From the First Tuesday newsletter
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As we enter September, I’m sure many of your households and neighborhoods are abuzz with back to school activity, and we at the League as are as well. As some League staffers are sending kids off to kindergarten and third grade, others are sending their first kids off to college.
But our professional lives are hyperfocused on school issues right now, too, and for good reason. Despite education being universally embraced as the key to economic stability and a quality career, Michigan policies continue to put up barriers to academic achievement and college degree attainment, and it’s weighing heavily on us as both parents and policy analysts.
Instead of our usual Labor Day Reports on workforce issues, this year we decided to look at education. Released today, our Back to School Report, Rising Tuition and Weak State Funding and Financial Aid Create More Student Debt, reveals that state college costs have skyrocketed while state aid continues to wane.
Between 2003 and 2016, tuition more than doubled at all but one Michigan university and increased by more than 150% at several schools. Michigan’s average tuition cost was the sixth highest in the nation and second highest in the Midwest during the 2015-16 school year.
At the same time, the Michigan Legislature’s funding for higher education has gone down, as well as state financial aid. For many, that means a cloud of debt that hangs over students for decades. Of Michigan college students who graduated in 2014, 62% graduated with an average of $29,450 in student debt, the ninth highest average debt level in the nation. College debt is even higher for students and families of color, perpetuating academic and economic racial disparities.
While some students and families take on this debt as a necessary evil, others have to reroute their higher education plans entirely. Our Vice President Karen Holcomb-Merrill recently wrote about her “Little Sister” that graduated from high school and was going to be the first in her family to go to college. But shortly after that blog posted, Karen’s Little found out that she was not getting the financial aid she had expected, forcing her to significantly alter her plans for this fall.For kids in K-12 schools across the state, they have their own uncertainty and fear this fall, with speculation that as many as 100 low-performing schools could be closed next summer.
While something must be done to address Michigan’s struggling public schools, these proposed school closures stand to particularly hurt low-income families and families of color, causing blight and dangerous communities, complicating transportation and work schedule issues, and even widening academic racial disparities.
September is supposed to be full of promise, of hope. But a torrent of debt for college-bound students and looming clouds of closure for K-12 kids are making it harder than ever for kids to learn and thrive. It’s high time for Michigan policymakers to think about the kids and grandkids in their own families and their own districts and send a strong message that they value education by investing in it.
— Gilda Z. Jacobs
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
