News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady expressed his support for Governor Bill Lee following the State of the State address last week.
Heady said improving workforce development and expanding vocational opportunities remains an important topic in his county.
“We know that not everybody wants a four-year education. I think that everybody that wants one, I’m excited for them and I hope that they get that,” Heady said. “But a lot of our people, including myself, don’t really seek a four-year degree, so we have vocational schools and I thought that was tremendous.”
Governor Lee announced last week during his address to state lawmakers that his upcoming budget would include a $25 million investment in vocational education known as the GIVE Act (Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education). Lee also proposed a $4 million investment in expanding workforce development education in public schools.
Lee’s workforce initiatives come nearly five months after the opening of Tennessee College of Applied Technology’s Gainesboro satellite campus.
Heady said Lee’s proposal for criminal justice reform would also benefit small rural communities struggling with higher inmate populations.
“He talked about reform, the opioid crisis, mental health, and those things. That’s a place that I think we talk a lot [about] but we don’t see a lot of action,” Heady said. “I believe in his budget that he has proposed he is going to try and tackle that and I think that’s huge. Reform is better than incarceration and I hope that we are able to move forward with that.”
Lee’s budget would put additional funding towards community supervision of low-risk non-violent offenders, while nearly $5 million would go towards the Department of Children’s Services and children affected in opioid-related cases.
