"There is nothing so strong as an idea
whose time has come."
Victor Hugo, 1852
We envision a future for the Commonwealth of Kentucky that unites us in common purpose and builds on the strengths of our heritage and our resources. We see vibrant, nurturing communities . . . lifelong, quality educational opportunities . . . a sustainable, prosperous economy . . . a clean, beautiful environment . . . and honest, participatory government at all levels.
As the year 2000 approaches, many organizations and state agencies have engaged in strategic planning. By statute, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center has responsibility for coordinating the resources and groups engaged in these efforts and bringing critical focus to long-term planning. In this role, the Center's Board of Directors and staff have facilitated the development of a collective vision of Kentucky's future.
This groundbreaking effort began more than a year ago when the Center sponsored a series of town meetings throughout the state to engage citizens in a dialogue about our common future. Incorporating the expressed hopes of Kentuckians across the Commonwealth, the Center crafted a draft Vision Statement for Kentucky and offered it for public comment. The Board of Directors identified and reviewed the strategic plans of state agencies and other organizations and integrated the important concepts expressed in these plans, set goals consistent with the Vision Statement, and identified benchmarks that would enable us to measure progress toward those goals. Again, written comments on the draft vision, goals and benchmarks were solicited from the public. The effort culminated with the first statewide conference on strategic planning, which offered citizens another opportunity to become engaged in the process of planning for the future.
This publication is the product of an extraordinarily inclusive process, which invited and encouraged citizens to contribute at public forums, in written comments and suggestions, and as participants in the working conference. It strives to capture a vision of what Kentuckians want our state to be. Like this document, the process of arriving at our desired destination cannot be achieved by any state agency or organization in isolation. In order to be valid, it must remain a collective effort, one that routinely engages citizens from across the Commonwealth.
Because the future is a "work in progress," we must continue to monitor trends that may alter our goals for the future or require adjustments to benchmarks in order to more accurately reflect progress. The Center's Board and staff will work to sustain the process by reporting in alternate years on the progress we make toward realization of the goals outlined here. Many distinguished groups have developed plans for Kentucky's future; however, periodic assessment of our progress through benchmarks sets this effort apart.
When Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?", he replied, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." We hope that, with publication of this report, we will begin to answer the question of where we want to go in Kentucky and launch our journey.
It has been a pleasure to chair the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center Board of Directors during this process. I greatly appreciate the efforts and dedication of the Board members and staff throughout this year.
Mary Helen Miller
Chair of the Board
Why is a common vision so important? On a philosophical level, the vision statement exists to emotionally and intellectually inspire us; it acts as a beacon of stability just over the horizon while we are buffeted by constant change which, at times, seems to envelop us. And, on a practical level, we have to know where we want to go before we can begin planning how to get there.
Both the inspirational and practical importance of having a common vision of Kentucky's future has important historical roots. In the late 1940s, the concerned citizens who formed the Committee for Kentucky shared "a vision--a vision of a better life for the people of Kentucky..." (Schacter, 1949). Several years later another group, the Kentucky Tomorrow Commission, wrote that "long-term goals are often lost in a vacuum of short-term program development. Because Kentucky possesses no common vision for its future, our policies and programs lack direction and coordination" (Kentucky Tomorrow Commission, 1984). More recently, the Governor's Commission on Quality and Efficiency called for a statewide strategic plan that could focus our efforts in a common direction (Governor's Commission on Quality and Efficiency, 1993). It is our hope that this vision statement, which is based on broad citizen input, will fulfill both the inspirational and practical requirements to provide for continuity in policy.
With the adoption of the vision statement, we set forth 25 long-term goals designed to attain it. The goals are organized around the five broad themes of the vision statement and represent the core factors deemed critical for Kentucky's future. These goals were developed by the Center's Board of Directors after careful study of similar plans in other states, including Minnesota Milestones, Oregon Benchmarks, and Utah Tomorrow, as well as the strategic plans that had already been developed within the state (e.g., Commonwealth of Kentucky Strategic Plan for Economic Development). The Board derived goals it felt were appropriate for Kentucky and consistent with the vision statement.
How will we know if we are reaching the goals? The aphorism claiming that "the more things change, the more they remain the same" seems apt, on the surface at least, when examining the many efforts to get Kentuckians focused on the long-term vitality of the Commonwealth. The reservoir of energy that fuels our collective focus seems to be drained by the pressures of the day, leaving precious little for the demands of tomorrow. And, to be certain, the work of government continues to be complicated by the ever-changing context within which we live, with a number of forces, both positive and negative, affecting the state. It is easy to become discouraged, and even cynical, about current efforts, and wonder if they, too, will ultimately occupy a place on the historical scrap heap.
In 1949 the Committee for Kentucky lamented that Kentucky's industry "was based on exploitative or extractive industries. We extracted the raw materials from the ground, shipped them to other states to be processed, and then bought them back at a cost many times the price for which we sold the raw materials" (Schacter, p. 8). Then, in 1985 the Kentucky Tomorrow Commission warned that "traditional economic development strategies will prove ineffective in meeting Kentucky's long-term goals of growth and prosperity" (Kentucky Tomorrow Commission, p. 21). Ten years later one has only to turn to the Strategic Plan for Economic Development to find the same ideas expressed. How then can we avoid the situation captured in the oft-repeated words of the famous American philosopher, Yogi Berra, who said, "It feels like déjà vu all over again"?
One way to ensure that policymakers are able to consider the long-term implications of decisions and provide for continuity in policy is through the use of benchmarks. The Board sought the input of experts as it developed benchmarks, or indicators of progress, to measure advancement toward the vision and goals. These benchmarks generally have the following characteristics: 1) they measure progress toward the goal; 2) they measure outcomes as opposed to inputs, workloads, or level of effort; 3) they reflect the state's unique circumstances; 4) they are inherently "quantifiable"; and 5) data should either already exist for the benchmark or be available with reasonable effort and expenditure.
What are we going to do with all this information? We will use it to assess whether the Commonwealth is taking the appropriate steps to ensure a prosperous future. After the initial data has been gathered for each benchmark, they will be reported periodically to see how well we're doing in that particular area. All the information will be published by the Center biennially in odd-numbered years as a "report card" for the Commonwealth. We believe that this process will help keep our collective focus on improving the lives of all Kentuckians, will go a long way toward making government accountable to the citizens, and will enable us to answer the question: Is Kentucky heading down a path toward long-term economic, environmental, and social vitality?
To obtain a copy of this report, contact the center.