Throughout the fall, MEA locals will be conducting interviews with candidates on the education and labor issues at play in their districts and recommending candidates for local school board positions up for election on Nov. 8. As of October 3, here is the complete list of MEA recommended candidates for local school board races (sorted alphabetically by school district): Adrian…

EAST LANSING — With absentee ballots for November’s general election going out this week, MEA is proud to announce candidates who have earned the recommendation of MEA members through the union’s Screening & Recommendation process. The process, which looks at candidates’ positions on education and labor issues, is decided by MEA members who serve on S&R committees, based on policies…

EAST LANSING — The ongoing educator shortage and student mental health are the top challenges facing Michigan teachers and education support professionals, according to a new survey of educators released Wednesday by the Michigan Education Association. “These last few years have been extremely challenging for our students, educators and parents, and this survey makes it clear what the real issues…

EAST LANSING — Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (EMU-AAUP) strike action: “At a time when Michigan families and students are struggling with a crippling educator shortage, it’s unconscionable that EMU administrators would want to jack up health care costs…

The dawn of a new school year should be a time of joy and optimism for our children. There are new things to learn, new friends to make, and new challenges to overcome. But beneath the surface, there’s a feeling of dread among many educators, students and parents. After all, it’s only a matter of time before another deadly school…

EAST LANSING – Earl Wiman, Ed.D, has been named interim executive director of the Michigan Education Association. Most recently having served as executive director of the New Mexico Education Association, Wiman has a decades-long history of service and advocacy within public education in his home state of Tennessee. He worked in Tennessee’s public schools for 35 years, serving as a…

EAST LANSING – On Jan. 4, 2004, lifelong school bus driver Bob Hanchek made a stop on his afternoon route along U.S. 41 in the North Central Area Schools district in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. With red lights flashing and two of his 15 riders coming up the aisle to exit, Hanchek recognized a big and fast moving railroad repair…

Michigan kids deserve the best and brightest educators. That seems like an uncontroversial statement, yet in the face of an educator shortage, some lawmakers have proposed significantly lowering our state’s teacher certification standards and making it easier for unqualified people to lead a classroom of young students. The last thing our state’s leaders should be doing is permanently weakening Michigan’s…

EAST LANSING – Following an earlier announcement about continuing recommendations for several incumbent candidates, the Michigan Education Association on Tuesday issued the following candidate recommendations for the Nov. 8 general election: Michigan Supreme Court: Kyra Harris Bolden State Board of Education: Mitchell Robinson Michigan State University Board of Trustees: Renee Knake Jefferson and Dennis Denno Wayne State University Board of…

Michigan’s economic future hinges on our state’s ability to attract good jobs and investments — and no factor is more critical in that endeavor than having an educated and trained workforce. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recognizes that, and it’s reflected in the new state budget that passed last Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support. The quality of a state’s workforce is the…