Summary: Mackinac Policy Conference 2013 (NUMBER ONE JOB! IT'S EDUCATION, Stupid!)

ROCHELLE RILEY SEES SOME PROGRESS AT POLICY CONFERENCE

Did state finally learn education is the key?

   
     MACKINAC ISLAND — As the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual policy conference wound to a close last week, the inevitable question echoed across the island: What did you think?

   For the first time, I could say with conviction, that it was exactly what it needed to be. Over the years, the conference has been a vehicle to discuss the auto industry, jobs, manufacturing, politics, mostly all at the same time. And there was some of that this year.

   But this year, Sandy Baruah and Tammy Carnrike produced a conference with a theme, with a single topic so overwhelming that it made clear to those who legislate, build, litigate, incorporate and validate that nothing — not Detroit’s renaissance, not Michigan’s reinvention — works without ensuring that all of our children and future work force are educated.

   It’s education, stupid.

   In 1992, when James Carville used a variation of that phrase in a meeting with former President Bill Clinton’s staff, it left the room and became the mantra of the successful election.

   Two decades later, southeast Michigan leaders gathered on an island and focused on what really is true: It’s education, stupid.

   Is it possible that Michigan leaders finally understand that we are losing our future work force, our global intellectual ranking, our worth, if we don’t fix education? Can it be that they realize that renaissance, reinvention and readiness all depend on how and what we teach our kids?

   Oh, there were the usual events on the island: Four of Detroit’s mayoral contenders participated in a question fest that was more introduction to style than debate. State Rep. Fred Durhal Jr. did his best impression of the late Mayor Coleman A. Young. Former state Rep. Lisa Howze made sure people knew she was a certified public accountant. Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Unlike the commercials, nobody wanted to be like Mike (Duggan, the former Detroit Medical Center CEO).

   Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was charming, engaged and astute on education and reinvention during interviews. But his speech on the main stage was more a geopolitical Republican National Committee keynote on immigration than a call to arms.

   But when you set aside the usual things, what was left were: national education advocate Michelle Rhee calling for a focus on students; economists and foundation leaders calling for improved early education for children; the announcement of nearly $60 million raised for children — and a to-do list for leaders.

   Yes, nerds are welcome here. Scholars, too. Because without teaching all children and growing our tax base and work force, there is no renaissance.

   It’s education, stupid.

   And the chamber got it right this time.

   Contact Rochelle Riley: rriley99@freepress.com  

ILLUSTRATION BY RICK NEASE/DETROIT FREE PRESS

OUR EDITORIAL

Preparing a 21st century workforce

   In closing this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference Friday morning, Gov. Rick Snyder returned again to the theme of education. He spoke about the need to “set a high bar” and change the culture. That reflects the message of many of the conference speakers, from StudentsFirst founder Michelle Rhee to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

   “We need to redefine the dialogue,” Snyder says. “It’s not about spending money. It’s about educating kids.”

   Snyder said the focus has to be on results and ensuring children are ready to compete in an increasingly competitive global market. That’s essential if Michigan is going to train young people for the jobs that are available now and going forward. As technology becomes integrated into more fields, even the trades demand advanced skills and training.

   Ahigh school diploma just isn’t going to cut it any more. A four-year college degree isn’t quite necessary, but a community college degree or further certification will be essential. At a panel discussion Thursday featuring Joe Welch, chair of the conference and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp., Jim Jacobs, president of Macomb Community College, William Parfet, CEO of MPI Research and Vivian Pickard, president of the General Motors Foundation and director of corporate relations, Michigan State University president Lou Anna K. Simon said, “Talent is key to success.”

   Jacobs emphasized the role community colleges can play as “centerpieces for a diverse set of learners.” Community colleges “play a huge role in the development of the local economy,” he says.

   Welch is on a mission to address what he sees as an appalling lack of basic education, particularly in areas like math. Since schools aren’t adequately preparing students, his electricity transmission company has had to foot the bill for additional basic skills training. That’s detrimental for businesses. “It’s a different world we live in,” Welch says, comparing the jobs of today with the manufacturing world of 20 years ago. “The skill set is totally different.”

   Colleges want to work with the demands of employers, but change takes time, Jacobs says. “Employers want instant results. We’re looking three to five years out.”

   Welch says businesses could do a better job of providing leadership about what it means to work in the skilled trades, where many of the state’s open jobs fall. Parfet argues young people should have earlier exposure to the job market and potential career paths, starting with internships. Educators should take a more active role, too. Pickard says teachers need to understand the changing job market as they are on the front lines of training the next generation.

   Jacobs made the point that while many jobs remain unfilled, Michigan also ought to focus on creating more jobs. “It’s an important point we can’t miss,” Jacobs says. A recent study on entrepreneurship announced at the conference offers an optimistic view, with alumni from the University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State University starting businesses at twice the rate of the national average.

   Preparing individuals for the jobs of both today and tomorrow is the right direction for Michigan.

THE SNYDER AGENDA

Leading against the pack

On three key issues, Governor has to corral wayward lawmakers

   

STEPHEN HENDERSON: Off track and out of control is how one key business leader described the current session of the Michigan Legislature to me this week at the Mackinac Policy Conference, and his criticism boiled down to inaction on three pivotal pieces of Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget.

   Roads.

   Medicaid expansion.

   Common core.

   As of right now, none of these issues is taken care of in the 2013-14 budget. Snyder’s plan to sink an extra $1 billion into the state’s shabby road infrastructure by changing the gas tax and hiking vehicle registration fees has been stalled by trepidation over costs.

