The firsthand accounts of survivors of school shootings are gut-wrenching, heartbreaking and becoming far too common. As preventable acts of violence continue to take the lives of students and educators across the country, recent polling shows MEA members stand firm in their support of common-sense laws to improve gun safety and prevent school shootings. A […]
By Brenda Ortega, MEA Voice Editor Michigan Education Association MEA member Leah Ramirez is sick and tired. Sick of conducting practice lock downs to prepare against potential violence with her kindergarten students in Northview Public Schools in Grand Rapids. Tired of trying to reassure them they are safe despite the grim reason behind the drills. […]
EAST LANSING — The Michigan Education Association and local educators Friday praised Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signing legislation that provides much-needed financial relief to Oxford Community Schools in the aftermath of last fall’s tragic shooting at Oxford High School. House Bill 6012 provides Oxford with $9.8 million to help the district recover from the Nov. […]
Casting aside the actual challenges facing Michigan schools, Republican state legislators this week have focused on advancing divisive legislation meant to fire up their political base and drive a wedge between educators and parents. On Tuesday, the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee passed House Bill 5097, which would restrict Michigan educators from teaching students […]
On Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives voted down House Bill 5859, which would have created a pseudo-voucher system to provide private tutoring programs for students, diverting taxpayer money away from public schools and into the pockets of private, for-profit vendors with little oversight. The bill, which was strongly opposed by MEA and other education […]
Last Thursday, after MEA helped increase pressure on lawmakers, the House and the Senate passed HB 6012, a supplemental budget appropriation for Oxford Community Schools in the aftermath of the tragic school shooting there on Nov. 30. The bill provides $9.8 million for Oxford to spend over two years, with funds allocated for: personnel, additional […]
Dear MEA Family, There aren’t words to convey adequate emotions – heartbreak, rage, fear, frustration – after yesterday’s senseless shooting deaths of 19 children and 2 teachers in a Texas elementary school. After what happened just six months ago in Oxford, yesterday’s events are resurfacing many of the same feelings for all of us […]
EAST LANSING — The Michigan Education Association announced its support Monday for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “MI Kids Back on Track” proposal, which would invest $280 million in surplus state revenues in helping Michigan students get back on a path to success following the pandemic. “Many Michigan students fell behind during the pandemic — particularly those […]
Providing additional academic support for students recovering from the pandemic has become a key use of federal school rescue funds in local districts across Michigan. Many school leaders are spending these resources on tutoring for students who struggled to adjust to learning from home and are now working to catch up. More than 200 school […]
EAST LANSING — The Michigan Education Association is calling on the state House to immediately take action on legislation providing bureaucratic relief to students and educators affected by last fall’s Oxford school shooting. The state Senate on March 24 unanimously approved Senate Bills 940 and 941, sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Keego Harbor. These bills […]
