The Michigan Education Association praised state lawmakers for passing bipartisan legislation Thursday to require that school districts adopt policies banning student smartphone use during instructional time. “We commend state lawmakers for working together on a bipartisan basis to address addictive smartphone use among students,” said MEA President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County. “Frontline teachers and school support…

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist The Michigan Education Association is recommending Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist for secretary of state, the state’s largest public employee union and education organization announced Wednesday. “Our members who interviewed the candidates were excited to hear Garlin’s plans to partner with educators so the secretary of state can make a difference for students – ranging from quality…

By Chandra Madafferi, President and CEO of the Michigan Education Association From public school educators and police officers to firefighters and those serving in our military, it’s important that we honor these hardworking public servants and their dedication to improving the lives of others. Public school teachers, school support staff and other educators devote their careers to serving the public,…

Karen McDonald The Michigan Education Association is pleased to announce the recommendation of Karen McDonald for Attorney General. Following interviews with our Statewide Screening & Recommendation Committee, which candidates from both parties were invited to attend, the committee voted to recommend McDonald to MEA members as the strongest candidate in this important race. The committee is made up of MEA members…

By Erik Edoff, Senior Executive Director, Michigan Education Association Too many students across Michigan are missing too much time at school and falling further behind their peers. We must come together as a state to address this problem head-on so we can fulfill our promise to provide every student with the opportunity to succeed. Chronic absenteeism is defined by a…

Update 12/12: The House of Representatives and House Speaker Matt Hall have appealed this ruling to the Michigan Supreme Court. Stay tuned to MEA.org and subscribe to MEA’s e-newsletters to remain up to date on the latest developments. The Michigan Education Association on Monday congratulated the Michigan Senate on its court victory against the House of Representatives, which, since January, has…

MEA partners with educators and schools to inspire youth to consider careers in education A growing corps of teacher cadets has joined a statewide effort to recruit the best and brightest educators to Michigan’s classrooms and help address the state’s continuing educator shortage. Landen Robinson (far right) is pictured with other aspiring educators attending the Next Gen Teachers Program, a…

MiCAREER connects new, experienced teachers with vacancies in underserved communities A new effort to connect educators with rural school districts across Michigan is working to fill classroom vacancies in high-need communities by offering no-cost credentialing to aspiring and experienced educators alike. Led by Central Michigan University, the new MiCAREER Resource Hub streamlines and coordinates credentialing across five major universities to…

  Lawmakers came together last week 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. Hopefully, lawmakers can build on this bipartisan solution and move forward to tackle critical classroom issues affecting Michigan…

The following statement can be attributed to MEA President & CEO Chandra Madafferi regarding the Legislature’s passage of the 2025-26 education budget: “While overdue and still with areas of concern, the education budget for this school year is finally complete and makes important investments in the success of Michigan’s students and the educators who serve them. “This budget significantly increases…