CLINTONDALE (Oct. 27, 2025) — The following statement can be attributed to Mike Ward, a teacher at Clintondale High School and president of the Clintondale Education Association: “The instability in Clintondale Community Schools has dragged on far too long and has harmed relationships among colleagues, neighbors and friends. We must come together as a community […]
NOTE: The House of Representatives has until early December to appeal the Court of Appeals’ ruling to the state Supreme Court. Alternatively, House Speaker Matt Hall could unilaterally choose to end the legal battle by sending House Bill 6058 to the governor’s desk, as the Michigan Constitution requires. Stay tuned to MEA.org and subscribe to […]
Paraeducators have long said they needed higher pay plus better training to improve staff retention and equip them for the vital and challenging work they do in schools. That message was heard loud and clear at an MEA paraeducator summit in 2023. From there, a new statewide training series was developed in partnership with the [...]
After years of organizing and hard-fought legal battles, the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF) won recognition from Michigan State University (MSU) in September — part of a growing movement in higher education. After failed unionization efforts in the 1970s and 1990s, this marks the first time MSU’s tenure system faculty have achieved collective representation. […]
By Richard Mui, history teacher Plymouth-Canton Education Association We often hear the word “unprecedented” to describe the current civic and political landscape of the United States, but we have seen parts of this story before. I teach Advanced Placement U.S. History at Canton High School, and I recognize echoes of dark chapters from America’s past. […]
Attendees at the MEA Aspiring Educators Conference next month will receive a special take-away: teaching and learning toolkits to support students with disabilities made by two leaders from MEA’s Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM). The two leaders, Lindsey Springer of Grand Valley State University and Madolyn (Maddie) Glocksine of Saginaw Valley State University, secured an […]
A statewide MEA member survey showed educators are paying on average $200 more per month in out-of-pocket health care costs this year, highlighting why House Bill 6058 must be delivered to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signature without further delay. HB 6058 fixes a state law passed in 2011 that capped the amount employers could pay […]
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Maria del Pilar Galnares knew the right thing to do when a group of unrepresented educators approached her about forming a union or joining the unit she leads at Northwest Education Services — the intermediate school district based in Traverse City. Galnares got on board. It was unfair that […]
Lawmakers came together this month to pass an education budget that provides needed investments for students and educators. After months of delays and missed deadlines, the budget provides positive improvements for our schools in some areas while falling short in others. A $10,050 foundation grant. Continued student mental health support and free school meals. A […]
For MEA member Sarah Ellis, making art is essential to being alive and human — like breathing. “For as long as we’ve been able to recognize that humans have existed, we’ve found art alongside them,” she says. In a time of deep societal divisions, Ellis wants art to be a source of hope and empowerment. […]
