State Reps. Smith, Warren introduce legislation that’d fund free education at state’s public universities through income tax hike

Free college? That’s the idea under a measure thought-up by two Michigan House members, which would raise the state’s income tax by 1.15 percent to pay for free higher education for high school graduates at the state’s public universities as well universal preschool for 4 year olds.

The MI FUTURE package, drafted by two Ann Arbor-area Democrats, Reps. Alma Wheeler Smith of Salem Township and Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor, would cost a median income household ($49,699), before deductions, an additional $524 per year.

But Smith, who is considering a run for governor, and Warren, who is Smith’s daughter-in-law, see the measure as an investment in the future that will pay off in the long run.

The cumulative tax increase for a child born today and graduating from high school in 2027 will be only $9,432. Based on the average 2009 tuition rate ($8,753), total tuition for a 4-year education at Michigan public universities will be $35,012. In today’s dollars, MI FUTURE will offer a 371 percent return on investment.

“Michigan has recently become one of only four states that spends more on corrections than we do on higher education,” Smith said in a statement. “We are at a crossroads in the state where we must either take bold action to change course, or follow the same dismal path for education funding as we have for the past 10 years. It has become a reality that many parents can no longer afford a college education for their children. This plan will grant higher education access to anyone who has not already completed a bachelor’s degree, who graduated from a Michigan high school and who earns $107,000 or less.”

MI FUTURE would also invest heavily in preschool for all Michigan 4 year olds. Educational research has shown that for every dollar the state invests in preschool, it avoids seven dollars in social costs such as welfare, special education, abuse and neglect and corrections, as well as increasing academic achievement.

Said Warren, according to a statement: “We know that quality early childhood education is one of the most effective ways to improve academic achievement and one of the best indicators of economic success later in life, and yet state appropriations to these programs continue to shrink. MI FUTURE represents a reinvestment in our children and an opportunity for Michiganders to make sure our budget always reflects our values. With this kind of bold action I have no doubt that we will emerge from these challenging times in a better position than ever before.”

Chris Killian is a freelance journalist based in Kalamazoo and writes regularly for the Kalamazoo Gazette.