By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Owen Bondono quickly got down to work as the new Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY). Just a few weeks into the role as advocate and voice for the state’s educators, the Oak Park language arts teacher began surveying school employees on their thoughts about returning to […]
The outgoing Michigan Teacher of the Year, MEA member Cara Lougheed, has been named to a five-year term on the state Teacher Tenure Commission beginning on Sept. 1. The five-member panel acts as a board of review for all cases appealed from the decision of a controlling board. The commission’s makeup includes two teachers, one […]
Educators, children, parents, and families are encouraged to submit questions for a special town hall, jointly hosted by CNN and Sesame Street, about going back to school in the coronavirus era. The special, set to air on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. ET, will be moderated by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, […]
By Dawn Levey As a public school teacher of 30 years, I have always been filled with great excitement and anticipation about a new school year. At this point every year, I find myself eager to meet a new group of students and explore new learning opportunities with them. This year, that excitement is accompanied […]
Click to view online. In this issue: Above and Beyond – Ben Henri Member Voices: Living Life as an Educator Crisis Timeline – From Surreal Spring to Stressed Summer: A Timeline of Tumult and Togetherness Educators Engage in Racial Justice Movement Our Chance to Fire Betsy DeVos Sen. Gary Peters deserves your support for […]
“Our public schools cannot be a casualty of COVID.” Those words from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters—during a May virtual rally for federal education funding to help avoid pandemic-driven cuts—encapsulate why he is MEA’s recommended candidate for Senate this fall. A graduate of public schools and the son of a Rochester educator, Peters has served Michigan in […]
Chuck Waldroup signed up to be a bus mechanic seven years ago with Inland Lakes School District, but to his surprise a driver shortage placed him behind the wheel in a permanent second role. What was your reaction to unexpectedly becoming a bus driver? I thought it was going to be a nightmare with kids […]
It is a deeply partisan time in Michigan and across the country. But, across partisan lines, MEA’s members have experienced why U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is the wrong person for the job. The outcome of this fall’s presidential election will determine if DeVos continues her push to privatize public schools from the nation’s […]
In February, Martin McDonough became president of one of MEA’s largest local units—the Administrative Professional Association (APA) at Michigan State University. The next month, pandemic-related closures hit higher education in Michigan. Formerly a shop steward in the pipefitters union and vice-president of the APA, McDonough knew that in times of crisis people feel especially grateful […]
Kathy Bommarito worries that a decision this spring by the Avondale School District where she is union president could represent a foot in the door for online school vendors seeking to displace educators in the classroom. In May the Avondale School Board agreed to close Avondale Academy—named Michigan’s Alternative School of the Year in 2018—and […]
