Legislator calls for greater focus on literacy rates, reliable energy sources

State Rep. Brad Slagh attended the governor’s State of the State address on Wednesday evening. Joining him as his guest was Ottawa County Commission Chair John Teeples.

Rep. Slagh offered his thoughts following the address:

“While I appreciate the governor’s focus on higher education and skills training, K-12 education must be better prioritized to set kids up for those post-grad learning opportunities. Sadly, three out of five third graders in Michigan cannot read at grade level, despite an increase in school aid funding year after year. That’s an indication that financial investments alone can’t solve the problem. We need a thoughtful, multifaceted approach to create real and lasting improvements in the system so that kids can read to learn.

“I also have concerns about our state’s energy policies. In order for our state to grow, we must focus on keeping our grid reliable – that means keeping our coal plants until other sources are proven to be reliable, sustainable, economical and practical. Transitioning prematurely to underdeveloped alternative energy sources can lead to blackouts during extreme weather events, cause heating and cooling failures that endanger vulnerable populations, strain emergency services, disrupt hospitals and water treatment facilities, and increase the risk of accidents in industries reliant on stable power. That’s not a risk we should be willing to take to push a political narrative.”

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