Let's set aside for a moment the universally-accepted fact that the choice to drop out of high school is a terrible decision that has a lifelong negative impact on a student.

If we can't dedicate ourselves to solving the dropout crisis for that reason alone, let’s look at the money.

According to Columbia University's prestigious Teachers College, boosting high school graduation rates would save $127,000 per new graduate through extra tax revenues, reduced costs of public health, crime and justice, and decreased welfare payments.

By some estimates, about 20,000 Michigan students drop out of school every year. Do the math – Michigan's dropouts are costing local, state and national taxpayers about $2.5 BILLION.

We have to commit ourselves to solving the dropout crisis – and it’s going to require more than simple “solutions”, like raising the dropout age or taking away dropouts’ drivers licenses. Those are just punitive measures that don’t address the reason why students leave school in the first place. To find the real solutions, we need to have broad, community conversations to dig into all the effects dropouts have in the community and uncover the ideas that will keep students from dropping out (and re-engaging those who already have).

That’s why MEA and several partner organizations are hosting a series of hearings across the state addressing the dropout crisis. To learn more and see when a hearing will be held in your area, visit www.mea.org/dropouts.

One dropout is too many – for our students, for our communities and for our state.