Nearly 400 MEA members gathered in East Lansing for the 2024 Representative Assembly (RA) last weekend, passing the 2024-25 MEA budget, electing members to MEA and NEA boards and approving items and resolutions on human rights, artificial intelligence and gun safety, among other business.

Delegates to MEA’s largest governing body heard from MEA President Chandra Madafferi on the many legislative wins in Michigan that have rebuilt public school funding and restored collective bargaining rights – brought on by pro-education majorities in the state House and Senate elected in 2022.

“I was so excited to be with Gov. Whitmer when she signed a bill that put back all of our rights, and I thought, ‘I can’t believe it; we did it,’” Madafferi said, adding the next step is to “keep moving the ball down the line continuously. Celebrate, regroup, let’s move.”

It’s important to remember that others would like to take away all of those hard-fought victories, she said. Every seat in the House is up for re-election this fall.

“There are people right now that want to move us backwards. They want to defund public education. They want to take away people’s rights,” Madafferi said. “We have got to get people to vote…for a philosophy, a team, our country, our values.”

Among the business conducted at the RA, MEA dues will remain at current levels for the next school year, under a new one-year budget approved at the meeting.

RA delegates elected Alyson McBride-Culver and Roger Rothe as NEA Directors, and Anthony Pennock and Stacey Daniels as NEA Director alternates. Robert Gaines III was elected as an ESP at-large delegate to the MEA Board of Directors; Ann Marie Borders and Felicia Naimark to the Legislation Commission; and Joe Stonchus and Anthony Pennock to the Local Affiliates Commission.

The body approved several new business items and resolutions, including:

• A new human and civil rights award was created to honor Gerry Crane, a beloved and compassionate music teacher from Byron Center who stood for diversity, equity and inclusion and was forced to resign from his job. The award will honor an individual or group within the MEA that demonstrates a commitment to the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ students and members.
• Two resolutions were approved: one adds language adopted from the NEA RA specifying MEA values, goals and priorities related to artificial intelligence in education, and a second states the need and MEA support for high-quality, individualized trauma-informed care for educators in every district.
• A new business item was also approved directing MEA to urge the Michigan legislature and governor to pass legislation prohibiting sales and ownership of assault weapons to persons under the age of 21 in the state.

Finally, delegates gave generously to MEA PAC, raising $15,000 to help elect friends of public education up and down the ballot in November.