Episode 323- Stop Counting Hours And Start Hiring Graduates. with Rick Snyder

This episode of *The Common Bridge* is part of a special 21‑part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.

In these short conversations, with his guests, Rich explores regulation, cost pressures, workforce challenges, and the future of Healthcare in Michigan and around the Country.

A rule written in 1906 still helps decide what “counts” as learning in Michigan classrooms and we think it’s long past time to rethink it. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to unpack how seat time requirements can quietly block the most practical kinds of education reform: project-based learning, competency-based credit, and interdisciplinary courses that feel like the real world students are about to enter.

We dig into what a student-centered, real-life results model looks like when districts are actually allowed to try it. That means combining subjects (like English with history), connecting math to skilled trades, and building programs where learners demonstrate mastery instead of just logging hours. Snyder explains the bipartisan push behind current Michigan legislation and why local approval matters, with educators and parents closest to students helping shape innovation plans.

We also connect education policy to the healthcare workforce pipeline. Michigan hospitals and clinics need motivated talent, and early exposure to health careers can turn school into something students want to show up for. We talk about programs already training future phlebotomists, rad techs, lab techs, and other in-demand roles, plus the “durable skills” that matter even more as artificial intelligence reshapes work: teamwork, critical thinking, and smart use of new tools.

If you care about Michigan education, career and technical education, healthcare staffing, or economic growth, this conversation delivers a clear argument for changing the rules so communities can build modern pathways. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your take: should schools measure learning by time or by results?

Transcript

Welcome And Series Context

Announcer 0:00

Welcome to season seven of the Common Bridge, hosted by Richard Helpie, a leading analyst, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Now expanded with healthcare, education, finance, science, and world affairs bridges, the podcast, now in its seventh season, with an audience of over 7 million worldwide, explores issues in a fiercely nonpartisan way. Find us at the Common Bridge at Substack.com, YouTube, and wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.

Announcer 2 0:31

This episode of The Common Bridge is part of a special 21-part series of interviews recorded with healthcare leaders from across Michigan during the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference in partnership with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. In these short conversations with his guests, Rich explores regulation, cost pressures, workforce challenges, and the future of health care in Michigan and around the country.

Rich Helppie 0:58

We're back with the Mackinac Policy Conference. On behalf of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, I'm Rich Helpe, your host of The Common Bridge. And we have with us today the 48th governor of the great state of Michigan, the Honorable Mr. Rick Snyder. Governor, it's great to see you. How have you been? It's great to be with you, Rich. Yeah, we've been friends for years. It is a very exciting and uh great time, and the energy about bringing people together, which was kind of a hallmark of your administration. Relentless, positive action. Don't care who gets the credit, let's solve problems. We'd be a better world, a better country if everyone did that. A lot going on right now in politics, business, healthcare, and education.

Why Michigan Needs Education Innovation

Rich Helppie 1:43

But why don't we talk a little bit about education? Because I know it's a place you're very passionate about, and you've been doing some great work. So let us know what you've been up to.

Rick Snyder 1:51

Yeah, so I'm part of a coalition, the 21st Century Learning in Michigan group. And our tagline is really cool, I think. It's student-centered real-life results. And so actually, I think there's a great link to healthcare there. But the goal here is to say, let's do some reforms, and really for districts that want to, let's allow them to do much more innovative work than they're able to

Ending Seat Time With New Bills

Rick Snyder 2:14

do today. They're being held back by a law that goes back to 1906, which is seat time. Say a student is educated after they sit in a seat for so many hours for so many years, and supposedly it magically comes out educated. Well, what it's doing is holding back innovation to say, instead of saying it's one hour, one class, one teacher, could we combine uh English and history together? So they could do a project where they're learning English and history. Could we combine geometry and carpentry? Could we combine something with healthcare and get them out learning and learn about biology and science and healthcare? There's an idea at the same time. So, what do these laws? There are two bills we have in front of the Michigan House right now, would allow that flexibility. And it's bipartisan. I'm partnering with Doug Ross, a former Democratic senator, and we want to see this happen. And then I as I was waiting to talk to you, I was talking to Brian Peters about can we get the hospital association behind us to say, can we get a lot more healthcare facilities that are going to need staff, engage with schools, trade partnerships? That's exciting stuff.

