REGISTER! Winter Conference: Feb. 4‑6, Detroit

Registration is open for the 2026 MEA Winter Conference on Feb. 4‑6 at Detroit’s Marriott Renaissance Center.

Learn more about MEA’s premier professional learning event at mea.org/winterconf, including session listings, lodging information, and planned events as we head into the critical 2026 election year. The deadline to register is Jan. 6.

New season: Detroit Pistons Educator Appreciation Nights

The Detroit Pistons are again celebrating educators and support staff with three Educator Appreciation Nights in 2026:

• Thursday, Jan. 1 vs. Miami
• Friday, March 13 vs. Memphis
• Thursday, April 2 vs. Minnesota

MEA members purchasing specially priced tickets will also receive a $10 Food & Beverage voucher plus an exclusive Educator Appreciation Night Quarter Zip. To purchase tickets, go to pistons.com/educator.

MEA Scholarship — apply now!

The 2026 MEA Scholarship application form and eligibility requirements are now available online at mea.org/mea-scholarship. The application deadline is Feb. 12, 2026.

Eligible students include dependents of MEA and MEA-Retired members in good standing who attend or will attend a Michigan public college, university or vocational training institution. In 2025, 24 new scholarship winners were awarded $1,800 each, and 25 returning college students were awarded scholarships of $900 each. For additional information, please reach out at MEAScholarship@mea.org.

Since 1997, the MEA Scholarship Fund has awarded over 800 scholarships totaling $701,213 to graduates of Michigan public high schools.

QUOTABLES

“I want to change factors in the community that will positively affect my students, like making sure the parks are clean and the community centers have long enough hours. Winning this seat isn’t just about me — wherever I go, my students are with me.”

— MEA member Clara Martinez, a ninth-year dance teacher in the Lansing School District, quoted in NEA Today on winning a seat on the Lansing City Council in the Nov. 4 election.

QUOTABLES

“They’re neglecting the basic responsibility to educate our children. It’s cruel. It’s shameful. And our students deserve so much better.”

— NEA President Becky Pringle on the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education without Congressional approval. The department was created by Congress to coordinate federal programs and guarantee equal access to opportunity.