EAST LANSING — The following statements can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address and related developments in Lansing today. Regarding investment in education to meet the diverse needs of students: “The pandemic has laid bare many of the inequities in our education system. […]
MEA members’ lobbying efforts helped to score a victory in the Michigan Legislature’s abbreviated lame duck session in December – winning hazard pay grants for some school employees left out of the original legislation, including preschool and adult education teachers. Despite having numerous scheduled session days cancelled because of coronavirus exposure, before they left for […]
A COVID relief package passed in the waning hours of the 116th U.S. Congress could deliver a significant boost to Michigan school districts looking to pay for additional costs of operating amid a global pandemic – if President Trump signs the bill into law. According to MEA Economist Tanner Delpier, the median Michigan district should […]
The coronavirus has stymied much of the lame duck legislation that Republican leaders might have hoped to pass before a new state Legislature is seated in January, as positive tests for COVID-19 among lawmakers and staffers forced the state House to cancel several planned meetings. The cancellation of session days in the House last week […]
One way you can get involved as an MEA member right now is by speaking up about the legislative priorities you believe our organization should be pursuing. The MEA Legislation Commission is developing our organization’s 2021-23 Legislative Priorities for the 101st Michigan Legislative Session which begins in January. The Commission recommends priorities to the MEA […]
The Michigan Legislature’s “lame duck” session begins this week, with the next three weeks of session leading up to the end of the year when all unpassed bills expire and a new legislature is seated in January with newly elected lawmakers. Many expect this year’s lame duck to be relatively quiet (including public comments from […]
Applications to get the “hazard pay” grant payments enacted by the Legislature will be coming from school districts to members by Nov. 9. School employees need to turn in that form to their district by Dec. 4 in order to receive these grants – up to $500 or $250 depending on your employment category. MEA […]
The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that school employees who had 3 percent of their salary illegally withheld by the state from 2010-12 are not entitled to be paid additional interest on the money. The decision is the latest twist in a long-running legal saga that grew out of the 3 percent case, which […]
The state House on Monday approved a compromise package of bills that provides answers about student counts for school funding, benchmark testing and other important matters as the 2020-21 school year begins amid the COVID-19 pandemic. House Bills 5911-13 now go to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for a signature after passing the state Senate in a […]
The state Senate has scheduled an unusual Saturday session for this weekend, and while nothing is yet certain, early indications are that the goal will be to pass measures related to the return to school this fall. Less clear is whether the agenda will include bipartisan solutions to pandemic-related challenges or partisan schemes that use […]
