In the wake of deadly school shootings in Oxford and at Michigan State University, which sparked tremendous outrage and public activism, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed into law broadly popular and commonsense measures to address the epidemic of gun violence. The new laws require universal background checks for firearm purchases and mandate safe storage […]
Educators had numerous workplace rights stripped away from them by the previous governor and Legislature more than a decade ago — and you can draw a direct line between those mean-spirited attacks on school employees and today’s shortage of teachers, education support professionals, school mental health professionals, and other critical positions. But times have changed. […]
In an update to a study from 2018 that provided the most comprehensive look ever at the adequacy of school funding in Michigan, a report issued Wednesday concludes the state is under-funding public education by $4.5 billion. More than 90% of students go to schools without adequate resources, according to the report co-authored by MEA […]
A sea of red shirts flooded the Fenton High School Library Monday night when hundreds of people from the community turned out to a school board meeting to show their support for local educators. Stacks of extra chairs were quickly wheeled into the library as attendance grew unexpectedly large. Soon the meeting was standing room […]
MEA member Michele Morgan, an occupational therapist from Warren Woods Public Schools who was featured in the February-March MEA Voice magazine, shared the success of her innovative mental health program in a first-person piece published by Chalkbeat Detroit on Tuesday. With the help of colleagues, six years ago Morgan launched a new approach to student […]
On March 31, state Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Walker) met with the board of MEA’s Michigan Association of Higher Education (MAHE) to discuss issues affecting colleges across the state. As the Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, Glanville has spent 30 years in the field of education as both a teacher and administrator, working with […]
MEA member Keith Beale, who’s in his first year teaching art in Livonia, took the “Best in Show” prize at the 59th Annual MEA/MAEA Art Exhibition. Beale, who previously taught in Virginia for 19 years, won for his watercolor painting of a street behind Detroit’s Eastern Market. Beale says he is drawn to the mystery […]
During a sustained political assault on the education profession a decade ago, educators had many rights stripped away that provided a critical voice in their classrooms and workplaces. Soon, state lawmakers may restore these essential bargaining and job security rights to help stabilize the education workforce and improve the quality of education our kids receive. […]
A state House committee heard testimony from West Ottawa Education Association President Theresann Pyrett today in support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Kids Back on Track program and the importance of funding academic interventions for students in the wake of the pandemic. “While I am infinitely proud of the work our district and members did […]
Winnie Brinks may be the new state Senate Majority Leader from Grand Rapids, but on Feb. 13 she was another of so many parents “sick with dread” while texting a son or daughter locked down on campus at Michigan State University amid an active shooting. Sen. Brinks was among the Democratic leaders, MEA President Paula […]
