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How will the proposed auto crises/bailout affect Michigan education?
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Will education in Michigan be affected by the current automobile crises/proposed bailout??
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I will get emotional about this subject, so please forgive me for my passion. Both my husband and I were born and raised in metropolitan Detroit, and we have raised our two children here, too. We plan to retire in Michigan, as do most of our friends and extended family. We love this beautiful state, and can’t believe the misperceptions others have. It is an absolutely wonderful place to live.
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Of course I am concerned about the failure of the automobile industry. I live a few short miles from General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford. A good percentage of my neighbors work for one of the Big Three. On the other hand, I am a Libertarian and think that government bailouts and government in general should be very limited to nonexistent. For more analysis on that, see "Should we bail out the U.S. auto industry?" written by a fellow Examiner.
Back to education, the purpose of this story. How will education in Michigan be affected by what happens to the automobile industry? I am going to touch on three aspects of this question: the teachers’ union, public school funding, and enrollment in Michigan colleges.
1) Teacher’s union: I’m just throwing this out there, but if the auto workers’ union goes down, the teachers’ union should be nervous. Union membership in all unions has already been declining steadily in Michigan over the past decade. On the other hand, a more union friendly government was elected a few weeks ago. See “Michigan teachers’ union happy with election results.”
2) How will school funding in Michigan be affected by a crises in the automobile industry?
Keeping up enrollment is a big part of public school funding, as most of the school funding in the districts come from a “per student” allowance given to each district by the state. Initially, enrollment at the public schools shouldn’t be affected much by any crises, because the public schools are free. They may even gain students that the private school will lose.
Sure, some people may move out of the state, which may impact enrollment. However, it’s hard to say who will move. Many people won’t be able to sell their houses, and there really aren’t a lot of jobs in other states, either.
Long term, of course, if the economy doesn’t improve, the state of Michigan may have to adjust its budget and give the districts less money per pupil.
Private schools are another matter. You would think that they would lose students in an economic downturn. Ironically, though, my daughter’s all girls’ Catholic school had a record attendance number at Open House last week. There is also another new girls’ Catholic school being built in the western suburbs this summer.
There are still people in Michigan who have money. This is evident when you try to park at Twelve Oaks Mall or get into any of the restaurants in the northwestern suburbs on a weekend.
3) Last but not least, see "Enrollment up at local colleges, universities" published in the Oakland Press.
According to the article, more people are realizing the value of an education as the manufacturing jobs fade away. Undergraduate enrollment in Michigan colleges is up, and community college enrollment is thriving. Many are choosing the community college option for their first two years, and then transferring their credits to the more expensive universities.
On the other hand, graduate enrollment at Michigan universities is down. This is possibly because those in graduate schools are often financed by a company’s tuition reimbursement program, and many corporations are cutting these benefits.
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