MEA Resources for Census 2020

Educators fight to win for students amid state budget battle
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Despite uncertainty from lack of a state budget, educators in a number of Michigan school districts spent their spring and summer securing solid wins in contracts that underscore the importance of union expertise, cohesion and leadership. Latest from Lansing The state House and Senate still have failed to agree on a spending plan for…

MEA statement on selection of Glenn Maleyko as new state superintendent
Glenn Maleyko EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County, in response to the State Board of Education’s selection of Glenn Maleyko as Michigan’s next State Superintendent of Public Instruction: “MEA looks forward to working with Superintendent Maleyko and the State Board of Education to…

Labor Day 2025: Stand together for a quality education budget
Every Labor Day, we're reminded of the power of solidarity in the fight for progress. With the debate still ongoing around this year’s education budget, we are encouraging members to come together and convey a simple message: We Love Public Education – that’s why it's past time to approve a quality education budget for our students. MEA members are gathering…
ISSUES & ADVOCACY: Updates on shifting policy landscapes
Legislative and political landscapes in Michigan and Washington, D.C. are changing every day, and this magazine takes a few weeks to print and arrive to you, so timely updates are challenging. In general we can say this: At the federal level, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is cutting funding for public schools, while trying to shut down the education department,…
MEA Voice: NEWS & NOTES / August-September 2025
QUOTABLES “Now we just need to get the word out that this opportunity is available statewide for prospective educators in our rural regions.” — MEA member Kathryn Dirkin, a faculty member at Central Michigan University and director of Partnerships and Programming at MiCAREER Resource Hub, a new initiative offering no-cost credentialing to current and prospective rural educators. Read the story.…

School custodian, leader views Bill of Rights as mission: ‘We need to help working people’
ESP Caucus Chair and Dowagiac custodian Roy Freeman was honored with the MEA’s Paul Blewett Friend of Education Award at the MEA Representative Assembly with fellow ESP leader Jennifer Shelito making the award presentation. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In the early 1980s, when Roy Freeman first became a school custodian following a post-high school stint in the U.S.…
SPECIAL REPORT: MEA welcomes new educators
Stories by Brenda Ortega, MEA Voice Editor This report features MEA members combating Michigan’s educator shortage. Holland High School graduate Liebbe Martinez (left) and teacher Sarah Le Febre graced the August-September MEA Voice cover in a story on high school classes for students interested in teaching careers. Their story is one part of our Special Report on Teacher Recruitment. In…
Senior leader wins Brunner Award
Percy Brown By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Over a 45-year career as a paraeducator in Ann Arbor Public Schools and a union leader in Michigan, MEA member Percy Brown has traveled the country teaching others in his role how to build strength and respect for school support staff and the important work they do. An early advocate of union…
Art teacher wins Best in Show
MEA member Gabby Marderosian set a goal for 2025 to collect rejection slips as a means of pushing herself to complete personal art projects amid the demands of working as a traveling elementary art teacher in Farmington Public Schools. “It’s a fun way of making yourself put yourself out there and not being afraid of getting rejected,” she said. However,…