A few years ago MEA member Sarah Garrett set her hopes on nominating longtime Battle Creek Public Schools secretary Bernadette Gordier for an NEA award — believing her friend deserved national recognition for tremendous service to the school district and community. However, Gordier would soon pass away at the age of 74, in January 2021, […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Several years into her career as an occupational therapist in Warren Woods Public Schools, MEA member Michele Morgan realized why her high school students didn’t always make an easy or successful transition from school to work. It wasn’t a lack of technical skills holding them back — she had […]
Just over four years ago, Dayna Polehanki and Matt Koleszar were working as classroom teachers — facing firsthand the challenges that decades of under-funding and misguided policy presented for public education. Today, they not only serve in the Michigan Legislature, but have been named the new chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees under […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Sen. Dayna Polehanki called it “our first victory for public education” resulting from the Democratic trifecta voters put in place with last November’s election — which is the first time in 40 years the party has controlled the state House, Senate and governor’s office. Shortly before the new Legislature […]
In my school building, I often stop to admire a picturesque mural of a black ship in a blue ocean and to recall the wise words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” In difficult times, it’s important to remember that we grow into leadership roles. As educators, our ability […]
The wing of MEA that supports newer educators, MiNE (Michigan New Educators), is expanding! Introducing our newest MiNE coordinators who develop local in-person events and connect members to MiNE state-wide happenings, including virtual book studies: Tharan Suvarna is a second-year K-8 technology teacher at St. Ignace Area Schools. Tharan is a former Aspiring Educators of Michigan […]
◼ Continue historic investments in early childhood through higher education — including increases to both base funding and equity needs to meet different student needs (from special education and poverty to transportation and program availability for rural schools). ◼ Encourage school districts and higher education employers to invest funding increases in employee recruitment and retention efforts. ◼ […]
◼ Allow public employers to pay a greater share of health insurance costs (beyond the current 80% or hard cap limitations) to improve school employee take home pay. ◼ Repeal the pension tax that reduces the retirement security of school employees and others seniors across Michigan. ◼ Work with employers to increase wages for all […]
◼ Repeal prohibited subjects of bargaining to provide employee voice in the workplace on job placement and security, outsourcing, evaluation, just cause requirements for dismissal, and more. ◼ Remove automatic penalties for school employees when working under an expired contract, like step freezes and pass-through of health insurance cost increases. ◼ Allow school employees […]
◼ Fix the teacher evaluation system to make it developmental rather than punitive by removing state testing data, changing “effectiveness” labels, ensuring educator voice in the process and providing due process for evaluation appeals. ◼ Streamline and minimize assessment requirements to reduce both time spent and high-stakes assigned to standardized testing. ◼ Take advantage of freedom […]
