A new statewide Bill of Rights campaign aimed at improving the wages, benefits and working conditions of school support staff was rolled out on Friday at the annual MEA conference for Education Support Professionals (ESP). Modeled after similar campaigns launched in other states, including Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts, the Michigan ESP Bill of Rights calls […]
Shoe Club Nation, a nonprofit organization founded by Michigan educator Matt Hamilton, is launching a search for “Educator All-Stars” to help expand the program to middleschools across Michigan. Hamilton, who was recently named the National Education Association Foundation’s 2025 Award for Teaching Excellence, created the Shoe Club 17 years ago in East Jordan, Michigan, following […]
On Wednesday, June 11, House Republicans introduced – and then swiftly passed – an education budget for 2025-26 that harms students’ opportunities to get the education and skills they need to land good-paying careers after graduation. This budget guts programs and services that students and families rely on, including: Career and technical courses that prepare […]
The Michigan Education Association today announced the recipients of the 2025 MEA Scholarships, honoring exemplary public school students from across the state who will be attending a Michigan public university next fall. Among the 319 applications submitted for scholarship awards this year, the MEA Scholarship Fund Trustees chose 24 new award recipients who will each […]
By Chandra Madafferi, Michigan Education Association President and CEO After serving in the role of MEA president and CEO for two full school years, I’ve witnessed the best of what Michigan’s public schools can offer — students engaged in meaningful learning, educators energized by their work, parents actively involved and communities that truly support their […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Gabby Marderosian set a goal for 2025 to collect rejection slips as a means of pushing herself to complete personal art projects amid the demands of working as a traveling elementary art teacher in Farmington Public Schools. “It’s a fun way of making yourself put yourself out […]
Congress is considering a dangerous budget proposal that includes a $20 billion federal school voucher scheme, which would drain critical resources from neighborhood public schools and funnel taxpayer dollars to for-profit private schools elsewhere. To add insult to injury, the budget proposal would make huge cuts to Medicaid for families and children across Michigan, causing […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor A new MEA task force will examine ways to address increasing violence against educators in the workplace and advocate for policies, legislation and resources to ensure classroom safety for school employees and students alike in Michigan. Formation of the task force was approved on Saturday by the MEA Representative […]
By Erik Edoff, Senior Executive Director, Michigan Education Association This week marks Teacher Appreciation Week, a time when we all come together to honor the hard work of our children’s educators. The most important thing we can do to show our appreciation for Michigan’s dedicated teachers is to pay them a competitive wage. Unfortunately, Michigan […]
EAST LANSING – A new report issued today by the National Education Association underscores the importance of improving compensation for educators – something the state Senate’s proposed education budget takes seriously, as highlighted in its presentation today. Michigan is lagging behind other states when it comes to paying educators competitive wages, leading to educator shortages […]
