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NOTE: The House of Representatives has until early December to appeal the Court of Appeals’ ruling to the state Supreme Court. Alternatively, House Speaker Matt Hall could unilaterally choose to end the legal battle by sending House Bill 6058 to the governor’s desk, as the Michigan Constitution requires. Stay tuned to MEA.org and subscribe to MEA’s e-newsletters to remain up to…

Lansing Community College faculty advisor Eva Menefee (right) received the James Davenport Memorial Award, a national honor for outstanding leadership in higher education. Pictured with Marcia Mackey, a Central Michigan University professor and president of MEA’s Michigan Association for Higher Education. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor It seemed fitting that Eva Menefee was texting a student when she was…

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…

Paraeducators have long said they needed higher pay plus better training to improve staff retention and equip them for the vital and challenging work they do in schools. That message was heard loud and clear at an MEA paraeducator summit in 2023. From there, a new statewide training series was developed in partnership with the Michigan Association of Administrators of…

UTSF joined a National Day of Action to protest the Trump administration’s targeting of higher education, including termination of research programs. After years of organizing and hard-fought legal battles, the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF) won recognition from Michigan State University (MSU) in September — part of a growing movement in higher education. After failed unionization efforts in the…

By Richard Mui, history teacher Plymouth-Canton Education Association Richard Mui teaches AP U.S. History;AAPI History, Issues and Culture; andCivics at Canton High School. We often hear the word “unprecedented” to describe the current civic and political landscape of the United States, but we have seen parts of this story before. I teach Advanced Placement U.S. History at Canton High School,…

AEM leaders assemble toolkits tosupport students with disabilities, aproject organized by Lindsey Springer(GVSU) and Maddie Glocksine (SVSU). Attendees at the MEA Aspiring Educators Conference next month will receive a special take-away: teaching and learning toolkits to support students with disabilities made by two leaders from MEA’s Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM). The two leaders, Lindsey Springer of Grand Valley State…

A statewide MEA member survey showed educators are paying on average $200 more per month in out-of-pocket health care costs this year, highlighting why House Bill 6058 must be delivered to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signature without further delay. HB 6058 fixes a state law passed in 2011 that capped the amount employers could pay toward health care costs for…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor A new bargaining team of educators at the intermediate school district in Traverse City used MEA resources and member solidarity to achieve a strong contract. (L-R) Erin Ryan, Sheri Connors, Pat Louzon, Lauren Holmes, Lauren Davison. Maria del Pilar Galnares knew the right thing to do when a group of unrepresented educators approached her…

Lawmakers came together this month 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. A $10,050 foundation grant. Continued student mental health support and free school meals.  A 25% funding boost for at-risk…