Legislation

EAST LANSING — The Michigan Education Association today praised state lawmakers for approving a supplemental education budget providing $125 million in additional funding for school safety and student mental health, as well for passing legislation permanently ending the state’s 3% tax on public school employees. MEA President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County, said: “On behalf of…

EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County: “The Michigan Education Association applauds the state Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 911, which will permanently end the state’s 3% tax on more than 100,000 veteran teachers and school support staff. “Our union has worked closely with…

Traverse City Education Association president Chandra Fles and Governor Gretchen Whitmer As a housing shortage hampers Northern Michigan school districts’ ability to recruit and retain educators, a new group has emerged to tackle the issue head-on. Grand Traverse Housing for Educators, a newly formed consortium that includes Northwest Educator Services, Traverse City Area Public Schools, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools…

EAST LANSING — The following is a statement from MEA President and CEO Chandra Madafferi regarding the Michigan Legislature’s passage of the 2024-25 School Aid budget: “More than 100,000 school employees across Michigan will get a much-needed 3% of their salaries back in their pockets, and school districts will receive an average $250 per-pupil increase to help students learn, thanks…

As Michigan’s budget process enters the final stretch, lawmakers must maintain our state’s momentum by passing an education budget that prioritizes increasing educator compensation so we can provide every student with trained, qualified and caring school employees. Thanks to the bipartisan support from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature, Michigan has passed record levels of funding for school districts in…

In addition to positive budget proposals for PreK-12 schools, state budget proposals for community colleges and universities are strong as well for 2024-25. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget plan, that came out the beginning of February, calls for a 2.5% increase in funding for the state’s 15 public universities and 28 community colleges. Both the House and Senate are also recommending…

With the introduction of the House and Senate School Aid Fund budget proposals – in addition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget recommendations earlier this year – the state budget process for the 2024-25 school year is now in full swing. Over the next few weeks, MEA will be closely engaged with stakeholders in budget negotiations, advocating for the resources…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Delee Bruining says hard work and consistent team effort make it possible to feed 600 kids a day at Wyoming Junior High School. The professionals entrusted with delivering healthy, delicious food to hundreds of thousands of students in school cafeterias across Michigan say they’re serving more kids than ever as part of the state’s…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In her nearly 14 years as president of the Clawson Education Association, Kelly Pearson has not bargained a better contract than the one she recently signed. Overwhelmingly approved by membership, the deal struck different responses between early-career and longer-term educators. “Overall, people were happy,” Pearson said of reactions during a meeting to review the…

Free universal preschool and community college, along with continued record funding for Michigan’s public schools, are at the heart of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 2024-25 education budget, which she announced Wednesday. Whitmer said her latest budget recommendation “builds on the historic investments we’ve made since I took office and delivers on the issues that make a real difference in people’s…