April 14, 2021 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association The return to in-person learning in most districts means increased vigilance around safety measures is imperative. Michigan’s recent surge in COVID-19 cases is a danger to our students, families and communities. Case numbers for kids 10-19 years old have skyrocketed. School outbreaks rose 47% over the last week […]
The State Legislature returns to Lansing this week after Spring Break to a long “to do” list of important topics for public education. Federal COVID Relief and 2021-22 Education Budgets With COVID-19 cases on the rise, ensuring safety and student learning assistance are critical. The Legislature still has $841 million in federal COVID relief funding […]
EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding the need for a post-Spring Break suspension of in-person learning: “When we say that the health and safety of our students must be our priority, that’s not just lip service or a catchy message. As educators, nothing is more important […]
Click to view online. In this issue: Letter to Members: You are the Strength in Union Above and Beyond: Retired educator Pam Kellar Nominations sought for ESP Caucus Board My View: Eclipsing Restoration with New Growth Savoring a Win for the People Push is On for Changes to Evaluation System Legislative Councils: a case study […]
Stories by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Ryan Ridenour has never known a teacher evaluation system other than the one used in Michigan since 2015. Still the world history and psychology teacher, in his sixth year at West Bloomfield, has found key problems with the state’s method for scoring, rating, and ranking educators. “I […]
When Ed Clements attends a dinner (or for now, a Zoom call) with other MEA members and their invited guest—a state representative or senator—he doesn’t expect the educators and politician will agree on everything. Sometimes they don’t agree on much. Yet the 22-year Bay City educator and current city commissioner keeps coming back for more of these […]
As MEA pursues fixes to problematic teacher evaluation reforms enacted in 2015, bargaining teams in some districts have had to contend with a legislative change from 2017 that seeks to add more weight to already high-stakes evaluation scores. At the state level, MEA’s bargaining wing has developed prototype contract language to knock down the threat, and many […]
Love ultimately led MEA member Tavia Redmond to don her teacher’s cape 28 years ago. Since then, she’s faced tough challenges with grit and patience—mostly in her hometown of Romulus, the Downriver suburb that is home to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. But nothing compares to this year’s struggles, she says. “This right here is a whole new […]
Early in student teaching in January, Gillian Lafrate was operating from an empty classroom with her Warren third graders fully virtual and her host teacher working from home. The Saginaw Valley State University senior elected to come in, given a choice. “My little sister is in seventh grade. She was learning virtually. My stepmom is a middle […]
Although the children on her bus can’t see her smile through the face mask, MEA member Julie Ingison makes sure they can hear the smile when she greets them by name each day. They also can feel her love through the huggable gift she crafted for each child over the winter. The 22-year U.S. Air […]
