Fixing Michigan's population problem means reworking education, adding public transit, council says

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Turn Michigan into an innovation hub, repair its education system, and revive communities with public transit and better housing; that's what the Growing Michigan Together Council says is the path forward for the state.

The council's recommendations seek to repair a problem decades in the making. The median income ranks 34th in the U.S. Less than a third of students are proficient in reading and math. Its highways and infrastructure are some of the worst in the nation.

And Michigan's population growth ranks 49th out of 50 states. The problem of failing to attract people while losing the ones born in the state serves to only worsen the issue, zapping the state's tax revenue and leading to underinvestment in schools, roads, and water infrastructure.

As more amenities go underfunded, more people leave, perpetuating the problem. 

Reversing that cycle, the council argues, means deploying three "mutually reinforcing" strategies that will build on one another.

"While Michigan has many assets—worldclass higher-education universities, rich natural resources, a dominant engineering workforce, and relatively low cost of living—we face many challenges that we must reverse to thrive in a 21st-century economy," the full report, released Thursday said.

‘The innovation hub of the Midwest’

One facet of the plan, ramping up the state's economy, means making Michigan a "magnet" for business and talent, which would drive population growth. But the state has gaps in its business ecosystem for the companies that want to grow. 

One reason is Michigan performs poorly in attracting venture capital investment. Another reason is the state loses 5,600 postgraduates a year, which hampers the sectors critical to growing technology and the "knowledge economy."

There is also a lack of internships and job opportunities that offer on-the-job experience. 

The state also has a low labor force participation rate when compared to neighboring states. A labor shortage can limit a business if it wants to expand. It also discourages out-of-state companies from relocating to Michigan. 

Insufficient child care and elder care are part of the reason the workforce is stagnant. 

Lifelong learning system

If Michigan wants to attract more businesses, it will need to update an "antiquated" education system that is "designed for a different time when a high school diploma was enough for most people to get a high paying job and earn enough to provide for their family their entire working life."

The state must continue to allow for jobs that require a high school diploma or less, while making it more attainable to get a college degree. 

According to the council, post-secondary education is a key part of building up and future-proofing a changing economy. There are four recommendations from the council on how to do that:

• Commit to the Michigan Education Guarantee
• Reimagine the job of teaching and the structure of the school day
• Make postsecondary education attainment more accessible and affordable
• Align governance and accountability across an equitably and efficiently funded lifelong learning system

‘Communities that are magnets’

But if the state wants improved schools and environments for children to learn in, they'll need to attract more families to the communities where the learning will happen.

But many of those communities "lack the amenities, transit options, and housing stock that young people desire." The state has stopped investing in those projects and limited the resources and tools to communities that are necessary for "place-based efforts."

That, combined with climate change, means more weather disasters, decaying infrastructure, water quality problems, "and a public transit service that is disconnected and unreliable for Michiganders across the state."

According to the most recent infrastructure report card, which was issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Michigan earned a C-. The gap in funding roads now stands at $3.9 billion a year. If the current rate stands, fewer than 40% of Michigan's roads will be classified as "good or fair" by 2036.

Unfortunately, electric vehicles won't feed into that system. It will make it harder to secure more money to repair an already crumbling infrastructure. 

Developing regional public transit systems, building more housing, and creating more resilient infrastructure that is future-proof will help fix the problem.

Commission report reactions vary

"There is a crisis unfolding in Michigan. the kind that requires us to take action now before its too late," said Shirley Stancato, CEO Detroit Inc. and member of the Wayne State Board of Governors. "Our growth cycle is broken."

This document calls for more study on a new funding formula for education, and it appears more revenue will be needed for other proposals.

Lone GOP lawmaker State Rep. Pauline Wendzel is the lone no vote on the panel and says that was left out.

"I also believe the commission did not put forth one of the recommendations for the governor and that is finding new revenue," she said.

The head of the Detroit schools came close to calling for a tax hike, but said this instead.

"Through more equitable funding and a stronger level of funding, that has to be along with more accountability, more systems of coherency and integration that frankly are lacking," said Dr. Nikolai Vitti.

The House GOP leader Matt Hall criticized the governor for spending $2 million for a report that allegedly repeats what other reports have suggested and he says if all the revenue goals are met, it will cost, "billions of dollars."

A lobbyist for the road-building industry expressed some commission hope.

"I hope that both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats and everybody can get behind this report," said Rob Coppersmith, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association.

It's a hope that at this read, appears to be a real stretch.