Issue Position: Workforce Development

Minnesota has been known nationally for having a powerhouse workforce. However, we are falling behind in our ability to attract and grow new businesses because of our ability to maintain a steady, educated workforce.

We must focus on a workforce development for the future in Minnesota. This has three main components:

Education

Our residents must be successfully educated for the careers of tomorrow from pre-K through retirement.
As the husband of a public school teacher, I know the passion our local teachers bring to their job everyday. I believe it is vital to give our teachers and administrators the resources they need to properly run our schools. Given these resources and room for innovation, these classrooms can be incubators of our children's potential, giving each child an equitable opportunity to learn and improve.
Properly funding our schools, technical colleges, post-secondary education, and life-long learning must always rise above partisan politics. If we ask our students to do their best everyday, we need to expect the same from our leaders.

Transportation

Our transportation system is not currently able to move workers and those in need successfully from Point A to Point B.
Congestion on Highway 169 will never be solved solely by added more lanes. Minnesota must pass a comprehensive transportation bill with funding that focusing on improving our current system roads, bridges, and transit. Specifically, our next legislator must focus on working with their colleagues in funding the planned bus rapid transit for Highway 169 to increase mobility for businesses and commuters and improve access to transit in Shakopee.

Housing

Locally available affordable housing is critical to having a local workforce.
Housing has become too expensive for many to afford. We want our children to be able to move away and get new experiences then come back to Shakopee to raise their families and start businesses. Affordable housing and rentals are critical for first-time home buyers and empty-nesters.
We know that our ability to have a local workforce hinges on our ability for people to live and work in the same community. The state needs to take steps to increase our availability of housing by reducing regulations, creating private investment strategies, and allowing local governments to tie fees to property values.

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