Doesn this compete with moneys needed by public education in grades kindergarten through high school?
Absolutely not. The educational programs are congruent, not competitive. In fact, higher education is dependent upon K-12 to produce high school graduates who can later attend higher educational institutions. Further, a primary goal of the B.R.I.G.H.T program is to view an investment in an educated work force and educated youth remaining in the area as part of a “human infrastructure” comparable to that of a physical infrastructure. As such, this would be not be a competition between operating costs, any more than building a bridge over the river or a new convention center would compete with operating costs for public education. Any such concerns are premature, however, since the source of funding is undetermined and further research is necessary to establish the costs of the program. It’s quite possible that this could be privately funded, or a public/private joint venture, and not merely a publicly funded endeavor.
