Stay in School www.TheCitizensWhoCare.org How much is an education worth? There are undoubtedly numerous non-monetary benefits to a good education (both personal and social). However, in purely monetary terms the answer has to be "quite a lot." In 2001 the median income for men with professional degrees was $78,861 per year greater than that for men who never entered high school. Men who finished their schooling after earning a BA made on average $20,071 per year more than men with only a high school diploma. Along with the financial data, more Americans are staying in school longer than ever before. Currently, almost 9-in-10 young adults graduate from high school and about 6-in-10 high school seniors go on to college the following year - both all-time highs. This means that the competition for good jobs will be even more challenging. Read More Economic Downturn While the comparative numbers aren't in, what we do know is that generally the first jobs to get cut and the last to start up again are in the lower income brackets. There is less leeway in this category since the amount of disposable income for items other than food, clothing and shelter is substantially less. Therefore, foreclosures and bankruptcies hit this group especially hard. Earnings Premium According to the March, 2007 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, adults aged 18 and older earned the following: Without a High School Diploma - $19,915 High School Diploma - $29,448 Associate's Degree* - $37,990 Bachelor's Degree - $54,689 *Community colleges are the gateway to higher ed and better jobs for many Americans. In fact, nearly half of all post secondary students attend community colleges. Because of their relative low cost and accessibility, community colleges serve large numbers of low-income and first-generation college students. But to achieve a degree, students must stay in school. Unfortunately, nearly half of all students who are at a community college fail to earn a degree or transfer to another school within six years. GED Recipients Have Lower Earnings, are Less Likely to Enter College GED certificate holders had lower earnings than those who earned a regular high school diploma regardless of sex, race and ethnicity or age. Overall, high school diploma holders earned approximately $4,700 in mean monthly earnings compared with GED certificate holders, who earned $3,100. GED recipients and high school graduates differ in levels of educational attainment and earnings. Achieving a Million Dollar Dream This "Stay in School" program is designed to introduce incoming high school students to the value of an education. Here's one way to accomplish this: Near the start of school each year, have, as part of first welcoming assembly, a short presentation that explains the benefits of graduating from high school and tells them that they each have a million dollar bill in their school packet. You might include pictures of what an extra million dollars can buy. On the back of each bill, the following is printed: "High school graduates earn an average of over $1,000,000 more than students who drop out. And another $1,000,000 if you graduate from college. Post this bill where you will see it when times get tough as a reminder that, in the long run, it will be well worth it to make it through graduation. If you decide to drop out, it's like throwing away a million dollars." All other things being equal, a person with $1 in an economy where candy bars cost $.05 is wealthier than a person with $5 in an economy where a candy bar costs $.80. So, what are you waiting for? This would happen only one time per student. If they lose theirs, sorry. That's the point. Each new student that joins the school after the start of that first year's program, would have the program explained to them when they start school and be given a million dollar bill. What would an extra million dollars buy? Not the magnificent pink diamond that sold for over $45 million dollars, way beyond the pre-auction estimate. You could donate it to the Federal Government or the State of Oregon, or maybe even Curry County to provide jobs, infrastructure, health care, or education. If you're not feeling that charitable, you could have purchased platinum today at $1,661.00 an ounce, or gold for $1357.70 per ounce or silver for $27.457 an ounce (11/23/10). You could also have gotten 72 -10 oz .9999 Fine Gold Bars - Pamp Suisse for $13,857.90 each or 714 -1 oz) .9999+ Fine Gold Bars - Pamp Suisse for $1,400.29 each. You like cars? You might be able to pick up: A McLaren F1 for a pre-auction estimate price of $1,100,000. Too late, it sold for $2,508,940 Or a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Berlinetta recently sold for $1,012,000 Or a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante for $1,094,148 Or a Black Ruby Rolls-Royce coupe for 1,200,000 Or a 1930 Duesenberg “Whittell Mistress Car” for $1.7M Or a McLaren F1 auction set a record selling for $4,194,234 at the hammer Or for $3,738,339, you've got your pick of a 1965 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta or a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Want a home? The Blue Pacific Realty Booklet for Brookings lists the following: 2 bedroom oceanfront home - dropped from $1,200,000 to $999,000 3 bedroom oceanfront home - $1,150,000 2,181 sq ft 3 bedroom oceanfront home - $1,200,000 And those aren't the most expensive Brookings homes by any means. There are currently seven more over a million: $1,400,000, $1,495,000; $1,499,000; $1,750,000; $1,795,000; $1,954,000; and $2,450,000. And, the Bowling Alley with RV/car wash is for sale for only $2,500,000. Want to start a family? Do you think you will have an extra $125,000 over the next 17 years at today's costs. You'll need at least that much to raise a child off welfare. That doesn't include the cost of college, lost income or career opportunities, life insurance, tax benefits or the costs of living. If you have 3 kids in California, it will cost $832,728 over the next 17 years. That is without college costs. If you include college, you are easily looking at $1+ million. Want to drop out? You could drop out and you'd be throwing away that extra million dollars that you might really need, especially if you want to have a family. What's next Is it worth a one-time cost of twenty-five cents per student to give them something that can remind them that it may be worth an extra Million if they stay in high-school and graduate? Order now: Twenty-five cents (25) each plus shipping for quantities under 100. Want more than 100? Contact us with the quantity and the zip code where it is to be shipped and we will send you an estimate. Make checks payable to Gordon Clay and send to PO Box 12, Brookings, OR 97415. Allow at least two weeks after we receive your payment.   ©2007-2023, www.TheCitizensWhoCare.org/stay-in-school.html or http://bit.ly/gsR82q