Last Wednesday was the second-greatest day of my career in public education — which after 31 years, is coming to a close on July 15. That evening on June 28, the Michigan Legislature passed a landmark package of bills to restore workplace rights stripped from school employees a dozen years ago. When the bills take […]
By Brenda Ortega and Zach Crim MEA Public Affairs UPDATE 7/27 – Gov. Whitmer has signed HBs 4044, 4233 and 4354 into law, along with several other bills designed to recruit and retain educators. These new laws will take effect in early 2024. HB 4356 will be sent to Gov. Whitmer for her consideration soon […]
The Michigan Legislature passed a bipartisan education budget for next school year on Wednesday evening, allocating a record amount of funding to help Michigan students succeed. The $24.3 billion education budget prioritizes investments in Michigan’s K-12 schools, starting with the largest ever per-pupil allocation at $9,608 a student (an additional $458 per student). Similarly, higher […]
EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart in response to Wednesday’s state Senate passage of legislation restoring workplace rights to school employees: “This is a great day for educators, students, parents and local schools across Michigan. Frontline educators deserve to have a voice in the workplace, […]
The state House on Thursday passed a package of bills to bring back educators’ voices to workplace decisions, restoring collective bargaining rights taken away under a GOP-controlled legislature and former Gov. Rick Snyder a dozen years ago. This critically important package of bills passed along party lines and now moves to the Senate. Take a […]
When most people think of summer, they think of sunshine and relaxation. But for many Michigan children struggling with mental health issues, summer can be anything but tranquil. Our kids are dealing with unprecedented mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression and other behavioral issues. The prevalence of such challenges among our children was already on […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When MEA member Sarah Ellis learned she had several months to create five works of art on a theme of “inspiration,” she chose to honor her school district’s media specialist – Christine Beachler – who has faced ongoing harassment while staunchly defending students’ access to books over three years. […]
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 […]
EAST LANSING — The Michigan Education Association announced Friday the recipients of the 2023 MEA Scholarships, honoring exemplary public school students from across the state who will be attending a Michigan public university this fall. Among the 422 applications submitted for scholarship awards this year, the MEA Scholarship Fund Trustees chose 23 new award recipients […]
UPDATE (May 30) — MEA members in Dearborn Heights, including teachers, administrative assistants and paraprofessionals, have passed a no-confidence vote on Superintendent Ty Weeks by a 187-1 margin. A protest led by educators in Dearborn Heights School District #7 – joined by local parents and students along with MEA members from across the metro Detroit […]
