LANSING – State Representative Fred Durhal, Jr. (D-Detroit) today announced his plan to help students compete for good-paying jobs in the 21st century economy by providing free college tuition for Michigan's high school graduates to ensure that more students have access to higher education.
"Here in Michigan, there is a serious need for a college education to be more accessible to all residents," Durhal said. "Although there are a number of fine institutions of higher education in our state, post-secondary education is often priced out of reach for the average student and is inaccessible for disadvantaged students. We need to make sure that anyone who wants to continue learning beyond high school can do so."
Under Durhal's Michigan College Tuition Act, tuition will be provided at no charge for any student who graduates from high school with at least a 2.5 GPA and has been accepted into any of Michigan's public or private vocational and technical schools, community colleges or universities. Room and board, books and other fees will not be covered under the plan.
To qualify, students also must have lived in Michigan for at least five consecutive years prior to graduating from high school. Students also must contribute one full year of community service, including returning to their old high school to mentor a current senior student who is underachieving and help to bring that student's grades up to at least a 2.5 GPA.
Under Durhal's plan no taxpayer dollars will be used. Tuition for students will be funded through the creation of three annual "super" lotteries; an income tax check-off box; corporate and foundation donations or endowments; and the contribution of 1 percent of total gross receipts from all functioning Michigan casinos.
All funds collected will be managed by the Michigan Department of Treasury and will be stored in a state "lockbox" in order to prevent the transfer of the funds into the state's general fund or budgets. However, the "lockbox" only will be created if a constitutional amendment is passed by the state Legislature and then Michigan voters.
Durhal is forming a workgroup to hammer out details of his plan and is seeking bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
"Each year, our state spends more money to incarcerate nearly 50,000 prisoners than it spends on educating our residents," Durhal said. "If Michigan is to become a destination for advanced technologies, emerging alternative energy industries, medical research and development and other high-tech fields, we must produce a highly educated workforce. My plan will help do that."