By Dan Clason Clason, an MEA member in Clarkston, is the 2026 MEA Educational Excellence Award winner and Michigan’s nominee for the NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. He’s a prime example of how educational excellence and collective action go hand-in-hand — especially when it comes to the power of contributing to PAC. Attacks on public education […]

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In the 16 years since becoming a paraeducator in Fraser Public Schools, MEA member Michelle  James helped form a union, assisted in bargaining the group’s first contract, and held every position in her local — including her current role as president. But it wasn’t until a recent bout with […]