Time was when your post-graduation big-ticket debt was going to be a new car, a condo or a month trekking through Europe. But these days you can move your college education bill to the head of that list. Even Barack and Michelle Obama admit they just recently paid off their college debt. And they're both in their 40s!

Today, about 60 percent of all college graduates leave college with outstanding loans averaging around $19,000.

There are no breaks coming for your kid sisters and brothers either. College costs have grown nearly 40 percent in the past five years, and college tuition is expected to increase by about twice the rate of inflation for the next couple of decades. Is it any wonder that total student aid jumped by 82 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars between 1997 and 2007?

So what's the answer? How do you manage to build a brand new career and life when you're already in a deep hole financially?

Here's one idea. I'm working on a plan right now that would give businesses a 50 percent tax credit on any money they provide toward repayment of student loans for a given employee. While the details are still being worked out, this legislation would provide a two-fold incentive. Employers can credit half of their contributions towards employees’ student loans against their business’ MBT liability and college grads choosing to stay in Michigan will have the opportunity to get assistance paying down their student loan burden.

Legislators are working hard to discover ways to keep our young and talented workforce in Michigan after they graduate. My proposed plan is one way to do that. What do you think?

As our state transitions into a 21st Century economy, the need for an educated workforce is greater than ever. Last summer, every public university in the State of Michigan raised tuition rates for incoming college freshman by an average of 10%. For students at Wayne State University, the tuition hike was 12.8%, plus a $13-per-credit fee.

While these recent tuition hikes are troubling—and a clear sign that the State must do more to make college more affordable—tuition savings programs like the Michigan Education Trust (MET) and the Michigan Education Savings Plan (MESP) can help keep the cost of higher education within reach for our state’s working families.

Since its debut in 1988 as the nation’s first guaranteed tuition program, MET has sold nearly 80,000 contracts with assets of nearly $1 billion. MET contracts can be purchased for Michigan children in increments from just one semester to four years of education (eight semesters). Several payment options are available for MET contracts, including lump sum, monthly, electronic funds transfer, and payroll deduction. Investment management, program administration and distribution for MET is provided solely by the Michigan Department of Treasury.

An alternative to MET is the Michigan Education Savings Plan. Also administered by the Department of Treasury, MESP account earnings have the opportunity to grow federal and Michigan income tax-deferred until withdrawn. An MESP account can be opened for as little as $25, and there are no annual contribution limits.

Similar to a 401(k), MESP offers seven different investment options that vary in their investment strategy and degree of risk, allowing you to select an option or combination of options that fit your needs and investment philosophy. The program was recently recognized by Money magazine as one of the top five best 529 College Savings Plans in the nation.

Both the MET and MESP programs are great options for families looking to start saving for their child’s academic career, but unfortunately neither tuition plan is exempt from enforcement of court judgments or bankruptcy proceedings under Michigan law. That’s why I recently signed on as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1200, which would extend similar exemptions for qualified pension plans, IRAs and custodial accounts to tuition savings plans.

Students shouldn’t have their future academic careers put in jeopardy because of their parents’ financial hardships. My hope is that this legislation will encourage more families to invest in these tuition savings programs, putting higher education within reach for all Michigan students.

For more information on the MET program, you can call 1-800-MET-4-KID or visit www.setwithmet.com. To learn more about MESP, call 1-877-861-MESP or visit www.misaves.com.

Earlier this month, Gov. Granholm designated April 22-27 as "No Child Left Inside Days" in Michigan. The Department of Natural Resources is using this week to promote the benefits of outdoor recreation by providing a number of opportunities and suggestions for educators, parents and guardians to help in this effort to mend the child-nature connection.

I think this is a fantastic idea. With the warm spring weather we’ve been enjoying this week, there’s no excuse for kids not to get outside and enjoy our state’s abundant natural resources. The DNR has specific suggestions for outdoor activities kids can do for all six days of “No Child Left Inside” week, which you can read here.

With kids today spending more time indoors than any previous generation, this is a perfect opportunity to remind parents about the importance of physical activity for the health and well-being of their children. High-tech, low-impact entertainment like playing video games, watching television and surfing the internet are leading to skyrocketing obesity rates in both adults and children. When paired with poor eating habits, it’s no wonder kids are becoming so overweight and out of shape compared to previous generations.

