The Michigan Education Association is recommending Jocelyn Benson’s candidacy for governor, the state’s largest public employee union and education organization announced Monday.

Jocelyn Benson is the best candidate for governor when it comes to improving our public schools, bringing down costs for working families and creating a brighter future for every Michigan student, noted MEA’s Statewide Screening and Recommendation Committee, which voted unanimously to recommend Benson’s candidacy to the nearly 120,000 MEA members across Michigan.

Benson is herself a former educator, as well as the daughter of two public school teachers. A civil rights attorney, she became the youngest woman in American history to lead an accredited law school when she was appointed dean of Wayne State University’s Law School at 35.

Throughout her eight years as Michigan’s secretary of state, Benson has been a strong partner with MEA on initiatives such as protecting voter rights, advocating for the return of school-led driver training, and getting more young people and educators engaged in democracy.

“I’m honored to have the support of educators from every corner of Michigan, because our teachers and school support staff understand that Michigan’s next governor has a moral responsibility to strengthen our public schools,” Benson said. “Students and educators are more than test scores and fodder for political talking points – they are the future of our economy and our society. By supporting our hard-working education professionals in every Michigan community, we can ensure a world-class public education for every student.”

As governor, Benson’s education plan will:

• Expand availability of high-quality career and technical education opportunities.
• Support student literacy through improved interventions, resources and training.
• Provide stable funding for every level of public education – from early childhood through higher education.
• Fix funding for special education and ensure adequate resources to meet individual student needs.
• Increase respect and compensation for teachers and support staff.
• And much more.

Candidates from both parties were invited to attend interviews earlier this year with MEA’s Statewide Screening & Recommendation Committee. The committee is made up of educators from across the state, including preK-12 teachers and education support professionals, higher education faculty and staff, and school retirees.

As the state’s largest school employee union, MEA and its members – who live and work in every Michigan county – have a long history of political engagement and helping friends of public education win elections. Over the coming weeks, MEA will continue to announce additional recommended candidates at the federal, state and local levels, so our members can use their voices — and their votes — to actively help elect pro-public education candidates this fall. Additional recommendations for federal offices are forthcoming soon, pending final approval from the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education.