Friday 9/29/2006 DAILY NEWS DIGEST
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1159521566220230.xml&coll=2 – Bush visits state, raises campaign funds for Riley.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1159522240220230.xml&coll=2 – Baxley supporters rally in downtown Birmingham while Bush visits.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1159522260220230.xml&coll=2 – Pressure builds for resignation of Rep. Yvonne Kennedy (D-Mobile) as president of Bishop State Community College following arrest of two college employees.
http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1159521550220490.xml&coll=3 – Sen. Pat Lindsey (D-Butler) leads opponent in fund raising.
http://www.al.com/opinion/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1159521314220410.xml&coll=1 – The Huntsville Times coments on recent bipartisan endorsements of state’s public employee group.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060929/OPINION01/609280359/1012/OPINION - The Montgomery Advertiser, citing reports that local lobbyist had created 13 new PACs, renews call to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers.
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/opinion/editorials/060929a.shtml - The Decatur Daily calls for Legislature to increase funding for legal defense for indigent citizens.
FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:
Study says education makes big difference in Alabama
By Steve Ivey
Star Staff Writer
09-29-2006
College graduates in Alabama earn nearly double what workers with no higher education earn.
They’re also more likely to find work, volunteer their time, vote, and report good health.
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) released a report Thursday examining the social and economic benefits of a college education.
The study looked at differences between residents with a high school diploma alone and those who attained at most a bachelor’s degree.
“Any way you look at it, state and local spending subsidizes the college educations of millions of students,” the report said. “It’s fair to ask, ‘What do states get for the investment?’”
A bachelor’s degree provides the largest relative boost in income in the South. College graduates in the South on average make $47,117, or 99 percent more than the average pay of those with a high school diploma alone. In Alabama, the picture is the same: College graduates on average earn 97 percent more than the state’s high school graduates.
Nationally, the average income for workers with a bachelor’s degree is $48,417, or 93 percent more than those with a high school education alone.
“It’s not really a new story, but when you get a good opportunity to mine fresh data like this, it re-emphasizes some of the perennial themes about the benefits to states and individuals of pursuing education beyond high school,” said Joe Marks, director of education data services for the SREB.
“It benefits the state in terms of fewer people on public assistance rolls and more taxes,” he said. “But it also becomes a social benefit.”
The SREB, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that advises education leaders in 16 states, also found higher rates of voting and volunteerism, lower unemployment and better health among college graduates.
A bachelor’s degree equates to better health in Alabama more so than any other state.
About 72 percent of Alabamians with a high school diploma reported being in good, very good or excellent health. The rate for those with a bachelor’s degree was 23 points higher.
“Some of it is because those people can afford better medical care,” Marks said. “It also may be the better educated avail themselves or make different decisions about health because of their income or knowledge.”
Alabama’s volunteerism rates also are significantly higher among the college educated. About 41 percent of the state’s college graduates reported volunteer work, while 17 percent of those with a high school diploma did.
The state’s volunteerism rate outpaces the rest of the South, where 30 percent of bachelor’s degree earners reported volunteer work.
The South’s volunteerism rate also lagged every other region of the country.
For Alabama, voting increased from 59 percent for those with a high school diploma to 82 percent for those with a bachelor’s degree, compared with national rates of 56 percent and 76 percent respectively.
Also in the state, an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent for those with a high school degree drops to 2.8 percent with a bachelor’s degree. Nationally, the figures are 5.9 percent and 3 percent respectively.
