Some years ago network television featured a commercial on Fram oil filters in which a sagely mechanic advised, “You can pay me now or pay me later.”

His message was clear. That is, it’s wiser to invest a little on the front end, i.e., change your car’s oil filter regularly, or pay a lot on the back end to completely overhaul an engine.

In the Mississippi Community College System’s “Dropout Recovery” program, our state has the same opportunity as related to education. About 20 percent of Mississippi’s adult population 25 years of age and older never achieved a high school diploma. Those nearly 400,000 people have, generally speaking, very limited prospects to earn a decent living. Some lack what might be termed life skills, such as the ability to communicate and calculate effectively, as well as viable work skills.

Last year the Mississippi Legislature supported the Dropout Recovery program to the tune of $1.5 million, allocating $100,000 to each of the state’s 15 public community colleges. That’s a good start in terms of better supporting the GED initiative, but it’s only a start.

Dropout Recovery is exactly what its title connotes. The community colleges propose to attract adults who, for whatever reasons, did not finish their high school experience and provide them with both academic and job skills training. The goal is to not only help people earn a GED, but to also offer short-term job skills courses such as hanging and floating sheetrock, laying brick or floor tile, and commercial truck driving. Moreover, the program would seek to address barriers that typically derail adult learners – child care expenses, transportation costs, and a lack of tutorial services.

If there ever was a no-brainer program, this has got to be it. In assessing its merits, one must pose the following question, “Does the cost of the status quo exceed the cost of change?” The answer seems obvious.

Consider the following facts about Mississippi high school dropouts:

• Only about one-third are working or seeking work.

• They have a 70 percent higher unemployment rate than high school graduates.

• They outnumber their fellow Mississippians who have earned college degrees.

No one is saying that dropouts are bad people. But many are good people in a bad situation, statistically more apt to place an added fiscal burden on the state than contribute to its economic development.

Across the nation, according to a study by the College Board, a high school graduate will earn $8,100 more a year than a dropout among workers 25 and older. That means, on the average, a high school graduate would pay $405 more per year in Mississippi state income taxes than a dropout. Multiply 400,000 X $405 and you come up with $162 million in lost revenue for the State of Mississippi strictly on a raw numbers basis. Admittedly, that’s an unscientific assessment of the lost tax revenue potential of Mississippi’s dropout pool. Still, there’s a general argument to be made on that point.

Now, what is the cost of the community college’s Dropout Recovery program? The colleges are asking the Legislature for $14,854,000 in support of the program. The target population is 3,500 dropouts (or 25% of the state’s annual average high school dropout pool of 14,000) at a cost of $4,244 per student. It’s a realistic goal, breaking down to 233 students per community college district. The $4,244 represents the same level of support the state provides for traditional community college students.

Dropout Recovery’s bottom line goal is to promote advanced citizenship. If one possesses a minimum education credential accompanied by a contemporary, marketable job skill, then that individual is much better positioned to become a contributing member of society. He or she will predictably strengthen Mississippi’s tax base, engage in volunteerism activities and become part of the decision-making process.

Returning to the original theme of this treatise, that’s the “pay me now” picture. Conversely, the “pay me later” scenario is one that sentences too many people to a life of entitlement and dependency, of unfulfilled promise, and, in the worst case, of crime and confinement.

If you don’t believe that, consider the correlation between educational attainment and the state’s inmate population. On the average, a Mississippi inmate functions at about a fifth grade level. Is it any wonder that such a person may have difficulty interfacing with society? As Mississippians, we pay about $39.00 per day (according to the MDOC website) to house and feed an inmate in a state penitentiary; whereas, the community college system is seeking a daily rate of $17.90 per student on the basis of a standard 12-month instructional contract (236 days) to retool high school dropouts. Think about it.

And while you’re thinking about that, remember, too, that there are some jails in society that don’t have bars. In the United States, a non-high school graduate has a 23.8 percent chance of living in poverty. Only 27 percent of dropouts vote, and just 25 percent of them report enjoying good health – by far the worst of all cohorts based on education level.

Is Dropout Recovery the panacea to all of Mississippi’s problems? No. But is it something worth trying? Absolutely. As the next session of the Mississippi Legislature approaches, please ask your state senators and representatives to consider supporting this important initiative.



Dr. Scott Elliott is president of Meridian Community College.