On Tuesday in Kentwood, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the 2021-22 K-12 education budget, which invests a record $17.1 billion in schools and equalizes the state’s foundation grant funding for districts at $8,700 per pupil. MEA President Paula Herbart joined Whitmer at the press conference announcing the signing. See her remarks in this WLNS news coverage […]
The Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM) – MEA’s pre-professional wing made up of college and university student members – has taken home a national award of excellence for the second year in a row. AEM leaders were honored with the 2021 NEA Aspiring Educators State Excellence Award at a newly redesigned ceremony in June that […]
On Wednesday, the State Senate passed the 2021-22 K-12 school budget, adding additional funding to what was already the largest proposed investment in K-12 public schools in the state’s history. The Senate made changes to HB 4411 that added $300 million to the amount agreed to last week by the Governor and the House, putting the new figure […]
EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart in response to today’s passage of the 2021-22 K-12 school budget by the Legislature: “Equalizing the state foundation grants for our children’s education is a major step in the right direction for school funding. We appreciate the leadership from Gov. Whitmer […]
The State House passed bipartisan legislation reducing the time spent on standardized testing last week by eliminating the mandate that all students complete the ACT WorkKeys test. The legislation, which now goes to the State Senate for their consideration, allows districts and students who want to take the test to “opt in” instead. This would […]
Last week, the State House passed HB 4411, the K-12 school budget for 2021-22. At $16.74 billion, it represents the largest ever investment in K-12 public schools in Michigan history. More importantly, it finally closes the gap in the per-pupil foundation allowance that has existed since Proposal A passed in 1994, bringing all districts to […]
Seven years ago, Darrin Camilleri was a fresh college graduate and newly hired as a teacher with no textbooks, no curriculum, and a big job on top of his teaching duties: department chair. Now he’s a state representative hoping to be part of making “transformational change” in the education profession. Camilleri (D-Trenton) and other Democratic […]
The new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission – created by the Voters Not Politicians 2018 ballot measure – is holding hearings to help develop new legislative district maps for the next decade. For the first time, residents can provide input about how voting boundaries are drawn, including regarding “communities of interest” that are important for […]
UPDATE – June 15: The Senate took quick action this morning, unanimously passing a substitute version of HB 4421 that primarily does what we’ve been requesting for months – send federal COVID relief funding owed to districts immediately. This is a BIG win for Michigan schools – if the House concurs with the Senate’s version of HB 4421, […]
MEA member Brian Dalton learned how to survive a difficult endurance event while training to compete in four Ironman races in his 40s, and he discovered it wasn’t much different from strategies he used as an educator to successfully make it through a school year. Just as in a brutal race involving a 2.4-mile swim, […]
