U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continues to duck responsibility for keeping students and school employees safe from coronavirus, telling an audience gathered Tuesday for a right-wing conference that it’s not her job to track school districts’ COVID-19 cases or reopening plans. DeVos, known by experts as “the worst” education secretary in U.S. history, told attendees […]
The stress of this unprecedented moment is like nothing we’ve ever experienced. MEA President Paula Herbart has been hearing that truth and other consistent messages from members all over the state, and MEA continues to use every tool and resource to lift up those voices so educators’ concerns are heard and addressed, she says in […]
By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association In this election, our democracy is on the ballot. Our nation has a strong history of conducting free and fair elections, even in the most difficult times. During the Civil War, the fate of our nation — whether we would remain the “United” States — was in doubt, […]
More than 60,000 MEA members have requested absentee ballots, and over 12,000 have already completed and returned their ballots, based on publicly available numbers from the Secretary of State. Are you one of them? If not, there’s still time to Vote from Home. Voting from home is easy — and much safer than lining up […]
MEA is monitoring developments related to Friday’s Michigan Supreme Court ruling against Gov. Whitmer’s ability to use executive order to help protect the public during this pandemic – particularly as it relates to schools, community colleges and universities. We appreciate Gov. Whitmer’s efforts to keep the public, our students and our members safe, and we […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan last March, MEA member Chris Thomas found himself in a unique position to help other educators in the district where he worked – Ann Arbor – get up to speed in figuring out how to deliver remote learning. Now he’s doing the same […]
If you are a brand new school employee, or know someone who is, be aware that state law requires newly hired school employees in Michigan to select between two retirement plan choices within 75 days after their first payroll date—or the state will choose for them. And once a selection is made, it can’t be […]
As the federal government continues to push in court for an earlier end date for the U.S. Census, it’s more important than ever for Americans to step forward now and be counted. Educators can play an important role in informing their school families of the importance of the once-a-decade national headcount and encouraging folks to take 10 minutes […]
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 […]
