While the state budget stalemate continues, the Detroit Regional Chamber, with other statewide business groups, sent a letter to the Capitol on Aug. 13, urging lawmakers to pass a results-centered education budget to ensure that Michigan employers have the workforce they need to compete in the high-tech, knowledge-based economy of today and the future.
Additionally, Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah further emphasized these requests and concerns in an op-ed for Crain’s Business Detroit.
Read the piece below.
Crain’s Detroit Business
Aug. 13, 2025
Sandy K. Baruah
As the state budget stalemate in Lansing continues, so does the opportunity.
Lawmakers are taking their time, so they may as well do it right. For business leaders, that means we want to see the legislature invest more strategically in education to ensure employers have the workforce they need to compete in the high-tech, knowledge-based economy.
As it currently stands, the state’s significant education spending is not producing the educational achievement required to do so. Despite ranking 18th in per-pupil spending, Michigan ranks near the bottom in the critical measures of fourth-grade reading and math – 44th and 34th, respectively.
This fact should guide budget discussions: There is no longer any such thing as a prosperous state that is not also highly educated. The business community is growing increasingly concerned as Michigan continues to rank among the lowest in the nation in key education metrics.
While only about half the adult population in Michigan has a skilled trades certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree, nearly 70% of all Michigan jobs will require a post-high school credential by 2031. Michigan’s culture around valuing education must shift, creating an expectation of at least two years of post-high school education or training for all.
In 2000, Michigan ranked 18th in per capita income while ranking only 33rd in the percentage of adults with a college degree, largely thanks to its strong automotive and manufacturing base. In today’s global knowledge-based economy, that is a world that no longer exists. State per capita income rankings now align directly with college attainment. Michigan still ranks around 33rd in educational attainment, which now leads to a ranking of 39th in income.
College enrollment is declining even though those with bachelor’s degrees achieve average net worths nearly five times those with only a high school diploma, according to Michigan Future. But only two out of five Michigan parents of high school students feel college is worth the investment, based on a survey conducted with the Glengariff Group Inc.
Business leaders fear existing talent gaps will be exacerbated in the years ahead without strategic, targeted investment in critical programs and initiatives that have shown promise in strengthening the talent pipeline.
As the state Legislature evaluates budgets, the Detroit Regional Chamber, with the support of statewide business organizations like the Michigan Manufacturers Association, Small Business Association of Michigan, and TalentFirst, proposes the following investment approach to strengthen the talent pipeline from K-12 to post-high school education.
Establish a stronger culture around the value of education. Maintaining the 60% educational attainment by 2030 goal as a defined guideline and investing in a “K – 12 + 2” approach to create an expectation for two years of post-high school education or training are essential parts of that.
Focus on improving key educational performance metrics, especially third-grade reading and math scores, which are foundational to students’ success as they advance in their education.
Invest in and promote programs that work. The Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Michigan Reconnect make college more accessible and affordable, and expanding dual enrollment options will encourage more students to pursue and complete higher education.
Bolster the workforce students will enter through employer-led apprenticeship programs like Going PRO.
To put it in stark terms, when it comes to educational outcomes, Michigan is in dire straits.
Without significant long-term educational investment now and a policy strategy that transcends election results, our state, businesses, and students will continue to fall further behind.