More on the Valley's Big Idea

Stephen Hoffman, one of the editorial writers at the Akron Beacon Journal, takes a deeper look at Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber's push to consolidate schools administrations and use the savings to pay for the education of the valley's residents. It's a big idea that's getting more attention every day, as it should.

I think Stephen highlighted some key points here:

Michelle Miller-Adams, a political scientist with the Upjohn Institute of Employment Research, recently told the Kalamazoo Gazette this simple truth: ''You can't get people to move here if they can't get jobs.'' (Wonder whether Rebecca Ryan, the Wisconsin consultant who came to advise Akron to be more hip, is listening?)

Still, it is increasingly clear that you can't get high-growth, high-tech, information-intensive businesses to locate in your city unless you've got a highly educated work force. That's not an easy sell in either Kalamazoo or Youngstown, cities that prospered for decades on factory jobs.

Access to higher education is a necessary, but probably not sufficient, precursor to economic growth. It must be married to a larger, regional strategy.

That regional strategy is Advance Northeast Ohio and the Regional Chamber is an active and valued partner in our region's effort to implement important regional initiatives that will result in more growing businesses, a more educated, entrepreneurial and innovative workforce, more opportunities for the disadvantaged and more effective and efficient government.

Education may well prove to be the most important driver of the economy in the 21st century, but Stephen is right, education reform efforts must be part of a larger strategy.

Here's another key observation from Stephen's column:

In short, the Youngstown tuition plan won't trigger an instant economic turnaround in the region. But without it, further decline is all but inevitable.

Tony Paglia (of the chamber) puts it this way: If you don't like our ideas, what's your alternative?

So what alternatives would you suggest we pursue or would you like to see the Chamber's idea rolled out across Ohio?