Legislation

In addition to positive budget proposals for PreK-12 schools, state budget proposals for community colleges and universities are strong as well for 2024-25. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget plan, that came out the beginning of February, calls for a 2.5% increase in funding for the state’s 15 public universities and 28 community colleges. Both the House and Senate are also recommending…

With the introduction of the House and Senate School Aid Fund budget proposals – in addition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget recommendations earlier this year – the state budget process for the 2024-25 school year is now in full swing. Over the next few weeks, MEA will be closely engaged with stakeholders in budget negotiations, advocating for the resources…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Delee Bruining says hard work and consistent team effort make it possible to feed 600 kids a day at Wyoming Junior High School. The professionals entrusted with delivering healthy, delicious food to hundreds of thousands of students in school cafeterias across Michigan say they’re serving more kids than ever as part of the state’s…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In her nearly 14 years as president of the Clawson Education Association, Kelly Pearson has not bargained a better contract than the one she recently signed. Overwhelmingly approved by membership, the deal struck different responses between early-career and longer-term educators. “Overall, people were happy,” Pearson said of reactions during a meeting to review the…

Free universal preschool and community college, along with continued record funding for Michigan’s public schools, are at the heart of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 2024-25 education budget, which she announced Wednesday. Whitmer said her latest budget recommendation “builds on the historic investments we’ve made since I took office and delivers on the issues that make a real difference in people’s…

Senator Darrin Camilleri State Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), a former teacher and the chairman of the Senate Pre-K-12 Education Budget, is urging school districts to increase educator compensation by leveraging state funding in the current year’s school aid budget. “We fought hard to get funding for teacher student loan forgiveness and at-risk money that can be used to bolster educator pay in…

By Chandra Madafferi More than ever, our kids need a running start at a high-quality public education and a boost as they graduate from high school to prepare for the competitive modern workforce. It starts in preschool, which provides the building blocks for student learning and development of essential social skills to last a lifetime. It continues in our K-12…

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks to reporters at a Jan. 29 press conference about driver’s education programming in public schools at Kearsley High School. Improved equity, safer roads, lower costs and higher quality. For these reasons and more, the push to return driver’s education to public schools took center stage at a press conference with Secretary of State Jocelyn…

Governor Gretchen Whitmer EAST LANSING — Michigan Education Association President Chandra Madafferi, a teacher from Oakland County, issued the following statement Wednesday in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address: “Gov. Gretchen Whitmer again showed tonight why she’s the most pro public education governor Michigan has ever seen. The governor’s plan to provide every student with universal…

Retired middle school science teacher Isabell Nazar of Homer, a board member of MEA-Retired, testified before the Legislature in support of eliminating the retirement tax. Retired educator Isabell Nazar could not mathematically pinpoint the positive effects of a new law that will save her pension from being taxed; instead the former 38-year middle school science teacher from rural Homer in…