February 19, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association There is a crisis in our public schools that threatens a generation of students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan has experienced a 70.7% decline in enrollment in teacher-education programs in the last decade. The only state with a worse decline in students studying to […]
January 15, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association Stefanie Sedlar was forced to put her plans to start a family on hold to pay off nearly $100,000 in student loan debt. A special education teacher for Mount Pleasant Public Schools, Sedlar is one of countless dedicated teachers and other public school employees who start […]
December 18, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association Some of us remember the old “Reading is Fundamental” ad campaign, which encouraged parents to read to their children. Today, that fundamental is even more critical, especially in light of how poverty and lagging literacy levels intersect. Too often, lawmakers look for “silver bullet” solutions […]
November 20, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association How would you like your child’s teacher to be evaluated? By the number of correct “bubbles” filled in on a standardized test? Or by creative lesson plans that develop critical thinking skills under that teacher’s tutelage? If you chose the latter, you are in good company. […]
October 16, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association “It’s not just about the mother, it’s about the health and well-being of her child.” That is how Amy Urbanowski-Nowak, president of MEA’s Birch Run local association, explained her fight for one of her teacher members to get the time needed to express breast milk […]
September 18, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association We often hear politicians say, “It’s about the kids,” and, “The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” If they truly believe that, they need to craft a state education budget that recognizes a simple fact: Not all students are the same. Unfortunately, the Republican education […]
A pension is a promise of a secure retirement. But too often in Lansing, they’re viewed as piggy banks to be broken into for political purposes. As a young educator, I remember then-Gov. John Engler diverting state payments from the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System to fund other priorities — which accelerated us down a […]
July 17, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association In late 2016, the Detroit News ran a story under the headline, “State says literacy not a right in Detroit.” Think about that. That story was part of a long running legal battle launched by seven Detroit school students who claimed that decades of disinvestment […]
June 19, 2019 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association Unions learned an important lesson decades ago: collective action gets results. Tuesday, educators from the Michigan Education Association and American Federation of Teachers Michigan — along with parents, students, and other public education supporters — descended on the Capitol to urge legislators to “Value Students, Respect […]
By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association For many, education is a calling — but that doesn’t mean a career in education should come with a vow of poverty. That’s the case for too many educators who are struggling with low and declining pay, according to recently released national figures. Studies have shown – and […]
