Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed bipartisan legislation to deliver $250 million to ease the financial burden on young Michiganders pursuing higher education. The bill creates the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which will lower tuition costs by up to $5,500 per year for college and occupational training students, reducing the need to take out excessive loans. […]
The MI Future Educator Fellowship — a groundbreaking new program to provide $10,000 scholarships to 2,500 future educators in Michigan every year — is not open for applications yet. But the state has put out a new FAQ and a sign-up form to be notified when the application opens. To be eligible, students must file […]
MEA President Paula Herbart used a column in Bridge Michigan to further urge educators to take advantage of temporary rule changes to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program before the waiver expires on Oct. 31. “Michigan educators are often saddled with tens of thousands or more in student debt, leaving many of them […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Education policies pursued for the past two decades in Michigan have ignored the needs of rural school districts, which has reduced opportunities for students and stymied community development in areas facing serious economic hardship, a new study has found. School reforms favored by policymakers over the past 20 years […]
The American Rescue Plan (ARP), touted by President Biden as “gamechanger,” delivered vital funding to Michigan’s public schools in the wake of the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the federal government provided $1.7 billion in support to Michigan’s education budget. By 2021, that number swelled to $7.9 billion with the support of Democrats […]
Michigan schools are facing significant challenges that require all of us to come together and work as a team for the betterment of our children — yet some political extremists are dead set on fanning the flames of their culture war and using our kids as their political pawns. This small-but-vocal minority’s latest target in […]
MEA is recommending members vote in support of a pair of good-government proposals on the Nov. 8 ballot. Proposal 1 would require elected officials serving in state government to file annual reports disclosing their personal finances, including their assets, liabilities, gifts from lobbyists, promises of future employment and more. This will help let citizens know […]
While educators work hard amid big challenges to provide all students a great public education, some politicians and groups are stoking fear and division with extreme rhetoric and proposals to restrict classroom speech and learning. In this series, MEA Voice Editor Brenda Ortega shares five powerful individual stories that together reveal the detrimental effects of […]
Click to view online. In this issue: Letter to Members: Vote like your profession depends on it MEA and Wayne State University Welcome Our Next Gen Teachers CTE is a silent victim of the teacher shortage See Educators Run: Bringing educator voice to the Legislature Redistricting presents opportunity The Toll of Attacks on LGBTQ Rights: […]
