Support our Students
Our kids’ future is at stake.
We all want a future where our kids are given every opportunity to succeed. But right now, our public schools are facing:
Teacher and school staff shortages
Dishonest attacks in an effort to divide teachers and parents
Lack of funding for the mental health support our kids need
By defunding our schools and discrediting educators, extreme special interests hope to strip taxpayer resources away from neighborhood schools and hand the funding over to for-profit private schools.
It’s up to us as everyday parents, educators and families to Support our Students and stand together for what they need to be successful.
Get Involved!
Learn more about Voting From Home – www.mea.org/VoteFromHome
News and Updates – Learn more about the issues:
August 10, 2022 – Betsy DeVos-backed school voucher-like plan for Michigan submits petitions – A Michigan group led by Betsy DeVos is proposing a voucher-like school scholarship program which would undermine traditional public education by taking resources out of neighborhood public school classrooms to benefit private schools. The group recently submitted petitions for an initiative organizers hope to put before the Republican-led Legislature for approval this year.
August 1, 2022 – Escanaba Educator Named Michigan Teacher of the Year: ‘I want to be that light in someone’s darkness’– Although MEA member Nanette Hanson has achieved rarefied status as the newly crowned 2022-23 Michigan Teacher of the Year (MTOY), the first grade teacher in Escanaba embodies the story of so many educators.
August 1, 2022 – Fifty-Year Bus Driver Wins Award, Reminisces on Retirement – After 50 years of driving a school bus in North Central Area Schools in the western Upper Peninsula, MEA member Bob Hanchek is one of the many people who support our students and contribute to their success every day.
July 21, 2022 – Visionary education budget creates programs to recruit teachers -School districts are desperately searching for the best and brightest to lead classrooms, but the prospect of crushing student debt and unpaid student teaching discourage many from pursuing their passion to become educators. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed a historic education budget that will alleviate many of the hurdles facing those who are considering a career in education but can’t afford it.
July 20, 2022 – Mental Health in Schools: The Kids Are Not All Right – In the past year, even as the nation has returned to “normal” life, the latest research shows that many students are still living in a state of mental health crisis. The bottom line on student learning today is this: You can’t teach if you’re not addressing mental health.
July 8, 2022 – A Michigan Mom Envisions a Less Divisive Future for Public Schools in this Q&A – It’s been a tough couple years for parents. First, the pandemic shuttered schools and forced them to juggle working, parenting, and teaching—all while trying to avoid a life-threatening virus. Then, schools reopened, with each district having its own set of safety guidelines. Some districts had mask mandates to try to protect children from the virus, but many others did not.
July 1, 2022 – Michigan boosts K-12 special education, teacher hiring, mental health funds – Michigan lawmakers agreed to hundreds of millions of dollars in new special education funding as part of a new state budget in which they tapped a historic surplus to pass one of the most sweeping school spending plans in decades.
May 18, 2022 – Educators and Parents Battle Book Bans: ‘That is not who we are, and our children deserve better’ – During only three months of the current school year, from September through November, more than 330 book bans were reported to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom – each of which could involve multiple titles – the highest number since the organization began tracking censorship in the 1990s. Across political party lines, after hearing arguments from both sides, 71% of Americans say they oppose book removals from school libraries, and 79% believe libraries in their community do a good job of offering books that represent a variety of viewpoints.
Advocates for Mental Health
Learn more at www.mea.org/MentalHealth
