This is a joint release from the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy and the Office of Governor Mitch Daniels.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Former Gov. Jim Hunt, and Chair of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, has named Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) to the Institute?s Board of Directors.

?Gov. Daniels understands the connection between education and the economy, and he is dedicated to getting more education resources straight to the classroom,? said Hunt. ?He is keenly aware that mediocrity does not have a place when it comes to education improvements. He?s not afraid to be bold and audacious, and I am pleased he has agreed to serve on the Board of Directors.?

The Institute?s Board of Directors consists of elected officials, business leaders, and educational experts across the nation. The Board meets twice a year to review Hunt Institute objectives and identify emerging issues in education. This is the only board Daniels has agreed to join. He will attend his first board meeting this week.

?Jim Hunt is America?s most respected education reformer, and I know I can learn more from him than any other single person,? said Gov. Daniels.

Gov. Daniels took office in 2005. A cornerstone of his 2006 legislative agenda gives Indiana school corporations new and clearer authority to make effective spending decisions, enabling them to reduce overhead spending and free up taxpayer dollars for better use in classrooms. In addition, the plans would improve the state's K-12 financial systems, so reporting on spending in school districts is clearer, and reduce regulation so schools have more flexibility to be innovative and have more freedom to focus on instruction and learning.

?No area of responsibility must concern us more than public education, and no area intersects more with our other challenges,? said Gov. Daniels in his State of the State address. ?Education cannot be separated from our fiscal responsibilities, and no factor will do more to determine Indiana?s future economic health than the quality of the learning in our public schools.?

Gov. Daniels increased spending for education in the current biennial budget, one of only four areas of Indiana state government to receive an increase in funding as he worked toward balancing the state?s budget for the first time in a decade. Earlier this year, he directed the repayment of $156 million in delinquent payments owed to K-12 schools, half of the balance school corporations are owed, and he has most recently pledged his commitment to providing statewide full-day kindergarten ? with the goal of implementing it by the start of the 2007-2008 school year.

The Hunt Institute works with governors, lieutenant governors, legislators, mayors, business leaders, and PK-16 education leaders across the nation to design strategy, shape policy and drive education improvement. They have tackled numerous issues including math and science education, college access and success, out of school time efforts, educating for a global economy, creativity and competitiveness, and national standards.

Additional contact: April White, Hunt Institute, 919.843.0182