Year: 2020
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
By Jennifer Dooley M.Ed., MAED. Sixth-grade teacher Pontiac City School District In the December-January issue of MEA Voice magazine, I was one of several educators quoted in a piece about educator recruitment and retention. However, I found when the issue came out, my quote did not make sense out of context. Without explanation, it was […]
Opinion: Michigan’s public schools face educator shortage crisis
February 19, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association There is a crisis in our public schools that threatens a generation of students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan has experienced a 70.7% decline in enrollment in teacher-education programs in the last decade. The only state with a worse decline in students studying to […]
Sen. Peters Appeals to Educators at MEA Winter Conference
This election year Michigan will be a battleground state in a fight that will determine the future direction of public education, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters told attendees at last week’s MEA Winter Conference. It’s time to replace U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has zero experience with public schools as a parent, teacher or administrator, […]
Whitmer Proposes Budget Increase for Education
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched the process for developing next year’s state budget with a proposed spending plan that includes increases for education and weighted funding for students who are costlier to educate. Whitmer is proposing a $415 million increase in K-12 funding and additional money for universities and community colleges. Under the Whitmer plan, base […]
Data Tells Chilling Story of Teacher Shortage in Michigan
At a chilling 71 percent, Michigan’s percentage drop in enrollment in teacher preparation programs between 2008- 2017 is second in the nation only to Oklahoma, according to the latest federal data. This precipitous drop in enrollment has led to teacher shortages in some parts of the state (in all subjects) and in hard-to fill subjects […]
Learning, Excitement on Tap at MEA Winter Conference
At the MEA Winter Conference last week, Sarah Conklin – vice president of the Bridgman Education Association – signed up for a session on a topic she needed to learn more about but dreaded at the same time: Understanding School Finance. “I was most intimidated by this session, and it’s the one where I learned […]
MEA announces initial federal candidate recommendations
EAST LANSING – The Michigan Education Association is pleased to announce the following recommendations of candidates for the U.S. Senate and for eight Michigan Congressional districts: – U.S. Senate – Gary Peters – 5th District – Dan Kildee – 6th District – Jon Hoadley – 8th District – Elissa Slotkin – 9th District – Andy […]