Click to view online. In this issue: LETTER TO MEMBERS: Celebrating Excellence for our students NEWS & NOTES: ICYMI — Educators define issues : You can help QUOTABLES AEM/MiNE: Growing Libraries with Representation MEMBER VOICES: Tuition-free community college changes lives COVER STORY: Michigan educator known for ‘shoe club’ wins NEA Award for Teaching Excellence AWARDS […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Nearly 30 years from the start of his labor activism as a graduate student organizer, MEA member Alec Thomson returned to his union origins on the campus of Wayne State University on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration’s draconian cuts to higher education and medical research. Now a union […]
By Chandra Madafferi, Michigan Education Association President and CEO As we shake off the winter blues and welcome the sunshine and warmth of spring, let’s think back to our childhoods and how it felt to go outside for recess in April without a winter coat. Think of how the sun felt on your face and […]
UPDATE 4/2: In response to the Senate’s legal action, the Court of Claims judge said that she would not issue a ruling but instead urged the Supreme Court to accept the bypass application to issue a final ruling in the matter. The Supreme Court denied the bypass application but has ordered the Court of Appeals […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA members were joined by parents, students and other community allies in conducting Walk-Ins to Protect Public Schools across the state on Wednesday as part of a nationwide collective action organized by NEA and AFT to spotlight a powerful—and empowering—sense of unity. The morning events held outside school buildings […]
Within minutes of being unveiled last week, House Republicans passed a budget proposal that would cut $5 billion from public education – a loss of almost 25% compared to the current year. According to House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp), the bill is meant to keep essential services going during a potential state government shutdown […]
On March 12, House Republicans passed a resolution stating they would not present Gov. Whitmer with nine bills being held from December’s “lame duck” session – including HB 6058, which would lower skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for public employee health insurance. At the same time, under the leadership of Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp), the House […]
In response to Thursday’s filing of a federal lawsuit from 21 attorneys general from across the nation challenging the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi; AFT-Michigan President Terrence Martin; Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators Executive Director Tina Kerr; Michigan Association of School Boards Executive Director […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Over a long career—first in the U.S. Army and now as a teacher in the career and technical education (CTE) field—MEA member Mike Cook has always used education and training to reinvent himself and build a resume of marketable skills. This year Cook began creating a new CTE program […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Under gray skies and cold wet weather—at the end of a long day in the classroom—first-year teacher Alexandra McCloskey stood in a puddle on a pedestrian overpass spanning Interstate-696 in Farmington Hills last week. She held a sign asking drivers to honk if they love public schools. McCloskey absorbed […]
