MEA member Jeff Kass was a mid-career English teacher when his take-home pay began going down each year. Amid rising costs of living, the Ann Arbor educator—like others—took on second and third jobs, including one year moonlighting as a pizza delivery driver. With a former student serving as his manager, Kass worked a few shifts…
By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Ask MEA Economist Ruth Beier about her youth, and you might get a wry joke with a deadpan delivery: “I describe my childhood as Lord of the Flies in the suburbs. It was a pack of kids and some Cap’n Crunch.” Truth is—she’s not kidding. On the precipice of…
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got a close-up look at the work of a literacy specialist when she job shadowed MEA member Kristyn Cubitt at Troy’s Wass Elementary School in March. Whitmer observed Cubitt co-teaching a readers’ workshop lesson followed by a coaching session with a third-grade teacher. She also saw Cubitt run a Leveled Literacy Intervention…
Education has become a front-burner issue in a bid for re-election by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan because of the stark contrast between him and his opponent, he says. Peters has fought back against the destructive budget cuts and policies of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. His Republican challenger, John James, is being aided…
Rolonda Gleason is a secretary at Ferris State University. The Alaska native knows what it’s like to work without a union, so now she’s a one-woman MEA welcoming committee. What work did you do before coming to FSU? I was a support-staff person at the University of Alaska and worked closely with the School of…
No one asked MEA member Jessica McGrath to start a food pantry for hungry children in her Wayne-Westland school. But when the food services employee realized youngsters coming through her line for breakfast and lunch were going without dinner at night or meals over weekends and holidays, she was moved to action. “I talk to…
By Jennifer Dooley M.Ed., MAED. Sixth-grade teacher Pontiac City School District I am ecstatic when organizations and policy makers recommend funding schools with a weighted formula based on student needs. It is an important first step to acknowledge that not all children are the same nor are they afforded the same economic advantages. However, even…
Rockford bus driver Russ Clark, known for his dedication to the students with cognitive impairments who ride his bus, was recognized as the statewide Education Support Staff Professional of the Year at a surprise assembly in December. The MEA member was selected from among 250 nominees for getting to know students individually and showing them…
