By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Two childhood traits have served Marcia Mackey through a wide-ranging career in higher education and union leadership spanning almost 50 years: Mackey loves to fight for the underdog, and she commits 100% to what she believes in. “By nature, I’m very passionate and I think it shows in my […]
By Dan Clason Clason, an MEA member in Clarkston, is the 2026 MEA Educational Excellence Award winner and Michigan’s nominee for the NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. He’s a prime example of how educational excellence and collective action go hand-in-hand — especially when it comes to the power of contributing to PAC. Attacks on public education […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In the 16 years since becoming a paraeducator in Fraser Public Schools, MEA member Michelle James helped form a union, assisted in bargaining the group’s first contract, and held every position in her local — including her current role as president. But it wasn’t until a recent bout with […]
MEA member Aaron Bailey knows what it is like to be a brand-new paraprofessional in a classroom at the beginning of the school year. “When I first started, I had very little training, and I was lucky enough to get teachers who had 10 or 15 years of experience and could take the time to […]
Garlin Gilchrist for Secretary of State “Education makes our democracy run by helping create an informed and engaged voting public. Defending democracy means defending public schools and the educators who help students succeed. I’ll stand tall against anyone who threatens Michiganders’ right to vote or freedom to learn.” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, MEA recommended candidate […]
“Just like with solving any problem, lawmakers should consult the experts to make the right decisions — and for public education, that’s us: educators who know our jobs and what our students need. I’m committed to bringing that attitude to Lansing.” – Dr. Rashida Harrison, MEA member and Candidate for State Senate (District 28) Harrison, […]
MEA member Melissa Gibbons knows everyone in Oxford suffered terrible effects five years ago when a 15-year-old student gunman killed four classmates and injured seven others, including a teacher. “Whether you were in the school or not in the school, your kid was there that day, not there that day. It truly devastated the entire […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In five years since a deadly school shooting devastated the Oxford community, much has been done to heal the collective trauma, says Oxford High School Band Director Jim Gibbons: “We’ve kind of turned a corner in some ways.” New building security systems and increased focus on mental health helped […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Five years ago, Emma Trush was a senior at Oxford High School when a student gunman opened fire in the building on Nov. 30, 2021, killing four classmates, injuring several others, and splitting her life into two parts: Before and After. Before, Trush had been certain of her career…
As a professor at Central Michigan University, MEA member Brandi Ansley teaches aspiring educators from an “inside-out” perspective. For Emma Trush, whose post-traumatic stress threatened to derail her dreams, that made all the difference. Trush took her first class taught by Ansley at the beginning of her sophomore year, just 18 months after experiencing severe […]
