By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor It seemed fitting that Eva Menefee was texting a student when she was named this year’s recipient of the James Davenport Memorial Award, which recognizes a member of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) for outstanding leadership. An academic advisor at Lansing Community College (LCC) for 31 years, […]
MEA partners with educators and schools to inspire youth to consider careers in education A growing corps of teacher cadets has joined a statewide effort to recruit the best and brightest educators to Michigan’s classrooms and help address the state’s continuing educator shortage. To inspire young people to pursue careers in education and return to […]
For MEA member Sarah Ellis, making art is essential to being alive and human — like breathing. “For as long as we’ve been able to recognize that humans have existed, we’ve found art alongside them,” she says. In a time of deep societal divisions, Ellis wants art to be a source of hope and empowerment. […]
Stories by MEA Voice Editor Brenda Ortega Robin Moore and Jeff Wilson MEA member Jeff Wilson sees the Michigan ESP Bill of Rights campaign as a message of hope in a sea of negative political discourse. The campaign unveiled this summer is part of a growing effort in states across the U.S. to elevate the [...]
MiCAREER connects new, experienced teachers with vacancies in underserved communities A new effort to connect educators with rural school districts across Michigan is working to fill classroom vacancies in high-need communities by offering no-cost credentialing to aspiring and experienced educators alike. Led by Central Michigan University, the new MiCAREER Resource Hub streamlines and coordinates credentialing […]
From WOOD-TV: A Spanish teacher at Ionia Middle School is using social media in a way that’s changing his students’ lives. Craig Gurnee, better known to his students as Señor Gurnee, has raised enough money to help 16 students travel abroad, demonstrating the power of culture and community. Read more.
Lawmakers came together last week to pass an education budget that provides needed investments for students and educators. After months of delays and missed deadlines, the budget provides positive improvements for our schools in some areas while falling short in others. Hopefully, lawmakers can build on this bipartisan solution and move forward to tackle […]
The 2026 Michigan state budget that resulted from last-minute negotiations spilling into the new fiscal year works out to be a net positive for public education, according to an initial MEA analysis. Educators from across the state held steady pressure on lawmakers to help break the months-long budget stalemate, including several dozen who descended on […]
The following statement can be attributed to MEA President & CEO Chandra Madafferi regarding the Legislature’s passage of the 2025-26 education budget: “While overdue and still with areas of concern, the education budget for this school year is finally complete and makes important investments in the success of Michigan’s students and the educators who serve […]
On Thursday night, word came in Lansing that a budget deal was reached for the state’s new fiscal year that starts this Wednesday, Oct. 1. Related to that deal, the House passed several revenue enhancing bills for road funding. Details about what is in the education budget for preK-12 and higher education are unknown as […]
