It’s been nearly one year since a novel coronavirus first began reshaping daily life across the globe and MEA mobilized its bargaining, advocacy, legal and communications resources in response. We sat down with MEA President Paula Herbart to look back at where we’ve been. Here’s an excerpt from our talk. Last month, with school employees […]
MEA member Jackie Lyons cried when she met with her principal to quit her first-grade teaching job last October. “I said, ‘I don’t want to leave. I love working with these kids, and I love the school community, and I love my teaching partners and all of our school staff.’ Then I walked away and looked […]
What’s it like to be a local union president in the age of COVID? In this story, we talk with three local leaders in Macomb County—an urban hotspot in northern metro Detroit—who have employed every tool at their disposal to unite members and guide collective action through the most challenging circumstances in living memory. As […]
February 10, 2021 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association If one positive thing comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be the crystallization for millions of Americans about what in our lives is truly important. For students and educators, standardized tests do not make the list. That’s why it was welcome news when […]
Based on over 22k responses, about 37% of educators still waiting to be vaccinated; nearly 90% want to receive vaccine EAST LANSING — An online survey of MEA members reveals that nearly two-thirds of Michigan school employees are either vaccinated or in the process of being vaccinated against COVID-19. Another third of the more than […]
Last week the Republican-controlled state House passed a COVID response plan which is opposed by MEA because it holds much-needed federal COVID relief hostage in a political fight and, among other provisions, adds a voucher-style payment to parents to pay for summer programs outside of schools. An MEA analysis reveals that House Bill 4048, which […]
Reflecting on the past year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told attendees at a virtual MEA-PAC event on Friday that we are “still in the tunnel,” but there is light at the end, and “the commitment I’ve made is centered around supporting you and the kids you help every single day.” “The teachers and the incredible support […]
Because she’s 75 years old, retired educator Pam Kellar was able to get a COVID-19 vaccine quickly, yet most days she’s still on the phone and the internet trying to schedule appointments for shots. For the past few weeks, Kellar – who is president of her MEA-Retired chapter in Warren – has taken it upon […]
On Wednesday, the Michigan House Republicans issued a proposal that made distributing bipartisan federal education funding contingent on the governor giving up important powers to protect public health, including closing schools and suspending activities like athletics if data about how the virus is spreading warrants it. “We need bipartisan action, not political gamesmanship,” said MEA President […]
Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton), chair of the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee, has launched an online survey to hear from educators, parents and students about the impact of COVID-19 on education. The survey is meant to gather “first-hand accounts, feedback and recommendations [to] help lawmakers evaluate where we are one year on and help […]
