Protect Our Schools

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor (L-R) NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria, NCHE President Alec Thomson, MEA Vice President Brett Smith, NCHE Vice President Marcia Mackey Nearly 30 years from the start of his labor activism as a graduate student organizer, MEA member Alec Thomson returned to his union origins on the campus of Wayne State University on Tuesday to protest…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA members were joined by parents, students and other community allies in the early morning hours in front of Union High School in Grand Rapids. MEA members were joined by parents, students and other community allies in conducting Walk-Ins to Protect Public Schools across the state on Wednesday as part of a nationwide collective…

In response to Thursday’s filing of a federal lawsuit from 21 attorneys general from across the nation challenging the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education,  Michigan Education Association President and CEO Chandra Madafferi; AFT-Michigan President Terrence Martin; Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators Executive Director Tina Kerr; Michigan Association of School Boards Executive Director Don Wotruba; and Abby Cypher,…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Mike Cook, a career and technical education (CTE) teacher in Redford, is concerned about what schools, students, and communities will lose if efforts continue to shutter the U.S. Department of Education. Over a long career—first in the U.S. Army and now as a teacher in the career and technical education (CTE) field—MEA member Mike…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor First-year teacher Alexandra McCloskey braved cold and rain to join the national “Protect our Kids” Day of Action to raise awareness of serious threats to public education. Under gray skies and cold wet weather—at the end of a long day in the classroom—first-year teacher Alexandra McCloskey stood in a puddle on a pedestrian overpass…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Regina Bluemlein In a time of heightened anxieties across the country, the Lansing Schools Education Association has launched a campaign to routinely remind young people of one core message: educators can be relied upon to protect, nurture and teach them. The “LSEA Safe” campaign followed on the heels of the district’s school board adopting…

On Tuesday, March 4, join educators across Michigan in wearing #RedForEd as part of the national Protect Our Kids Day of Action. Help raise awareness about the importance of federal education funding for our students amid efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. A collaborative effort between NEA, AFT, AROS, Mom’s Rising and the Working Families Party, the goal…

President Donald Trump has revealed his top education priori­ties through words and actions since his January inauguration. The list is a call to commitment for all who recognize public education as a pillar of American society. The Trump administration agenda would harm public education from preschool to high school, colleges and universities, affecting students from rural regions to small towns…