The ongoing budget battle between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP legislative leaders has taken up much of the oxygen in Lansing lately, but several other key issues are bubbling up to the surface at the Capitol. MEA lobbyists expect members will need to engage on legislation that has been introduced or will soon appear related […]
After nearly a month of stop-and-start discussions between the Governor’s office and the Legislature, schools are still without critical funding needed for this current school year. MEA members need to contact all our lawmakers and urge them to reach agreement on supplemental budget bills that fund priorities that were cut last month because of the lack […]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer averted a government shutdown on Monday by signing a state budget sent to her on the eve of a fiscal-year deadline, but she used her veto pen to press Republican leaders in the state House and Senate to return to the negotiating table. Whitmer described the Legislature’s budget as “fatally flawed” in […]
EAST LANSING —The following can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding the education budget signed into law by Gov. Whitmer, along with her line-item vetoes “Aside from the pet projects and vendor contracts Gov. Whitmer line-item vetoed, there are meaningful education programs and initiatives that were also cut. Those are tough choices to […]
Updated Oct. 1, 2019 After revisions negotiated in the State House, the House and Senate passed the 2019-20 School Aid Budget (HB 4242) and sent it to the Governor’s desk on Thursday, Sept. 19. The Legislature’s budget called for a total of $15.23 billion in preK-12 spending. This is a 2.7% fund increase over FY […]
A good first step – but only a step EAST LANSING —The following can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding today’s passage of the K-12 education budget by the Michigan Legislature: “While this budget isn’t everything we had hoped for, it is a good first step to ending the decades long underfunding of […]
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 […]
If every student is going to get a great education, then we have to provide the funding so that every student gets the support they need. The Republican education budgets presented Thursday in legislative conference committee fail to do that. MEA members need to act now to tell lawmakers to reject this budget and advocate for […]
MEA President thanks Gov. Whitmer, Dem legislators for standing against GOP efforts to tie pensions to road funding debate EAST LANSING — In a letter today to Democratic legislators, MEA President Paula Herbart thanked them and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for strong stances against GOP-backed “Pensions for Potholes” schemes. “While I’m not shocked, I’m certainly dismayed […]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ventured into the Jackson County turf of Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) on Thursday to illustrate the struggles schools are facing without a state budget and press Republican leaders to put real solutions on the table.
