A pension is a promise of a secure retirement. But too often in Lansing, they’re viewed as piggy banks to be broken into for political purposes.
As a young educator, I remember then-Gov. John Engler diverting state payments from the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System to fund other priorities — which accelerated us down a road of unfunded pension liabilities.
From the Lansing State Journal: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/education/2026/04/06/as-artemis-ii-heads-to-moon-a-small-town-michigan-teacher-is-headed-to-nasa/89401671007/ In a few months, Dee Smith will make her way from Ashley – a small village of about 500 people located north of Lansing, traveling some 1,300 miles south to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. Smith will be part of NASA’s LiftOff Summer institute, which provides teachers with […]
By Chandra Madafferi, President and CEO, Michigan Education Association There is a lot of conflicting information out there about our state’s level of support for public schools, with the phrase “record funding” often being used. The truth is that in inflation-adjusted dollars, Michigan actually spends less per pupil than we did in 2002, and that […]
