The deadline for spending $5.57 billion of federal money sent to Michigan school districts amid the pandemic looms large in many places that still lag behind the pace needed to allocate those dollars in time. The funding came in the form of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program during the COVID-19 pandemic’s […]
As local bargaining teams head to negotiating tables this spring, MEA has new data showing in many places educator compensation has not kept pace with school funding increases, information which could be used to justify significant pay increases. Statewide trends show all school employees’ compensation as a share of total school district expenditures has fallen […]
THE STORY One year ago, a group of Oakland County teachers began negotiating a new contract. They had been underpaid for a long time. Their bargaining unit was not tightly organized. They had little union infrastructure or member involvement. Few members even knew what the contract said. Yet today those educators boast major contract wins […]
Faculty at Monroe County Community College have overwhelmingly approved a no-confidence vote in President Kojo Quartey and filed charges of Unfair Labor Practices against the college, which the faculty association addressed with a show of solidarity at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday night. A four-page resolution detailed reasons behind the no-confidence vote, including […]
School districts may have until April 2026 to spend federal school rescue dollars, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced. To qualify for this extension, school districts must have a signed contract for the expenditure and an extension request approved by the Michigan Department of Education prior to Sept. 30, 2024. This extension will provide […]
Providing additional academic support for students recovering from the pandemic has become a key use of federal school rescue funds in local districts across Michigan. Many school leaders are spending these resources on tutoring for students who struggled to adjust to learning from home and are now working to catch up. More than 200 school […]
Addressing students’ academic and mental health needs, while lightening the load for overstretched educators, are among the most urgent uses of federal school rescue funds prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to one local union leader in west Michigan. Theresann Pyrett, president of the West Ottawa Education Association, took that message to the White House […]
MEA member Joe Ligaj has a blunt message for school administrators and state-level policymakers concerned about educator shortages: If you pay them, they will come. “This is just basic economics—Econ 101,” the president of the Lincoln Park Education Association (LPEA) said. “There’s a labor shortage, and the way to address that is through the contract: […]
Morale among educators in South Redford is the worst Bill Dyer has seen in 28 years as a math teacher in the district, the local union president said. He also has never before seen 10 teaching positions open mid-year—which was the number unfilled last month. “It’s been an uphill battle for us to attract new teachers, […]
Education support professionals in Lapeer held an informational picket along Main Street last week to call attention to the fact they are working under an expired contract despite negotiating on a new agreement since last January. The 125 members of Lapeer Education Support Personnel believe their previous sacrifices during challenging financial times for the district should […]
