Under a new state budget adopted by the Legislature on Wednesday, education funding avoided major cuts that had been expected due to the national economic downturn related to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Wednesday night, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would sign the budget, which passed with bipartisan majorities in both chambers. “When we […]
When MEA member Richard Mui was growing up in Ferndale, not many Asian Americans lived in the community, which he believes accounted for the discrimination he encountered – teasing and racist comments about his perceived culture and language. “I learned to have a tougher skin, but it created an awareness of some injustices that are […]
September 16, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association For decades, we’ve all heard the refrain: “This is the most important election in our lifetime.” More than ever, this statement is ringing true for voters with more than 190,000 American lives — and counting — lost to the pandemic, a crumbling economy that has devastated […]
About 625,000 essential workers who continued performing their frontline duties during the height of the pandemic in Michigan are eligible for free college tuition, under a program announced Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “This initiative is Michigan’s way of expressing gratitude to essential workers for protecting public health and keeping our state running,” Whitmer said […]
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is accepting nominations of outstanding educational support staff members for the state Education Support Staff Professional of the Year Award and national RISE Award. The awards recognize and promote the commitment and excellence exhibited by school employees who provide exemplary service to students as paraprofessionals and in clerical services, transportation, […]
More than 450 educators from capitol-area school districts stretching from St. John to Holt, Okemos and Lansing have returned to their school duties armed with some health and safety essentials courtesy of their local unions. Every year, several MEA units combine their efforts in a late August back-to-school bash that draws hundreds to a family […]
Michigan is facing a record shortage of poll workers this year due to the coronavirus. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has engaged in a full-scale push to ensure there are enough workers to safely conduct this November’s election. NEA has partnered with “Power the Polls” to help recruit people to be poll workers. Our democracy […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Owen Bondono quickly got down to work as the new Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY). Just a few weeks into the role as advocate and voice for the state’s educators, the Oak Park language arts teacher began surveying school employees on their thoughts about returning to […]
The outgoing Michigan Teacher of the Year, MEA member Cara Lougheed, has been named to a five-year term on the state Teacher Tenure Commission beginning on Sept. 1. The five-member panel acts as a board of review for all cases appealed from the decision of a controlling board. The commission’s makeup includes two teachers, one […]
Educators, children, parents, and families are encouraged to submit questions for a special town hall, jointly hosted by CNN and Sesame Street, about going back to school in the coronavirus era. The special, set to air on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. ET, will be moderated by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, […]
