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The Biden Administration has promised to make a one-time adjustment to every borrower’s account to credit more time towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). MEA members who have FFEL, Perkins, or Parent Plus loans, must first consolidate into a Direct Loan before April 30, 2024, to take advantage of the one-time account adjustment. This will credit any payments made on…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Kevin Fannin doesn’t need accolades to know he’s doing incredible work with young people at Milwood Magnet School in Kalamazoo—the looks on kids’ faces when they see him, the smiles, the hugs, the high fives, hand shakes and fist bumps say it all. Kevin Fannin   But as a longtime school employee…

Ribbon-Cutting for the Health Center: TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John R. VanWagoner prepares to cut the ribbon with help from Heidi Britton, CEO of NMHSI Traverse City Area Public Schools educators recently tapped into federal American Rescue Plan Relief funds to launch the TCAPS Student Health Center, a medical and behavioral health services clinic serving local students and their families. Through…

Nearly 400 MEA members gathered in East Lansing for the 2024 Representative Assembly (RA) last weekend, passing the 2024-25 MEA budget, electing members to MEA and NEA boards and approving items and resolutions on human rights, artificial intelligence and gun safety, among other business. Delegates to MEA’s largest governing body heard from MEA President Chandra Madafferi on the many legislative…

Jeremy Schnotala- Wyoming Education-Association President In Wyoming Public Schools, union leaders and district officials found a way to spend federal COVID-relief dollars that altogether honors the expertise of local educators, promises dynamic instruction for students, and offers a foothold in the profession to early career educators for years to come. The Kent County district used a portion of its federal…

By Shana Saddler While on maternity leave, I heard from a number of my colleagues with well wishes and congratulations: “I am so happy for you!” and “I am so proud of you.” However, the one that stood out most in the very forefront of my mind ended with the words, “I will see you in six weeks.” SIX WEEKS!…

MEA member Matt Hamilton believes his willingness to take risks spurs great teaching, so the fact it also generates occasional failures doesn’t stop him. “I’m just a regular teacher who’s trying new things, so it’s not perfect every day by any means,” he says. It was a leap of faith 16 years ago – just five years into his middle…

Amy French and colleagues at Delta College use cardboard cutouts and QR codes to highlight the stories of women who’ve shaped history MEA member Amy French disrupts students’ expectations in the history classes she leads at Delta College in Bay County’s University Center by asking at the outset: “So what am I teaching this semester?” French isn’t joking or trying to…

John Kusku uses a special smartboard to teach math at the Oakland Technical Campus Southwest. MEA member John Kusku has faced extra challenges throughout his 39 years, but he learned a key philosophy from his mother who told him as a little boy: Goals might be harder for you to achieve, but you can still do anything you want. “That’s…

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…