Federal leaders must fix an antiquated exemption that prevents teachers from receiving overtime pay, writes MEA member Audra DeRidder, a special education and fifth-grade teacher in Iron Mountain Public Schools, in a recent essay for the National Employment Law Project. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1935 (FLSA) is a landmark law that provides critical […]
Soon after teachers in Flint’s Beecher Community School District settled a strong contract, staff at the combined middle/high school enjoyed a visit by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on her back-to-school tour – joined by NEA President Becky Pringle and MEA President Chandra Madafferi. After a decade of financial struggle and stagnation, the Beecher Education Association’s new […]
By Chandra Madafferi Michigan educators and communities are doing amazing things with the billions of dollars our state has received in federal school rescue funds. While there’s still plenty of great work to be done, time is running out for school districts to put this one-time funding to good use. Our state received $5.6 billion […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said she received her proudest endorsement when MEA announced its recommendation of the third-term 7th District congresswoman in her bid for the U.S. Senate in 2024. Educators are mission-oriented people, and she feels kinship, she said during a meet-and-greet event with MEA members on Saturday […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When MEA member Megan Ake changed school districts from Farmington to Fenton five years ago, the first teaching tasks she felt pressured to master involved massive classroom-practice checklists and student-growth data mandates in the state’s evolving educator evaluation system. Instead of learning her students’ names, delving into a new […]
Gov. Whitmer has signed a bill making important changes to the post-retirement employment window and earnings limits for school retirees who choose to return to work. House Bill 4752 (now Public Act 147 of 2023), introduced by Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), shortens the waiting period for a retiree with a bona fide retirement to work […]
By Chandra Madafferi and Terrence Martin From small farm towns to the inner city and the suburbs, every student in Michigan deserves an opportunity to succeed, and that’s why education leaders are excited about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new initiative designed to keep kids and their parents from falling through the cracks. This summer, Whitmer announced […]
Ask legislators to support bill fixing teacher evaluations Teacher evaluations are broken — and it’s time to fix them. The state Legislature is expected to take up legislation this fall to do just that by making teacher evaluations more fair and constructive. Senate Bill 395, introduced by state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (an MEA member and […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor NEA President Becky Pringle and MEA President Chandra Madafferi serve free breakfast to students at Dublin Elementary in Walled Lake, the first stop of a two-day, four-district tour. NEA President Becky Pringle visited four school districts in Michigan last week to see what change looks like when a governor [...]
The Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) is coordinating help for educators affected by the Lahaina fires – one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history. The HSTA is reporting that at least 57 teachers lost their homes or have had to relocate as a result of the Maui wildfires. Another 44 educators suffered property damage. […]
