The April Quorum Court meetings will bring new, ground-breaking legislation for education. Not education for our children and young people, but education for our elected officials!
The
UALR task force study (Part 10, recommendation 4) brought up many issues, not only about finances for the county and evaluation of the jail population, but it also pointed out that elected officials for the county and city governments may not possess or be getting the education and knowledge needed to perform their duties. In this study, it was pointed out that just because a person is elected to an office, while they may have many other talents and experience, it does not mean that they have the knowledge they need to make the proper decisions the taxpayers expect in performance of their office.
That is why UALR has graciously offered their services to implement a continuing education (CE) program to fill in the gaps where needed. As a result of this, I have written and sponsored
Resolution #08-I-51 for county elected officials to attend finance classes sponsored by UALR each year.
In the business world, it is very common for professionals to be required to attend continuing education classes in their field. Professionals such as Insurance agents, CPAs, attorneys, securities professionals and even health care professionals are required to attend continuing education classes in their fields in order to stay abreast of constant changes in their industries so that they may give the public the best service possible. It is only natural that this same practice be expected of those who make vital decisions with our tax dollars every day.
Allen Kerr
