MEA President statement on approval of FY20 budget agreement

EAST LANSING — The following can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding today’s approval of an agreement between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature on the current year’s state budget: “I applaud Gov. Whitmer and legislative leaders for working together to pass this budget plan, which will help minimize the negative impact the […]

House to consider GOP Return to Learn bills that could outsource educators

UPDATE 7/22 – On largely party line votes, HBs 5910-5913 passed the House Education and Ways & Means Committees before being passed on the House floor Wednesday evening. Deviations from party lines included Rep. Scott VanSingel (R-Grant), who was the sole GOP vote against HB 5910 but voted in favor of the other three bills […]

Current-year budget fixes on tap Wednesday at Capitol

The Legislature is expected to enact a supplemental budget bill this week to address pandemic-driven revenue shortfalls for the school year that ended in June. As announced a few weeks ago, Gov. Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders agreed to a budget resolution that filled funding gaps with federal CARES Act dollars, State Budget Stabilization Fund […]

Joint statement from school unions and management calls for collaboration on local plans

MEA joined with AFT Michigan, the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators (MASA) and the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) on a joint statement calling on local districts and educators to work collaboratively on Preparedness Plans for fall learning. “To create and maintain safe school communities, district leaders, building leaders, teachers, staff members, and […]

Q&A on potential return to in-person learning

Throughout the pandemic, MEA has been actively collecting and sharing information with members, including a survey of members about COVID-19 and education, as well as a statement about MEA’s priorities for a safe return to learning. The following are some of the questions we’re receiving from MEA members as discussions continue about a potential return […]

Opinion: Michigan v. DeVos is more than just a lawsuit

July 15, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association A lawsuit filed last week against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos created a case name that captures a long-standing feeling among educators and friends of public education. Michigan v. DeVos. After years of Betsy DeVos and her family pushing an extreme, anti-public education agenda across our state […]

Michigan Leads Lawsuit Against DeVos Rule for Federal Relief Funds

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday announced a lawsuit has been filed challenging a rule issued by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos which rerouted millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief money to private schools. Nessel is partnering with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead a coalition of six attorneys general in a […]