Engler to lay out plan for future

Education, tax relief, and plans for the 21st Century will be the centerpieces of Gov. John Engler's eighth State of the State address tonight in Lansing.

Engler spokesperson John Truscott said the speech will encompass a wide range of topics.

"We will give a new angle, a new twist to the issues," Truscott said. "Education reform, criminal justice, jobs, the economy, the environment and taxes will all be discussed."

LSA sophomore Kelley Boland, secretary of the campus chapter of the College Democrats, said she anticipates a broad-based speech that will touch on all the key issues facing the state.

"I'm hoping he gives a speech similar to President Clinton's," Boland said. "He needs to say where the state is and where it's going."

A key part of the speech, Boland said, will be the plans for the state Engler will outline. She said these detailed plans are especially important because this is an election year.

"He hasn't given a specific plan to fix the many problems in Michigan yet," Boland said.

Engler will propose a plan to ensure that elementary school children are reading at or above the standards of their grade level by the fourth grade, Truscott said.

"Before kids enter school, parents must have the knowledge to prepare their children for reading in school," Truscott said. "We have to ... end social promotion in our schools."

Truscott said Engler also will discuss the state's economic success during the past eight years.

"In the 1980s, nobody could have imagined we would be where we are today," Truscott said. "We lagged behind, but now we must build on our success."

Boland said the most important issues on her mind are education, the environment and the infrastructure of the state's roads.

While this will not be a campaign speech, some expect Engler to use the address to launch his re-election campaign.

"In a lot of ways this speech kicks off the re-election cycle for Engler," Boland said.

But Truscott said Engler will not use the address to advance his own political interests.

"This is not a political speech, it's a policy speech," Truscott said.

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