By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Surreal. Overwhelming. Indescribable. Talk to MEA members in Midland, Saginaw, and surrounding counties, and you’ll hear those words used repeatedly to try to convey the effects of a 500-year flood event in May which displaced thousands of people and cut a wide swath of destruction through the huge mid-Michigan…
EAST LANSING – The following statement can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding today’s extension of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order through April 30: “MEA supports Gov. Whitmer’s efforts to listen to public health experts and to take the necessary steps to address the coronavirus outbreak. That includes both her decision…
March 18, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association With the closure of schools due to the coronavirus outbreak, parents are faced with many challenges over the coming weeks. While I can’t hope to solve all of them, I can provide my expertise as an educator to help weather this crisis and provide advice…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, March 12, 2020 Contact: Doug Pratt, MEA Director of Public Affairs, 517-337-5508 EAST LANSING – The following can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding tonight’s order from Gov. Whitmer that Michigan schools will be closed for three weeks starting Monday: “Earlier today, I recorded a message urging that we…
EAST LANSING – The Michigan Education Association is pleased to announce recommendations for Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and Elizabeth Welch for election to the Michigan Supreme Court. “When the interests of students and educators come before our state’s Supreme Court, we expect nothing more or less than a fair hearing under the law,” said…
January 15, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association Stefanie Sedlar was forced to put her plans to start a family on hold to pay off nearly $100,000 in student loan debt. A special education teacher for Mount Pleasant Public Schools, Sedlar is one of countless dedicated teachers and other public school employees who start…
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer averted a government shutdown on Monday by signing a state budget sent to her on the eve of a fiscal-year deadline, but she used her veto pen to press Republican leaders in the state House and Senate to return to the negotiating table. Whitmer described the Legislature’s budget as “fatally flawed” in…
EAST LANSING —The following can be attributed to MEA President Paula Herbart regarding the education budget signed into law by Gov. Whitmer, along with her line-item vetoes “Aside from the pet projects and vendor contracts Gov. Whitmer line-item vetoed, there are meaningful education programs and initiatives that were also cut. Those are tough choices to…
MICHIGAN — As tens of thousands of UAW members go on strike across the country, the American Federation of Teachers Michigan and Michigan Education Association released a joint statement in solidarity with the striking workers. The statement should be attributed to David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan and Paula Herbart, president of the MEA: “From schools…
MEA President thanks Gov. Whitmer, Dem legislators for standing against GOP efforts to tie pensions to road funding debate EAST LANSING — In a letter today to Democratic legislators, MEA President Paula Herbart thanked them and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for strong stances against GOP-backed “Pensions for Potholes” schemes. “While I’m not shocked, I’m certainly dismayed…
