Yes on Issue 1 (Editorial)

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Issue 1, an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot, would allow state lottery proceeds to be used to fund scholarships and grants at private and public vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. These are the kinds of schools that provide workforce training in the skilled trades, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well as electrical, mechanical and plumbing, among other fields.

Amendment 87 to the constitution, approved in 2008, limits lottery-funded scholarships and grants to students enrolled in public and private nonprofit two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas. Issue 1 would expand the kinds of Arkansas educational institutions that can offer lottery-funded financial aid to students.

If the amendment is approved, the Legislature would need to establish criteria for who is eligible for the aid.

The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce supports Issue 1; there has been no organized opposition to the proposal.

The aging out of the workforce of the baby-boom generation has led to a shortage of workers in the skilled trades. These are jobs that can provide not only good wages but satisfaction. And no one who has ever needed a good plumber doubts their value. Vote yes on Issue 1.