By Brenda Ortega Editor Something was missing from opening day in Grand Blanc Community Schools this year. For the first time in more than a half century, MEA member Vickie Weiss was not in attendance. In June she completed an astounding 55th year teaching elementary school in the district, and in August she passed away…
MEA member Matthew Cottone has traveled to six countries for (almost) free as he aims to help his students better experience the world. Now he wants to share how other educators can follow in his footsteps. The Rochester World Studies teacher will be presenting at a Global Ed Conference at Oakland University on Oct. 19. The…
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…
First-year educator Stephanie Connell briefly paused and held her head in her hands to contain the overwhelm she felt while shopping in the New Teacher Store at Rochester Community Schools last Friday. The high school English teacher and brand new MEA member was allowed to take whatever she wanted for free from a room crowded…
MEA member Virginia Weichert would like to start using flexible seating in her St. Clair County special education classroom. Her students with cognitive impairments enjoy activities more when they are not confined to desks, she says. But Weichert also has basic school supplies to purchase with her own money, and she can’t afford to buy…
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…
A pension is a promise of a secure retirement. But too often in Lansing, they’re viewed as piggy banks to be broken into for political purposes. As a young educator, I remember then-Gov. John Engler diverting state payments from the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System to fund other priorities — which accelerated us down a…
Over the past 18 months, MEA member Nicole Haney has been heart-broken by images of immigrant children in detention – including those separated from their parents for no good reason – so she attended a
rally at the state Capitol to make her voice heard.