At the same time these habits are taking over at home, physical activity at school is decreasing as well. There was a time when recess and physical education were as much a part of the curriculum as math or science. While academics should always be the primary focus of education, the energy release and healthy habits developed through physical activity should not be abandoned altogether.

That’s why I have introduced Senate Bill 125, which would require 30 minutes of daily physical activity for all elementary school students in Michigan. Just as legislators provide input on what schools serve for lunch and in vending machines, and what they teach our students, we have the power to prioritize physical fitness. The legislature can help our culture change by standing up and providing the policy changes that will help our children lead healthier lifestyles.

And of course, parents can help too by encouraging kids to turn off the Xbox this week, get outside, and enjoy everything that Michigan has to offer.

Yesterday I introduced an amendment to the School Aid budget that would provide additional funding for two important early childhood programs. Here is the statement I made on the floor. To read more about all the amendments our caucus proposed yesterday, click here.

I rise in support of amendment No. 3. It is an amendment to make an investment in Michigan’s future by investing in early childhood education. Dedicating these resources to our young people, colleagues, is a top priority of our caucus and should be for the entire Legislature. We spend day after day, debate after debate discussing how we can improve Michigan’s economy and become a job magnet. Well, investing in our young people must be part of our economic strategy in Michigan

Overwhelmingly, science has proven that children who have access to quality, early childhood education programs are better prepared to succeed in later life. This gives them a better chance to compete with students from around the world and saves us tax dollars in the long run; dollars that otherwise would be spent in Corrections and other social services. For instance, research shows that children not enrolled in preschool programs can be up to five times more likely to commit serious crimes as adults. Every dollar invested in high-quality, early childhood programs saves somewhere between $2 and $17 on every $1 invested, and yet, right now, only about 20 percent of children are being served by the current Michigan preschool programs.

This amendment, colleagues, would help by providing a $5 million increase for the expansion of Great Start Collaboratives. It would allow for an additional 11 collaborative to add to the 21 already in existence and assure that all intermediate school districts under the program and that all $650 children under the age of 5 and their families would be connected to a Great Start community.

The amendment also proposes, colleagues, a $2.5 million increase for innovation grants to help provide children from birth to age 5 with quality, early learning environments that promote school readiness. As my colleague just said, some will undoubtedly agree that it is a great idea; we just can’t afford it right now. We can’t afford not to invest in our children right now. This is the closest option we have to a silver bullet to improve our economy, strengthen our workforce, and reduce state funding for other programs down the road.

I hope you will join me in recognizing the value of this initiative and support this amendment.

On March 6, 2008 I had a chance to make a statement on the Senate floor regarding the need for a financial literacy course to be offered at high school level as a way to teach basic financial principles and to prepare students for the difficult fiscal responsibilities and obligations that adulthood brings. I have enclosed it below and please feel free to e-mail me back your thoughts on this legislation:

Results are in from the first semester for ninth grade students who fall under the new high school curriculum standards. As you will recall, we raised our school standards to the highest in the nation, and they include the requirement that students pass Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry.

Report cards are in and my ISD tells me that about 40 percent of students failed Algebra I. That is higher than previous years, which averaged around 30 percent. But more students are taking Algebra now, including many students who failed grade school math and would not have taken Algebra before. So the higher failure rate was predictable and should not surprise us. The question we need to answer is what are we going to do about it? Schools have suggested a variety of solutions, including tutoring, summer school credit recovery programs, and reinstating 180 days versus hours to bolster classroom face time. These are important suggestions and deserve a full review.

But on the occasion of National Consumers Protection Week, with an emphasis on financial literacy, a sound investment, I want to highlight another approach which might help with the math failure rate. The FTC, the FCC, the FDIC, the NCL, the Better Business Bureau—the BBB, the CFA, the NAAG, and the banks, the National Credit Union League, Junior Achievement, and other institutions support or have produced financial literacy curricula appropriate for high school students.

