March 10, 2021 By Paula Herbart/President – Michigan Education Association In sports, teamwork is valued by coaches, players and fans because we are stronger working together than alone. The same is true in education. During the pandemic, a strong team bond has formed between educators, students and families. Working together like never before, that team […]
Update 3/9 – On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4048 releasing federal COVID relief funding for schools as laid out below, but announced she was vetoing HB 4049 – the bill limiting gubernatorial epidemic powers around school closure and athletics which the Republican Legislature tied to the release of $840 million in those federal funds. The administration has asked […]
MEA members are currently receiving checks from the state for the MI Classroom Heroes grants of up to $500 for teachers or $250 for ancillary and support staff. Otherwise known as ‘hazard pay’ checks, this is the first round of payments based on legislation passed last year. MEA advocated with the Legislature for equity in […]
Some long-awaited proposed changes to the state’s educator evaluation system have been introduced in the Michigan Legislature. Now action is needed to push lawmakers to move the bills. One pressing issue for educators – the percentage of student growth included in teacher evaluations – has two GOP-sponsored measures awaiting action. That student growth requirement is […]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called out GOP leaders in the state House and Senate today for withholding federal COVID relief money approved by Congress last December, which included $1.7 billion for the state’s schools to address safety concerns amid the pandemic. More than 95% of schools in the state have announced plans for some level of […]
A recording is now available of a webinar held on Friday, Feb. 12, discussing important state guidance on how to restore drinking water safely in school buildings that are reopening. The webinar was offered to educators by the Whitmer administration, including the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Department of […]
Lawmakers in both the State House and State Senate are delaying release of bipartisan federal education funding meant to help schools address the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing political maneuvering instead of distributing taxpayer dollars the way Congress intended. Michigan House Republicans passed a proposal that made distribution of these critical funds to schools contingent on the […]
Shana Barnum is known as a principal with “one foot in the classroom” since she taught K-6 for 20 years before becoming an administrator in Mason in 2017. From that vantage point, Barnum is worried by what she sees. She knows her staff is overtaxed and overstressed—just like educators across the state. Two early career […]
Among the first educators in Michigan to receive a COVID-19 vaccination on Jan. 11, MEA member Mark Carlson thought back on the past and society’s liberation from smallpox and polio, terrors vanquished by vaccines long ago in the U.S. The Armada math teacher also dared to look forward for hope. The mix of feelings was […]
In-person vs. hybrid vs. online? Safety vs. normalcy? Essential frontline employees—who can feasibly do work remotely. Students whose learning may be delayed, while their physical and mental health is at risk. Educators and parents on every side of the divide—and our students in the balance. At the local and state level, your union leaders are […]
