The Michigan Legislature’s “lame duck” session begins this week, with the next three weeks of session leading up to the end of the year when all unpassed bills expire and a new legislature is seated in January with newly elected lawmakers. Many expect this year’s lame duck to be relatively quiet (including public comments from […]
This week, MEA members gave and they received. They gave feedback to policymakers and the public in the form of survey answers sounding their alarm. And they received clarification from the state on information their school administrators must supply to make educators show up to an empty classroom for “remote” teaching. The week started with […]
By Paula Herbart When it comes to decisions on how to educate students, we must heed the voices of Michigan’s front-line educators. That’s been a steady refrain in my monthly columns – but it’s never been more critical than right now with lives on the line. This week, the Michigan Education Association released the results […]
Educators want to be part of the decision-making process, solution EAST LANSING – The Michigan Education Association today released a statewide online survey of more than 4,700 educators with findings related to COVID-19’s continued impact on public education. The survey found a vast majority of educators are concerned about a full return to in-person learning as cases […]
A message from the MEA President about efforts to keep students and school employees safe MEA members, This evening, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced new restrictions across Michigan to fight the growing COVID-19 outbreak. While difficult, these steps are necessary to stop the spread of this virus and save lives. Relative to schools, the governor announced […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor At Parma Elementary School in Jackson County’s Western School District, students coming through Miss Dawn’s cafeteria line enjoy a generous serving of love along with their chicken nuggets, buttered corn and apple slices. “The kids absolutely love her because they know she cares,” said Principal Sue Haney. “She jokes […]
Applications to get the “hazard pay” grant payments enacted by the Legislature will be coming from school districts to members by Nov. 9. School employees need to turn in that form to their district by Dec. 4 in order to receive these grants – up to $500 or $250 depending on your employment category. MEA […]
With all the focus on the election, it would have been easy to miss the advocacy work MEA has been doing to ensure schools are safe for students and employees alike, including helping members lift their voices with the media and public. Here are some of the latest, in case you missed them: – MEA […]
EAST LANSING – At-risk students may be hardest hit by the disruption of schooling in the COVID-19 era, so an MEA unit of Kalamazoo behavior specialists has taken action to help them cope from a distance. The 14 members of the Kalamazoo Behavior Specialists Association (KBSA) came up with the idea to create Wellness Toolboxes for their students to […]
