12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS OPPORTUNITY Unpacking and Understanding the 2025 Washtenaw County Opportunity Index MAX KORVUN U-M student contributor As Ann Arbor continues to grow and evolve, it can be easy to see the city in all its prosperity. We see new developments rising downtown and busy bus routes carrying thousands of people to work and school every day. However, looking deeper into our neighborhoods reveals a more complex story. To help tell this story, the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development launched the 2025 Opportunity Index. This datadriven tool is designed to measure exactly how much "opportunity" residents have based on where they live. By analyzing 107 different census tracts across the county, the Opportunity Index scores areas based on five key categories, including Health, Job Access, Economic Well-Being, Education/ Training and Community Stability. These categories are built from 19 different indicators, ranging from health insurance coverage to third-grade reading proficiency. The central goal of this is to foster equity across our entire community, by identifying where resources are most needed. When we look at the data, clear distinctions begin to emerge. Most areas outside of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, such as the Manchester area, are categorized as having "high" or "very high" access to opportunity. In contrast, the areas with the least access are heavily concentrated on the eastern edge of the county, specifically within the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. For example, Washtenaw County as a whole has a health insurance coverage rate of roughly 95.5%, which upon first glance is significantly higher than the Michigan average of 92.8%, as well as the national average of 88%. Meanwhile though, there are specific tracts in Ypsilanti and Superior Township where this rate drops below 90%. This disparity is even more striking when compared to national trends. Nationally, the supplemental child poverty rate was estimated at 13.4% in 2024. In Washtenaw County the rate is around 11%, and while our overall economic health is strong, the Opportunity Index can help pinpoint the specific blocks where families are struggling most with "severe housing cost burden" or low job access. Education also shows a widening gap, specifically within test scores. Although recent Michigan data shows that while many test scores are recovering, third-grade reading proficiency has continued to drop, with a 29.6% gap in proficiency between economically disadvantaged students and their peers. Fortunately, seeing these gaps in the data is the first step toward closing them. We are already seeing local developments that For aim to address these specific "opportunity" markers. instance, the new affordable housing project at 350 S. Fifth and the corresponding Fourth Ave. Streetscape and Transit Project (which began construction in May 2026) are direct investments into "Job Access" and "Economic Well-Being" for downtown residents. Furthermore, the City of Ann Arbor has put in place a new Department of Economic Development in 2025 specifically to ensure that the city offers "attainable housing, high-quality jobs, and excellent public services" for everyone, not just those in highest-scoring sections. Ultimately, the 2025 Opportunity Index serves as a reminder that a person’s zip code should not determine their future. Using this data to direct and proportion funds like the Community Development Block Grant, the county can work to ensure that "Very High Opportunity" isn't just a label for a few neighborhoods, but a reality for all. Already, allocations for projects in Ypsilanti Township have been made, and hopefully this index can assist in further equitable proportioning of this funding. For the foreseeable future, monitoring these numbers will be essential for anyone who wants to see Washtenaw County become a truly equitable home resident. for every SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 PASS FAIL from page 6 the same. Although “Separate But Equal" doctrine ended in the May 17, 1954 Linda Brown Supreme Court decision, some educators have argued that the nation’s school districts still experience “De Facto” (Not De Jure) separate and unequal educational environments. Beyond the help offered by the University’s CAPS, the offices and centers for academic advising need some reforms. There is no justification for offering some freshmen course schedules with the hardest classes which overwhelm them, and lead to withdrawal by brilliant students. I personally am familiar with a couple of promising students who dropped out, one of whom has not been seen recently. Perhaps the next evaluation of university policy should examine community service/ engagement hour requirements in collaboration with the U-M Ginsburg Center for Community Service and Learning. As I have explicated in previous paragraphs, the University of Michigan’s new pass/no pass policy for freshmen in 2027 is an important nation-wide headline. When the news first broke on August 11, most of the students had not arrived on campus. It was welcome news that I was able to meet a student group from the University of Michigan’s Community Scholars Program (U-M CSP) when they volunteered at the Mercy House Community Breakfast Program on Saturday, August 29. Ideally, we would like to talk to a larger cross-section of student groups in order to elicit their perspectives and fully understand their opinions on the pass/no pass grade policy. I talked to about seven volunteers from U-M CSP; leaders Rhina and Patrick were joined by five freshmen. They said that they just arrived on campus and had heard about the new pass/ no pass grade policy. Some of them expressed strong opinions, fed-up ministries SCHEDULE Wednesdays in Ann Arbor: Free showers 1 0 a.m.-12 p.m.: First Baptist Church, Ann Arbor, 517 E Washington St. 48104 Free lunch 12 -1 p.m.: Liberty Plaza, Ann Arbor 310 S. Division Street, 48104 Wednesdays in Ypsi: Free showers and laundry, 3-5 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 Free Dinner 5-6 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 LiftUp Worship 6-7 p.m.: First Presbyterian Church, Ypsilanti, 300 N Washington St. 48197 Thursdays: Free lunch 2:30-4 p.m.: Peace Neighborhood HUB Center, 1515 S. Harris Rd., Ypsilanti 48198 Second Saturday of the Month: Free lunch, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Pullover Prevention Mutual Aid Fair. Rotating location, usually Ypsilanti. and some of them said that they were not sure. Team Leader, Ms. Rhina, a brilliant student who graduated from the same East Lansing High School where Google co-founder and U-M alumnus Larry Page, studied, said she was not sure if such a new policy is necessary. Other students want to learn some more details about the policy before they could express support. The bottom-line is that there is a need for the University to have more formal and informal conversations with all the stakeholders — students, faculty/staff, parents/families and local opinion leaders. At this juncture, the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan should take baby steps during the implementation process. Don Schon of MIT’s Sloan School of Business has recommended that public and business programs should consider a policy of “reflection on action” during program design, implementation and evaluation. That is a good admonition. Best wishes!
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