advocates to discuss a range of issues, most importantly whether Oregon is Future Ready.
 
The question at hand: Will state leaders show a willingness to come together, set a table for all stakeholders, and find a path forward to address Oregon's fiscal crisis, before it's too late?
 
"No problem looms as large as our fiscal crisis," said Patrick Criteser, Chair of the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee, as he opened the Leadership Summit's day of business.
 
Criteser went on the remind the audience that the one of the single greatest threats to Oregon's fiscal health, the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), will cost schools, local governments, and other public employers $2.9 billion this biennium and will grow to almost $11 billion in 2033-35 if the Legislature doesn't act to control costs.

Many state leaders spoke to the need for Oregon lawmakers to address our state's fiscal crisis and were candid about the opportunities and challenges of the work ahead. Oregon leaders identified solid ideas necessary to do this hard work. Among those ideas are:

• Agree on the problems and set clear goals to find solutions.
• Put the right leadership team in place.
• Involve all stakeholders from both political parties and from all parts of the state.
• Make sure everyone has skin in the game.
• Communicate frequently and clearly.

Oregon desperately needs leadership in Salem to bring parties around the table and tackle Oregon's fiscal challenges. OSCC is hopeful that the ideas put forward and the commitment to bring stakeholders together in order to address Oregon's fiscal crisis is real.

The Governor's Regional Solutions office invites you to join our effort to address the state-wide shortage of workforce housing. In her travels across the state, Governor Kate Brown has heard from employers, workers, and local leaders that the lack of workforce housing is a constraint to continued growth and prosperity.

With Governor Brown's leadership, state agencies have reviewed their programs to find opportunities to partner with local governments, the business sector, and housing developers to address the workforce housing shortage in Oregon. A Request for Information (RFI) was issued in September to gather information and refine the State resources that would be helpful. The RFI responses confirmed that the workforce housing shortage constrains economic growth and job creation in many communities. The RFI garnered thirty-seven responses, with 60% coming from local governments (22) and 40% coming from developers/builders (10) and businesses/employers (7). The majority originated from rural communities, but there were also several from urban areas or communities that fall within the orbit of major metropolitan areas.  Respondents offered a number of compelling ideas for how public-private partnerships could address the workforce housing shortage. 

Are your members concerned about the future of their community? Are they looking to hire great employees in the next several years but are unsure whether they'll find individuals with the skills and the professionalism they need in their workforce? Do you want a seat at the table to shape education so students graduate more prepared to be great employees? Do you want to show the community members you serve that you care about the future? Join the 2018 CTE & Industry Summit!

 

The 2018 CTE & Industry Summit will be held February 1-2, 2018, for a statewide collaborative experience - bringing students, educators, industry professionals, and community members together to shape the future of CTE.

Learn more about all the Summit will offer at www.cteindustrysummit.com.