Governor's Task Force focuses on health, education, entrepreneurship
To improve Tennessee’s rural communities, the Governor’s Rural Task Force is recommending new resources for entrepreneurs, incentives for rural teachers, healthy eating initiatives and employment resources for former inmates.
The task force, created by Gov. Bill Haslam last year, seeks to address challenges in rural areas that have held those communities back as Tennessee's overall economy thrives. While household income is at a record high statewide, seventeen rural counties in Tennessee fall in the bottom 10 percent of the nation, according to a report released Monday by the task force.
“Despite the unprecedented growth occurring in our state, many of Tennessee’s rural areas are not experiencing the same prosperity as urban areas,” Tennessee Economic Community and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, a co-chair of the task force, said. “This strategic plan provides a potential menu of options to help transform and grow our rural communities.”
The task force is made up of 120 Tennesseans representing a range of sectors and officials from 18 state agencies. Led by Boyd, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett, they focused on addressing health, education, business, workforce development and technology issues.
The recommendations have been presented to Haslam’s office. While some concepts would need legislative approval to be implemented and funded, others are already under way, according to the Tennessee Economic & Community Development office.
Health: With many rural communities struggling with health care, the task force recommended increasing the recruitment of health care professionals to rural areas and integrating dental services into primary health care settings. Another recommendation is to reimburse hospitals for training paramedicine professionals in economically distressed counties and for delivering services to Medicaid patients. Telehealth would also be expanded to behavioral health.
The taskforce wants to help rural areas access funding for parks, trails and bikeways to support physical activity and to offer workshops and education on nutrition to improve residents' health.
Education: Recruiting and retaining teachers in rural areas has been a challenge for the state. Through a $825,000, five-year program, the task force recommends a rural teacher initiative that would provide state-subsidized pay to teachers committing to teach four years in a rural district. Aspiring teachers could receive up to $32,000 in student loans at a public college or university if the student commits to four years and meets GPA requirements.
Economic development: Among several economic development ideas is creating an economic development training program for elected officials in rural areas. The task force also recommended implementing work-based learning into certification programs and providing grant funding for communities to develop programs.
The need for additional technology workers has been a concern statewide in recent years and the task force recommended creating rural tech hubs that could offer incentives to companies hiring workers trained through the program. The program is estimated to cost $500,000.
Reducing recidivism rates was also highlighted as a task force priority. The state should determine best practices underway and address barriers to re-entry, such as fees and driver’s licenses hurdles, according to the report.
Tourism was also highlighted as potential tool for improving rural economies. The task force recommended a Rural Opportunity Act for Reinvestment that would reinvest tax dollars into tourism initiatives.
Site development grants, which benefited 15 communities this year, could also be expanded, according to the report. The $6 million program should be expanded to $10 million to serve 20 areas annually. The program provides communities with financial resources related to site development for industrial, manufacturing and distribution sectors.
Entrepreneurship:
More resources are need for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners, according to the report. Among ideas are an online portal and buses that can bring resources to the rural areas and promote entrepreneurship there. The bus initiative is estimated to cost $1.6 million.
Additional funding for early stage companies is also needed, according to the report. A seed funding initiative for early stage agricultural and rural companies is forecast to cost $25 million over a five-year period. Matching federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant dollars to support research would cost $12.5 million over five years.
Another idea is to expand the Rural Opportunity Fund, with would match state capital with private bank capital and lead to nearly $19 million in additional funds and support 100 small businesses in five years.
Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.