Rich Helppie 3:21

It's very exciting stuff. So that law in 1906, 1906, about half of the U.S. workforce was involved in agriculture. And that was a completely different world. And it was, can we get people off the farm long enough to get them in a classroom so they can do reading, writing, computation, and the like? So now here we are in a new century and with new challenges, and people can get to work right out of high school if they want to, with the proper education.

Rick Snyder 3:53

Yeah, well, you said, well, you've got the history. So my comment is, you know, why don't we try some innovation every 120 years or so? So let's give this a shot.

Rich Helppie 4:06

You have become radical!  

Rick Snyder 4:07 Rich Helppie 4:07 Rich Helppie 4:07

Yes, and it's not telling every district they have to do it, but places that want it to. So this legislation says it requires the school board to approve the plan for innovation, uh, the teachers to approve, and the parents to approve for the kids in the program. And it's like if they all agree they're the closest to those kids knowing what's best for them, why should we tell them no, that you have to follow some 120-year-old rule? Right. I'd like them to learn the Constitution and the history, and I'd also like them to be able to read and speak and compute and think. And when it relates to health care, we know that health care, poor outcomes, poor conditions begin at the front with nutrition, with proper rest, exercise, and so forth. That could be incorporated into how to stay healthy the rest of your life with biology versus some of the heroics that we perform to undo the effects of bad food, bad exercise, and not enough rest.

Healthcare Pathways That Motivate Students

Rick Snyder 5:08

Yeah, it's amazing though, and healthcare in particular. I visited Anchor Bay High School as part of the tour to go see programs. And they had a health professional program where these young kids, they were juniors and seniors, were already starting to do medtech stuff, and they were doing incredible work. Their teacher was taking them in the schools, and every one of these kids had a smile. And when I had a chance to talk to them, do you enjoy this? It's like, yo, this is gonna be our future. So when you talk about problems we have like chronic absenteeism, kids being checked out, they're either bored or lost in many cases, and this has them engaged and excited to come to school to say, I want to get to school because this is gonna help me be better in my life, and I can help people. Isn't that cool?

Rich Helppie 5:54

People and make a living. And in my hometown of Wayne, Michigan, I know that the local hospital is part of the school system, teaching the young people to be phlebotomists and rad techs and lab techs and such. And yeah, it's a it's a pipeline directly into a great middle class standard of living because you know the factory's not hiring the way it used to back in the day. And I can I guess I can cite myself as an example. I was talking computer programming in high school, went right into the field because colleges weren't ready. Yeah, so it's a uh a terrific opportunity.

Specialty High Schools And AI Ready Skills

Rich Helppie 6:27

Um, are you familiar at all with what the city of Detroit got? I just read one article that they're reforming their high schools. So instead of being neighborhood schools that do the same, there will be specialty schools. And would they be part of this problem?

Rick Snyder 6:40

Uh they could be. Again, this law would apply to them just as well in terms of making it permissive for them. If they want to do it, they could utilize this law to do even more. And I think that's a great illustration. Like I mentioned, Anchor Bay. So if you actually go in their high school, they have four wings, and the wings are actually labeled. One says, and I may not get all right, like arts and languages, there's a business wing, there's an engineering wing, and there's a human healthcare wing. And if you think about it, that's the same principle, but do it for a whole school. This is and the other part is action-based learning, but it's also you're learning skills in addition to the academic piece. You're learning teamwork, critical thinking, and with artificial intelligence, those are the extra skills you're going to need on top on how to use it the best way. 100%.

Rich Helppie 7:27

Governor,

Why Lawmakers Should Pass It

Rich Helppie 7:28

for our audience today, any closing comments or final words, or maybe urging some lawmakers to get on board and get this thing to pass?

Rick Snyder 7:37

Well, this clearly should pass, I believe. But it's for the kids. And it's to allow innovative things because not only is it better for our educational system for these students, but if you think about Michigan's economic future, the state that does the best at embracing innovation and education is going to have an economic advantage. So I view this as critical for Michigan's long-term prosperity, in addition to being the best answer for the students. Everybody wins. Let's get it done, let's get it passed, let these educators, uh, teachers, students, everyone. Fly.

Rich Helppie 8:11

Let's turn them loose, turn the talent in Michigan loose. And for the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the Common Bridge, this is your host, Rich Healthy, signing off with the former governor of the state of Michigan, Mr. Rich Snyder.

Subscribe And Closing Thanks

Announcer 8:24