A few months ago, I pitched what I?m calling the ?Michigan Guarantee.? It?s a simple promise with huge implications: Every child in Michigan deserves a free public education from pre-K through community college.
Let?s talk about the second part of the ?Michigan Guarantee?: free community college.
Far too often, the cost of college holds students back from pursuing a higher education. In Michigan, every student deserves a chance to pursue their passion, so they can build a good life in our state.
When we invest in Michiganders, we?re investing in our future. Michigan?s growing economy must be driven by a growing base of skilled talent. As we bring more supply chains home and advanced manufacturing businesses expand, these companies will need a qualified, talented workforce to meet their needs. In demand, high-skill jobs of the future will require some form of higher education, and together, we can ensure any Michigander who wants to get those skills can do so at low or no cost.
Let?s make the first 2 years of community college tuition-free for every high school graduate. This transformational opportunity will save students over $4,000 a year and give them a path to a better-paying, high-skill job in a career they love. We know that students who get an associate degree or certificate from a community college earn $23,000 a year more than high school graduates.
Getting this done will pave the way to a brighter future for countless students in our state and help meet our Sixty by 30 goal to? have 60% of working adults earn a postsecondary education or skills training by 2030. When I took office, we were at 45%. Today, we?re above 51%. Let?s keep climbing.
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We?re working to get Michigan Guarantee done without raising taxes on Michiganders by a dime. By paying down certain debts ahead of schedule, just like paying off a mortgage early, our state has freed up $670 million to use this year and for the future. These extra resources will be used to deliver another fiscally responsible, balanced budget that makes a deposit into the state?s rainy-day fund?bringing it to $2.2 billion?while investing in efforts like lowering costs for Michigan students without raising taxes.
We have already made progress to lower costs for Michiganders pursuing a higher education. We temporarily lowered the age of the bipartisan Michigan Reconnect program to 21 to offer more students tuition-free community college and large tuition discounts. Additionally, we established the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, lowering the cost of community, private, or public college by thousands for most high school graduates. But we want to do more.
We will work to guarantee the class of 2024 and beyond a tuition-free skill certificate or associate degree at a local community college. With this work, we could potentially be the first state to offer two years of community college for free. After you graduate with a degree or certificate, we will make sure you can land a good-paying, in-demand job to sustain yourself and your family.
Let?s get this done to help anyone ?Make It? in Michigan.
Sincerely,
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor
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