Pew "Grading the States 2008" Gives Virginia an A-

The results reported in Grading the States 2008 reflect the performance of each state as a whole-including the intersection between the executive and legislative branches-not any individual or specific department. The cumulative assessments reflect the leadership and program implementation skills of elected and appointed officials as well as career civil servants and the not-for-profit and private sector providers who partner with states in the execution of policy and programs.

The report examines amd measures four key areas- money, people, infrastructure and information.

Check out Pew's writeup on Virginia here.  Here's a highlight:

The trick to making performance measurement work is to avoid the temptation to convert it into simple formulas. Managing a state is just too complicated to yield to one-size-fits-all equations.

And that's what makes Virginia's efforts in this field so impressive: The state avoids formulas and focuses on the harder work of asking why goals and targets aren't being met, then seeks to address the underlying problems. Virginia Performs, the state's performance-accountability system, tracks measurable societal outcomes as well as the agency goals and management benchmarks that will help achieve them.

Finally, Pew spells out the main challenges facing the state, including "undo[ing] the lasting budget effects of a poorly planned car-tax repeal and other tax cuts that were made just prior to the 2001-02 recession." That's right, we're STILL undoing the damage done by Jim Gilmore during his disastrous term in office. Can you believe this guy actually believes he's deserving of our trust once again? Crazy, I know.

P.S. For Gov. Kaine's press release on this excellent report, please see the "flip."  Congratulations to Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, and everyone else who has made Virginia the "best managed state in the country!"

VIRGINIA GETS TOP GRADE IN PERFORMANCE
~Government Performance Project gives Virginia "A-" overall score~

RICHMOND- Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Virginia again received the top score in the Government Performance Project's "Grading the States 2008" report, the nation's only comprehensive, independent analysis of how well each state performs in serving the public.  In the first such rating in three years, Virginia achieved an overall grade of A- for performance.  Two other states - Utah and Washington -¡- received an A- grade, and the national average was B-.  Virginia also received an A- ranking in the most recent "Grading the States" assessment in 2005.

           Governor Kaine released the following statement in response to receiving the top ranking:

"My top priority is serving our citizens in a smart and efficient way, and I am so proud of the way our state employees have risen to the challenge.  The GPP grade card gives Virginia an A for 'People,' and that is the heart of our success.  I am also proud of the work that the Council on Virginia's Future has done on the Virginia Performs website, which focuses our management effort on results and gives citizens unprecedented access to information about state services and outcomes.

"I would also like to thank the General Assembly and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission for their continued work and commitment to keeping Virginia one of the best managed states in the nation.

"Achieving a top grade doesn't mean that we don't have work to do to improve.  The one area where Virginia's performance achieved less than an A grade was in infrastructure, which offers a timely reminder of the importance of addressing our transportation and state building needs.  I look forward to working with our employees and the General Assembly to address these needs and keep Virginia moving forward."

The Government Performance Project's press release can be accessed here.  To access the entire report, including Virginia's report card, please visit the Government Performance Project Web site.  The GPP's information for Virginia is available here.

Comments