Labor Voices: No public tax dollars for private schools You are here:

Aug 14, 2018

By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association

"In 2000, Betsy DeVos suffered a spectacular loss at the polls in her attempt to get private school vouchers funded by state taxpayers. Nearly 70 percent of Michigan voters rejected that year’s DeVos-funded ballot measure, which ended her push for public funding of private and religious schools.

Or did it?

Fast forward to 2016, when Republicans in Lansing – many recipients of DeVos campaign contributions – paid tribute to her by inserting a $2.5 million appropriation for private schools into the 2016-17 School Aid Act. They did it again in the 2017-18 state budget, earmarking another $2.5 million to nonpublic schools."

Click here to read the entire article

Stand up to the DeVos Agenda – Vote for Gretchen Whitmer

Jul 26, 2018

As Betsy DeVos continues to push an agenda that would erode public education, it’s more important than ever to elect a governor that believes in public schools. Gretchen Whitmer’s record speaks for itself.
 
Whitmer spent more than a decade in the State Legislature as a tireless advocate for our kids, public schools and the dedicated teachers and support staff that work in them. As a daughter and granddaughter of educators, Whitmer has deep roots in public education and fighting for our schools.
 
During her time in the state Senate, she promoted policies that put kids first while pushing back against attacks on our public schools:

• From her initial vote against the bill to her advocacy in the long legal case, Gretchen stood by public school employees in their fight to win back 3 percent salary increases wrongfully withheld from their paychecks.  

• She took on leaders from both parties when they tried to take money out of the School Aid Fund that was meant for educating our kids.

• She fought against Republican attempts to destroy unions and take away the voice of educators in their working environments—which are our students’ learning environments.

Bill Schuette on the other hand – a public endorser of Betsy DeVos and recipient of more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from the DeVos family – has a concerning track record when it comes to supporting educators and our schools.                                               

•  As attorney general, he fought for five years against returning the illegally obtained 3 percent salary increases, totaling $550 million, to the state’s public school employees.

• He claims he will ensure Michigan third graders will know how to read following a report stating that Michigan third-grade reading scores are among the lowest in the country, while at the same time rejecting a recent Detroit Public Schools court case by arguing learning to read isn’t a human right.

• While in Congress, less than 5% of the bills Schuette sponsored related to education.

Schuette’s record shows that he is anything but an advocate for public education – he fights against the growth and betterment of conditions for both school employees and students. He was given ample opportunities to prove otherwise, yet he failed to emerge as a positive influence.
 
The policies championed by Betsy DeVos and Bill Schuette are harming our education system. For-profit charter and cyber schools and other efforts to privatize public education undermine local neighborhood schools and hurt the chances for all students to succeed.
 
Gretchen Whitmer is the right choice for Michigan: she’s the type of leader who will ask educators what they need instead of telling them what to do. Stand up to the DeVos-Schuette agenda by planning how you will vote for Gretchen Whitmer in the Aug. 7 primary election.
 
To find other MEA recommended candidates for your area, visit MEA.YourVoter.Guide. 
 
To see what is on your ballot, find your polling place, and request an absentee ballot if you’re not going to be around to vote in person on Aug. 7, visit www.mi.gov/vote. 
 
Want to help Gretchen win – volunteer today, either by emailing pac@mea.org or visiting the Whitmer campaign’s volunteer page

MiARA July 24th AT MEA Headquarters

Jul 17, 2018

The next meeting of the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans (MiARA) will be held at the MEA Headquarters on July 24th.  On behalf of Judy Foster, MEA-Retired President, we invite all members to attend the July membership meeting:

Date: July 24, 2018

Time: 11:00 am -2:00 pm

MEA Headquarters Steven B. Cook Board Room,
1350 Kendale Blvd,
East Lansing, MI 48823

Lunch Provided

We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Secretary Johnson urges voter registration ahead of August primary

Jul 06, 2018

From:  Michigan Secretary of State

How you can get an absentee ballot

Voters who qualify may choose to cast an absentee ballot. As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee ballot if you are:

• Age 60 or older.
• Physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another.
• Expecting to be absent from the community in which you are registered for the entire time the polls will be open on Election Day.
• In jail awaiting arraignment or trial.
• Unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons.
• Appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence

Absentee ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day. That means that you should mail 5 business days prior to the Election or contact your local clerk to find out how you can drop it off.  

To find out more"  From Michigan Secretary of State"

MEA Response to Misguided Supreme Court Decision: “We are not going away”

Jul 02, 2018

Recently, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against labor unions in the Janus v. AFSCME case, MEA President Paula Herbart’s statement made clear that MEA and our members are committed to advocating for our students and our colleagues. 

“Six years ago, when Michigan Republicans rammed through their attack on unions, many predicted MEA’s death.  They were wrong,” Herbart said. “Educators and this union continued to fight for what we’ve always fought for: a great public education for every child, regardless of zip code, and a level playing field that results in fair wages, benefits and working conditions for all.”

“We are not going away, nor will the unions in other states who are negatively affected by today’s decision.”