Following on the heels of major wins for local school funding in March, this past Tuesday’s local elections saw nearly all funding measures pass amidst huge absentee voter turnout. Of 36 local school millage and bond votes on the ballot Tuesday, only two lost. The biggest win of the day was the overwhelming renewal the […]
EAST LANSING – “We are only as strong as we are united, weak as we are divided.” That quote from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” epitomizes teacher Ashley Calhoun’s one-stop shop for free food, books, school supplies and toiletries on her Homer porch during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lillian […]
EAST LANSING – Otsego Public Schools food service workers on Monday provided their 100,000th meal to local families since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The West Michigan school district’s experience is indicative of other districts statewide that are continuing to serve meals to students in need. “We knew it was going to come at […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor As a self-described “Harry Potter nerd,” MEA member Ashley Calhoun has brought a bit of magic to her hometown of Homer, where she is now finishing her fourth year of teaching fourth grade. When the global COVID-19 pandemic forced school buildings in Michigan to close in March, Calhoun was […]
It’s that time of year when we celebrate educators! The first full week of May has been National Teacher Appreciation Week for decades. But this year, with students not in school buildings as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and educators working in new ways to teach from a distance, deliver meals, and more, the […]
A national survey released last week shows parents support teachers and school support staff in overwhelming numbers – more than their governor or local government. The National Education Association survey found 88% of parents approve of how their children’s teachers are handling the coronavirus pandemic. They also overwhelmingly (81 percent) approve of school support staff […]
The safety, health and well-being of our public school employees, students and families has emerged as a critical concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health is paramount in the current climate, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Virtual recently announced free mental health resources for students, families and educators. ‘Stay Home, Stay MIndful’ In April, […]
Students, parents, and educators are grappling with a global crisis, trying to stay safe, facing a new virtual reality and struggling to connect. Now more than ever, school communities across the nation need support and leadership. Instead, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is using this pandemic to, once again, push her failed privatization agenda to defund […]
This coming Tuesday, May 5, many Michigan communities have municipal and school elections scheduled, including several important millage and bond measures. In light of the public health crisis, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson sent every voter in the May election an Absent Voter Ballot Application to ensure people stay healthy while exercising their right to […]
The MEA Board of Directors has voted to support the “Fair and Equal Michigan” petition drive effort for a citizens initiative to include LGBTQ rights in state law. Under current law, you can still be fired from your job or kicked out of your house if your boss or landlord discovers you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual, […]
