
Blog
Opinion: Revving up schools, our economic and social engine
This op-ed was originally published in Crain’s Detroit Business.
With mayoral and gubernatorial races on the horizon, campaign season is anything but over.
There will be no shortage of credit claimed and promises made. But numbers don’t lie: Michigan’s population is shrinking. While Detroit has seen modest growth, it’s far from enough.
While much sound speculation is afoot as to why, one critical factor stands out across every community in our state. Until student enrollment in our public schools begins to grow, Michigan’s ability to thrive remains out of reach. Our demography is our destiny.
Families with children are the backbone of any thriving society. They are the biggest spenders in local economies, and as those children reach adulthood, they replace and support the generations before them. But retaining and attracting families requires that we get serious about our schools. According to research from the National Association of Realtors, 30% of buyers aged 33-42 — most likely to have young children — consider “quality of the school district” as a top factor when choosing where to live.
Public schools are more than just a service; they are the engines of community wellness, economic development and long-term sustainability in every community across Michigan.
School is where we form our future as individuals and as a society. Focusing on public education is by far the fastest way to invest in ideas, innovation, civic pride, and self-determination.
Today, we’re at a breaking point.
Michigan’s investments in education expenditures dropped 13% from 2007 to 2021, adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, the national average for state and local education spending increased by 13%. Michigan slid from 33 to 41 in national academic standings during that time, and we remain 41st in educational achievement today.
While ample funding is a core necessity, it must be coupled with efforts to update the system.
Our curriculum is woefully neglected, designed to prepare students for industrial jobs that no longer exist. It’s no surprise the majority of high school students report feeling disengaged in the classroom. Thankfully, after-school programs have stepped in to fill some of the gaps, but it is not enough.
Our structure is also outdated. The education system, like so many public systems, was built for growth. Meanwhile, Michigan’s birth rate has continued a downward decline since the Great Recession, according to the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics. Its most recent report estimates that Michigan’s total fertility rate in 2022 was approximately 1.57 and is expected to decline further, reaching just 1.39 by 2050.
We must right-size and renew.
Falling enrollment creates a vicious cycle of reduced funding and diminished educational opportunities. Local millages, except in Wayne County where residents continue to support school and youth initiatives, face declining public support.
One solution is efficiency. Michigan currently has nearly 850 school districts. If that sounds high for approximately 1.5 million school-aged children, it’s because it is. Combining resources and ensuring efficiency in how funding is spent could help stabilize schools and improve the quality of education.
How does this get accomplished? With a lot of parent and community input and clear coordination from the top. Unfortunately, Michigan’s fragmented education system lacks a single point of accountability. The elected state school board appoints the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) superintendent, but MDE’s role is distinct from that of the Governor’s Office. This bifurcated structure makes it difficult to implement cohesive strategies.
While infrastructure scales down, our vision for education must scale up. We have to think big and future forward. Here in Detroit, that means every investment in the future of the city should be tied to strengthening our schools.
The good news is Detroiters are already leading education system change, from classroom instruction to policy advocacy, informed by the common sense and creativity of those who know best – educators, students and parents. These are the needed system architects.
And when it comes to population, Detroit is in the very unique position of being a young city, where the average age is 31. This is a huge home team advantage if we harness it effectively.
We need a bold vision, a cohesive structure, and a strategic plan to make Detroit and Michigan a place where the ingenuity and ambitions of our young people are ignited. Only then will we see growth – not just in schools, but in our state’s economic and social fabric.