   The federally subsidized expansion of Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act was excluded from the budget bill that passed the state House.

   And a bizarre attack on federal Common Core education standards, which really just ensure that a high school diploma means the same thing in all 50 states, threatens one of the state’s most important education reforms.

   Snyder’s first two budgets proved how swiftly he could affect the changes he promised during his 2010 campaign.

   But thanks mostly to a cantankerous sect of the governor’s own GOP legislative caucus, this third year is challenging him to be more of a persuader and deal-maker.

   A fair number of business and political leaders on Mackinac Island last week expressed concern over Snyder’s ability to play those roles. But the governor said Friday that his job was to “be bold,” and to keep pushing for the things he wants accomplished. “That’s what you hired me to do,” he said.

   Well now’s the time to prove that. If the Legislature breaks for the summer with none of these initiatives on track, it will bedisastrous for Snyder — and for Michigan.

   NANCY KAFFER: I never tire of pointing out that my home state, Alabama, is moving forward on the adoption of the Common Core standards. Do we really want to be the state that’s less progressive than Alabama?

   What we’re seeing is the flaw inherent in the idea that a non-politician can do a politician’s job. The governor was elected on the promise that he’d balance the budget and reform the business tax and regulatory climate, and he’s done that. The state’s got a budget surplus, but it’s still unclear whether the governor’s tax reform will yield business growth.

   So what’s a guy whose primary mission has been fulfilled to do?

   Snyder has got to sway legislators — and next year, voters — to support his second-string agenda. And for a guy who prides himself on not being a politician, that’s a problem. Politics is the art of the possible. It’s the art of the deal. It’s horse-trading, sausage-making, whatever unsavory metaphor you can think of for compromising, schmoozing and getting it done.

   This lack of finesse was part of what sandbagged the efforts of Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, another non-politician politician, to reform city government. Bing couldn’t work with the Detroit City Council. And it’s manifesting in Snyder’s difficulty in swaying the Legislature on Common Core, Medicaid expansion or roads.

   The panel of legislative leaders Friday morning at the Mackinac Policy Conference — what Lansing insiders call “the quadrant”: Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, House Speaker Jase Bolger and House Minority Leader Tim Greimel — showed just how hard a slog Snyder faces back in Lansing.

   Bolger says he’s not opposed to Medicaid expansion, but wants a lot of strings attached. He’d like to have discussions about Common Core (the hearings held in 2010, prior to Bolger’s election, apparently don’t count), and he’s lukewarm on the whole roads issue. Richardville doesn’t take the same hard-line stances as Bolger, but isn’t countering the speaker’s play. And Greimel and Whitmer, who in the Michigan alternaverse are Snyder’s most promising allies, represent, well, the minority.

   STEPHEN: Still, there is some opportunity, if Snyder can play the politics right.

   Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, chairs the house transportation committee and plans to produce a vote this Tuesday on a package of bills that would change the gas tax and raise vehicle registration fees to boost road funding.

   If they pass, they would join other important transit reform bills (focused on bringing more tax predictability to airlines and more federal funding to small regional airports) on the House floor.

   Spending more on roads now saves money in the future — money that drivers spend repairing cars trashed by crumbling roads and money the state spends making major repairs.

   It’s an investment, and that’s the case Bolger needs to make to get the bills passed in the full House.

   Democratic Minority Leader Tim Greimel may need some coaxing — maybe help from the governor on another Democratic issue — to bring sufficient Democratic votes along.

   Most lawmakers seem to believe the entire package can’t be done until early fall, but that would still leave time to get started before the weather turns.

   NANCY: If Bolger is cool on roads, he’s downright chilly on Medicaid expansion. The speaker says he doesn’t want to take the $2 billion the federal government is offering — which would insure 470,000 Michiganders who don’t currently have coverage — because the amount will drop by 10% by 2020.

   Bolger also wants to limit the length of time individuals can receive Medicaid to four years, which would probably mean that the federal government would yank the funds.

   Snyder and the state’s business community support the expansion — the governor has even asked for an assist from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to send someone to answer lawmakers’ questions.

   Hospital heads like Ora Pescovitz, CEO of the University of Michigan Health System, are urging legislators to look closely at the numbers. Because acute care is so much more expensive than maintenance or preventative care, expanding benefits to the uninsured just makes financial sense. Hospitals are already hurting, Pescovitz says, because of cuts from the federal sequestration.

   If the state doesn’t expand Medicaid, Michiganders will be stuck with all of the expenses of health-care reform with none of the cost-controlling benefits.

   But she’s optimistic, and says she and her staff will continue to talk about Medicaid expansion to lawmakers. Once you see the numbers, Pescovitz says, it’s hard to disagree.

   I love optimism.

   STEPHEN: The opposition to Common Core could be more difficult to overcome.

   It’s partially rooted in an imagined threat — that the federal standards could morph into a draconian list of expensive mandates — and largely fueled by far-right groups who have used it as another way to needle President Barack Obama.

   Nationally, some teacher unions have also opposed it, leading some Democrats to remain somewhat silent.

   Snyder will need to give cover to moderate Republicans who fear primary challenges from conservatives if they vote for Common Core. And he will need to thaw the Democratic chill on the issue.

   He should also leverage some of the firepower harnessed by the Mackinac Policy Conference. Both former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and education reform advocate Michelle Rhee (a Democrat) spoke strongly in favor of Common Core.

   All of that is way easier said than done, but it gets to the core of Snyder’s challenge: being a political leader who can work the levers in the Legislature to get stuff done.

   Michigan needs him to be up to the task, and to win more of these battles than he loses.