Spring RA
Steven Cook, For MEA vice president
Steven Cook has served as MEA vice president since 2006 and was MEA
secretary-treasurer from 1991 to 2006. President of the Lansing Educational Assistants
from 1981 to 1993, he was a paraprofessional for 15 years in the Lansing Public
Schools, working as a community school coordinator, home/school liaison in the
elementary attendance project and in alternative education. Cook has been a member
of numerous MEA commissions, committees and task forces. He has served on the
MEA Board since 1984 and was on the NEA Board of Directors from 1989 to 1991.
Cook holds a B.A. degree from Michigan State University with emphasis in history,
economics and political science.
Challenges. Privatization, frozen salaries, benefits under attack, our working conditions and student learning conditions worn away, mandated student tests of arguable value, increasing and changing certification requirements.
These are just some of the very real and serious challenges we face as public school employees and members of the MEA.
The question is how do we continue to deal with these challenges? Surely, 160,000 members pulling in 160,000 different directions doesn’t work—history has proven that’s not successful. But 160,000 members speaking in one voice cannot be ignored. It can’t be ignored at the ballot box, it can’t be ignored by the Legislature, and it can’t be ignored by the Department of Education.
Of course, that single voice is your association, the MEA. Every one of us has a role to play, either at the local or state level. For your state association to advocate the solutions and responses to those challenges absolutely requires the engagement of members to help craft those solutions and advocate those responses.
We each have an important role to play, and we need the involvement of all members in order to have the strongest voice on education issues continuing to be heard loud and clear in Michigan.
Making that voice heard also requires experience at the highest levels of our organization. Dealing with these challenges requires an atmosphere of experience and teamwork starting with the MEA officers—willing to advance the interests of members with one voice.
The leadership team of Salters/Cook welcomes the challenges that lie before us. We know that by working with the tens of thousands of members dedicated to improving public education we cannot lose and in the effort can positively affect public education for years to come. Together, we can make a difference.