By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Rockford bus driver Russ Clark thought he was picking up children at Lakes Elementary School for a field trip on Tuesday morning, so he was concerned when Transportation Director Jacquie Fase asked him to turn off his bus and step inside the gym to observe an assembly. “That…
At last – Michigan will begin recognizing the important work of Education Support Professionals with an annual award. Nominations are now open for the new Education Support Staff Professional of the Year award – to be presented by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in partnership with MEA, AFT Michigan, and AFSCME Council 25. Who’s…
Join fellow MEA members as we celebrate Labor Day across Michigan! Don’t forget to wear #RedForEd at these events in Detroit, Marquette County, Grand Rapids and Muskegon (or wherever your Labor Day plans take you!). If you’re in Detroit, join MEA Vice President Chandra Madafferi, Secretary-Treasurer Brett Smith, and Executive Director Mike Shoudy at the…
MEA members, This morning, I received a letter from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that I thought you should all see: As a new school year is upon us, I wanted to reach out and tell you again how much I respect and appreciate the hard work you do on behalf of our kids. Preparing our students…
Collective bargaining in school districts around the state has been hampered by the Legislature’s failure to pass an education budget before leaving for summer break, MEA President Paula Herbart said this week. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 157 unsettled contracts among MEA-affiliated locals across the state. “For the first time this decade, the Legislature…
A survey earlier this year of nearly 17,000 educators by Launch Michigan – a coalition of business, civic, and education leaders – revealed school employees’ attitudes on a range of topics, including professional development, literacy resources, and evaluations. Now those results have been broken down by region. See how perceptions in your area compare to…
Center Line math teacher Robert Boccomino retired at the end of last week after a 25-year career in education, but that didn’t stop him from showing up at the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday to fight for the future of new and aspiring educators coming up behind him. “I’m doing this for the younger teachers, because…
It’s our turn, MEA President Paula Herbart told delegates to the annual Representative Assembly in East Lansing late last week. Michigan educators need to speak up – and show up – for two Capitol rallies in June, plus join local activism efforts in the meantime, Herbart told the MEA governing body. The state budget debate…
MEA member Marti Alvarez makes a distinction between her job at Traverse City Area Public Schools and her reason for being. She is employed as a bus driver, but she is driven by a goal to help students be successful human beings – a message she spreads to colleagues doing every type of work in…
Yvonne Williams wants MEA’s Education Support Professionals to banish a word from their vocabulary: “Justa.” “It would not be unusual to hear one of our colleagues say I am justa bus driver, I’m justa secretary or I’m justa custodian,” the recently retired MEA Northern Zone Director told attendees at the ESP Statewide Conference in Port…
