By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Teacher Candice Ridley first noticed the organizing talents of paraeducator Fred McFadden several years ago while taking part in collective action during a staff convocation to start a new school year in the Pontiac School District where both work. In the audience, Ridley and other staff members all remained […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Chandra Madafferi, Michigan Education Association President and CEO I’m incredibly proud that a teacher from Michigan was recently selected as the annual winner of a prestigious national educational excellence award, as it highlights that great things are happening in public schools throughout our state. Matt Hamilton, a teacher at East Jordan Middle/High School in […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Regina Bluemlein In a time of heightened anxieties across the country, the Lansing Schools Education Association has launched a campaign to routinely remind young people of one core message: educators can be relied upon to protect, nurture and teach them. The “LSEA Safe” campaign followed on the heels of [...]
