The Kalamazoo Promise

THE KALAMAZOO PROMISE

A BLUE PRINT FOR DELETING
GOVERNMENT AND UNION CONTROL


Kalamazoo, Michigan is a city of about 70,0000 population in Southwest Michigan. It has a history of a variety of manufacturing industries that included numerous paper mills, pharmaceutical research and prescription drug manufacturing, high technology surgical devices, auto industry manufacturing , and many other smaller companies. Like many other cities in the United States, the manufacturing jobs are disappearing and the future of Kalamazoo and the surrounding area is in doubt. All the paper mills are gone, the pharmaceutical research industry is in regression and the automobile manufacturing has long since disappeared. Other industries are growing but the future is uncertain and highly educated research talent is leaving the area.
Efforts are being made to retain the research talent by encouraging the formation of start-up companies that need the talent and thus the families that value education. There is a large university in the city, several colleges and a good public education system that many believe is changing due to population changes due to decreases in the job market. There are two faith based education systems that do a very good job in preparing students for life. These are in flux also due to the changing population and job market. The population of the central city is slowly shrinking . The lost population is a combination of movement to the suburbs or out of the area as job opportunities shrink. The central city is no longer the main retail business center but is now a combination of education, government and evening entertainment venues. Many of the retail business centers have moved to an adjoining city but at the same time have expanded into a much larger share of the area economy. The minority population has increased over time and is concentrated in part of the central city. The city and surrounding area has a large number of churches, both minority and non-minority based. All of the churches are interested in keeping the area a desirable place to live and rear a family.
Recently, the Kalamazoo Public School system ( KPS ) announced that unidentified benefactors have formed, funded and set the rules for the Kalamazoo Promise. The Kalamazoo Promise guarantees that any student and family who lives within the boundaries of the KPS district and whose students attends KPS schools kindergarten through high school graduation will have 100% of college tuition, fees and books paid at any Michigan public university, college, or community college. The college must be a Michigan school . No non-public schools, elementary, high school or college, are part of the program. The students’ room and board, whether in college dorms or off campus, are not part of the Kalamazoo Promise. These remain the students’ obligation. If the student and family live in the KPS district and is enrolled in KPS high schools from the 9th though 12th grades and graduates, the Kalamazoo Promise will pay 65 % of the tuition, fees and books at any Michigan university or college. There are two main high schools and one alternative high school in the KPS district. The Kalamazoo Promise rules are very strict. Living across the street from the KPS boundary disqualifies the student from the Kalamazoo Promise, even if the student may have attended grade school and high school in a KPS school. The KPS boundaries cover much more than just the city of Kalamazoo. Thus it is the KPS boundary that is critical, not just the political boundary.
When the Kalamazoo Promise was announced, there was an immediate reaction from students, parents, local political groups, business interests, and faith based organizations, especially the minority faith based organizations. Comments from students such as; “ I wasn’t going to college so why bother with high school classes. To tell you the truth, I thought I was going to end up as one of those black boys standing on a corner, getting arrested for stuff I didn’t do”. That same student now sees a future, has applied himself, now has achieved a 3.0 grade point average. He says he is aiming for a 3.5 GPA by June. Another student said “ all A’s and B’s from here on out. I’m going to take that scholarship and run”! A senior talked about how she emigrated from Mexico to Kalamazoo at the age of 12, not knowing any English. Her father works on a farm, her mother is a stay-at-home mother. The student wanted to go to college , but even the Community College costs so much money”. That same emigrant is now making plans to study graphic design at the Community College and then go for a four-year college degree. Another student said; the scholarship program changes my whole life plan. He wanted to go to college to be a teacher, but college seemed a financial reach. This gives me my dream” “I can’t believe it, I still can’t believe it. I never had anything handed to me and now this. It’s surreal.” Even the high school security guard says he sees a change in the school. A senior said that “lots of kids were messing up in school because they figured they weren’t going to college,” she said. “Now, there’s no excuse to mess up. Just no excuse.” Community Colleges have training in the trades as well as classes for college degree credit. Training as electricians, plumbers, you name it, becomes possible.
The reaction of the teachers was immediate. “If you’re all going to college, then we’re raising our expectations and we’re going to teach at a college level.”
We all know that there is absolutely nothing in this life that is really, totally free. In order to take advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise, the students now must prepare themselves to be educated enough to be accepted by the college of their choice. That means applying themselves, studying, taking courses that mean something and not just basket weaving or “fun” courses. Not all students will be willing to make the effort to take advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise opportunity. Those that do, will be an asset to the community, their family and to themselves. Another “cost” is the need for added parental involvement in their children’s school performance. The parents do not want to be the cause for their children’s inability to take advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise. There is now no excuse for parents not taking an interest in schools. The minority churches, service organizations and minority leaders have already discussed what is needed to make sure that the minorities take advantage of the opportunity. They understand that if the opportunity is wasted, there is no one else to blame. It is bringing out the best in people.
Why was the Kalamazoo Promise founded? A group of absolutely brilliant benefactors, anxious to keep Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan a desirable place to live, realized that government funding and taxes were not the answer. As Ronald Reagan said, “government is not the solution, it is the problem!. Those who finance the Kalamazoo Promise also get to make the rules. So far, the local political groups, both liberal and conservative have been nothing but supportive. Indeed, there is nothing else they realistically can do except be supportive. Also, the teachers unions, the Michigan Education Association and the National Education Association have been nothing but supportive or have been silent. Again there is nothing else they can do. However, the benefactors, I believe, are not so stupid as to not realize that the political and education power structure may not look with favor being cut out of any control of the Kalamazoo Promise. We will see what the future brings.
The local mass media are another potential danger to the Kalamazoo Promise. The benefactors are unknown and must remain unknown in order for the Promise to remain viable. Already, there are voices asking “why should students in Kalamazoo be the only ones to be given free college scholarships”. Envy and the desire to know who made the gift are dangers that must be guarded against. The temptation for investigative reporting by the local mass media to make the identity of the donors known will destroy the Promise as well. The media in WWII had a phrase, “loose lips sink ships”. Egotistical reporters in the Kalamazoo area could sink the Kalamazoo Promise.
The lust for power is a danger to the Kalamazoo Promise that must be guarded against. The founders of the Kalamazoo Promise have found a blueprint to practically eliminate political and union control of our children’s education and hence improve the chance for a better future. I believe the Founding Fathers would be proud of what the Kalamazoo Promise may achieve.

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