This week we celebrate their efforts to educate the people of Michigan on the basics of prudent financial management. Here’s the connection: During this time of high foreclosures and bankruptcies, it is clear that people would benefit from education and financial literacy. Some wags might even suggest, Mr. President, that many members of the Legislature itself would benefit from such training. While that might be useful, I think students would especially benefit from a course in financial literacy. Students take on debt in school loans and also can run up significant credit card debt. They would benefit from learning to analyze options to rent or buy a house or to lease or buy a car. They should know what ARMs and interest rates are. They should know whether to take their lottery winnings up front or whether to take them spread out over 20 years. Not only are these math questions important, but they are interesting and fun. That is the point. For a failing math student, a class in financial literacy would re-engage them and motivate them to take, study, and pass a math class.

Mr. President, I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I have sponsored Senate Bill No. 834 which would allow a course in financial literacy to count towards fulfillment of the math requirements in the curriculum standards. Mr. President, I can think of no better way of honoring "Financial Literacy: A Sound Investment Week" than by passing Senate Bill No. 834.

The following article appeared in this week's edition of the Michigan Chronicle:

DETROIT – Academic achievement took center stage in Lansing recently when State Senator Irma Clark-Coleman honored Detroit Renaissance for being named the Top High School in Michigan and among the leading high schools in the nation by US News & World Report magazine.

The special Senate tribute comes on the heels of a retrenchment of Michigan’s high school graduation requirements and an increase in funding for Kindergarten through 12^th grade instruction. This great academic achievement also showcases the ability of urban students to thrive in an incubative environment.

“When I learned of Renaissance’s accomplishment I immediately thought to honor their efforts, Sen. Clark-Coleman said. “Detroit Renaissance has demonstrated that urban students in urban schools can achieve academic success that far exceeds any common expectations. In a matter of fact, Detroit public school graduates have gone on to become successful leaders and members of the legislature.”

On hand for the Senate ceremony was Detroit Public Schools General Superintendent Dr. Connie K. Calloway and Detroit Renaissance Principal Gail Russell-Jones. The renowned Renaissance Singers, directed by Nina Scott, regaled Senate law makers with two selections that led the entire chamber to leap to their feet in appreciation.

In her remarks, Dr. Calloway stressed the depth of Detroit Renaissance’s achievements when she explained that in its category, Renaissance surpassed the requirements set by US News and World Report.  “US News and World Report’s scoring threshold was 20 and Renaissance scored 33. We are proud of what Detroit Renaissance has achieved,” Dr. Calloway said.

This is the second time Detroit Renaissance High School has been cited by US News & World Report for outstanding academic achievement albeit the highest ranking the Detroit high schools has received.

Founded in 1978 as a college prepatory high school, Detroit Renaissance graduates nearly 100 percent of its students who continue their education at institutions of higher learning.

From left to right: Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman, Dr. Connie K. Calloway, Gail Russell-Jones

Last week Gov. Jennifer Granholm highlighted the importance of full day kindergarten in her 2008 State of the State address:

I'll also ask all of our school districts to begin offering full day kindergarten. This simple step will make a dramatic difference in the lives of our children. We want all our students to have a great start in school, because we want them to have great opportunities in life.

This is an issue Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman (D-Detroit) has championed in the Legislature for many years. In the video above, you can watch a brief clip of the Senator discussing Senate Bill 162, a bill she introduced that would make full-day kindergarten mandatory for all Michigan children.

Last August, Sen. Clark-Coleman wrote about this issue on the public affairs website, Blogging for Michigan:

Ever since the 1930s, kindergarten has been delivered as primarily a half-day program.  Parents had the option of sending their children or not.  But education has made some pretty great strides in the past 70+ years, and part of that progress includes recognizing the value of full-day mandatory kindergarten.  Years of research have shown that full-day kindergarten gives children an academic, social and developmental edge over their half-day counterparts.

Studies have also shown that every child who attends full-day kindergarten benefits from the extended learning hours and the consistent learning curriculum regardless of their ethnic or economic group. If Michigan is serious about its commitment to education, we must become a leader in innovative and effective education strategies.  And if we're sincere about producing an educated workforce to make our economy competitive, we must give students the tools they need.  All-day kindergarten will help provide that competitive edge.

Sen. Clark-Coleman and the Senate Democratic Caucus look forward to working with the Governor to make all-day kindergarten a reality for all kids in Michigan.