The following statement can be attributed to Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County, in response to the Michigan Senate’s passage of House Bill 6058:

“The Michigan Education Association applauds the Senate for passing House Bill 6058, which will help keep the best and brightest educators working in our students’ classrooms and helping them succeed.

“Like most Michiganders, school employees have struggled for years with rising health care costs. On top of that, educators have been subjected to an unfair ‘hard cap’ law enacted in 2011 that places an artificially low limit on the amount that school districts can pay toward their employees’ health coverage. The financial pressures caused by the hard cap law have already resulted in many amazing educators leaving the profession they love over the past decade.

“Now, with health care costs increasing by double digits next year and the hard cap increasing by only 0.2%, many teachers and school support staff are set to pay several hundred dollars more each month for health coverage. Without swift legislative action, many more great educators may leave, harming the quality of education our students receive.

“Michigan’s students deserve to have great educators in every school. We can only do that by allowing school districts to offer competitive wages and benefits that can keep talented educators working in our schools — instead of seeking better-paying jobs in the private sector. By setting a minimum floor for annual cap increases, House Bill 6058 will provide school districts and educators more flexibility when bargaining health benefits.

“We are thrilled that our state’s leaders, including Sen. Kevin Hertel and Rep. Mai Xiong, have taken this critical issue seriously and passed House Bill 6058. This legislation will provide significant financial relief for Michigan educators and help ensure every student has trained, qualified teachers and support staff working in their schools.”