Teachers in Michigan are taking home less pay than they did in past years, according to new research from Michigan State University. The average annual salary of almost $65,000 for a Michigan teacher is similar to the pay in nearby states, although it is slightly below the national average. Researchers found a significant decline in teacher pay over the past two decades, when adjusted for inflation.
Jason Burns, report lead author and research specialist at M.S.U.'s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative said the there are several factors involved.
"It's hard to point to a single, specific thing - it's like, 'This is the smoking gun,' kind of. In a lot of ways, what it comes down to is, Michigan just hasn't invested in education as much as a lot of other states have," he said.
Burns added until 2000, Michigan was one of the top-paying states for educators. But now, it's around 16th or 17th - due to an approximate 20% decline in inflation-adjusted salaries.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recommended retention bonuses for teachers last year, but they didn't make it into the final state budget.
The report said mid-career teaching professionals earn about one-third less than other college graduates. Burns said for new teachers, fresh out of college, the steep salary decline could prompt them to look elsewhere for employment.
"In 2021-22, Michigan was ranked 39th in terms of average starting teacher salary. And there's another year of data that's come out of course since we drafted the report, and Michigan has fallen two more spots," he said.
A public survey, also by the M.S.U. collaborative, shows most Michigan residents think starting salaries for teachers should be increased by about $10,000.
Burns added there is reason to be optimistic - because teacher compensation can be bipartisan.
"Like, when you look at state governors that have taken up this issue, and you look at state legislatures that have taken up this issue, it's been a really bipartisan set of folks that are looking to take action on the issue of teacher compensation. And so, I think that means that, at least politically speaking, there's probably more opportunity there than maybe there has been in the past," he explained.
This year's final state budget included enough for Michigan school districts to give teachers $600 to $800 more per year.
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Nearly 22,000 Florida college students could lose critical tuition help under a state House budget proposal.
The plan would cut $3,500 annual grants for students at 15 private schools throughout the state, including three historically Black universities and Embry-Riddle, the nation's top civilian flight school.
House lawmakers tied eligibility for Florida's Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) program to five performance metrics, including a 54% graduation rate and affordability benchmarks.
Bob Boyd, president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, warned of fallout.
"It's going to really devastate our sector," he said. "These are students pursuing nursing degrees, becoming pilots, teachers, and they are going to - a lot of them will drop out of their high-demand degree fields because they're not getting this voucher."
House leaders have said their new performance metrics ensure accountability - affecting just 1.2% of Florida's higher-ed students. But Boyd noted that his schools produce 30% of Florida's nurses while getting just 2% of state funding.
Keiser University Vice Chancellor Belinda Keiser said the cuts would hit non-traditional students hardest - working adults, single parents and first-generation college-goers who rely on these grants.
"Thirty-five hundred dollars a year over the next four years will be taken away," she said. "That might cause some of those students pursuing nursing, pursuing Homeland Security, pursuing cyber - and we offer all those degrees - to drop out. And to me, talent should always be one of your best investments."
The Senate's budget fully funds EASE without new metrics, setting up a clash in the conference committee. Lawmakers must reach a deal by April 29 to allow the constitutionally required 72-hour budget review before the May legislative deadline.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Registration is open for the next information session for the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences at Texas Woman's University in Denton, where students accepted into the program will study to earn their pilot's license.
The school is the only woman-focused university nationwide with a professional pilot's program.
Clinton Grant, director of the school, explained the program.
"Once they go through all of the steps to get into the program and the semester starts within a week or so they're in an airplane flying," Grant noted. "It's not something they have to wait later as their junior (or) senior years before they get into it. We start them as quickly as we can. So it's a lot of fun."
The program is limited to 25 students in the fall and spring semesters. The next information session is April 11.
During the information session, Grant pointed out he tries to weed out the students who may not be serious about becoming a pilot. In addition to tuition and fees the cost of flight training could exceed over $100,000 and it can take up to seven years to earn a pilot's license.
"Most flight students, they'll become flight instructors," Grant observed. "They turn around and start teaching students to fly and that's how they build their hours. And then once they reach a certain amount of hours they'll be eligible to be employed by a regional carrier."
The aeronauts program is still in its infancy. The first classes were held in the fall of 2024. Grant added as they grow, they will have more options for students.
"We're going to get into some of the air mobility things as well as operations management or aviation management," Grant outlined. "There's a demand in the area for that. So, we will be heading in that direction next."
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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A strike set to begin today has been averted at Western Michigan University, Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, known as WMed.
Its resident physicians reached a tentative deal with the medical school last week.
For nearly eight months, about 200 residents and fellows had been negotiating for improvements in working conditions, including higher salaries and stipends, and more time off.
Mitchell Batchelder - an organizer and field representative with the Resident and Fellow Alliance, the union representing the residents - said the strike notice seemed to prompt a greater willingness from WMed management to reach an agreement.
He emphasized several key aspects of the deal.
"They secured a three-year contract with guaranteed wage increases in each year," said Batchelder. "They got a meal stipend - you know, they're working 24-hour shifts and they need access to fresh, healthy food in order to bring their best while they're working those 24 hours."
He added that the agreement marks a historic milestone as the first private-sector medical resident contract in the state of Michigan.
Batchelder also stressed the impact such a contract could have on W-Med's future, as well as the community.
With this agreement in place, he predicted the institution will not only retain its current top-tier residents, but also attract new talent.
"From a long-term perspective, for these hospitals in Kalamazoo and for the community, this is a really, really great thing," said Batchelder. "Because it can be really hard sometimes to retain and attract qualified health care professionals. And I think this allows them to have an even stronger pitch to those folks."
Batchelder said he believed this private sector deal could also have a significant national impact on unions and labor laws - highlighting what he describes as the imbalance in current regulations.
He noted that many U.S. labor laws are structured in a way that tends to favor employers.
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