Action needed to support additional state education spending
Oct 12, 2019
Budget conversations in Lansing have picked back up after Gov. Whitmer’s efforts to jump start negotiations last week. Now, MEA members need to contact their lawmakers to advocate for supplemental budget bills that fund various priorities cut because of the lack of a comprehensive solution to the budget.
In particular, these areas need to be funded to provide students with the educational opportunities they deserve:
• $7 million for isolated school districts (HB 5093/SB 575).
• $350,000 on a pilot program to train 60 providers on autism treatment (HB 5082/SB 552).
• $10.5 million for the state to cover the full cost of tripling the number of literacy coaches, rather than splitting the costs with ISDs (SB 577).
• $110 million to fund the first two years of Michigan Reconnect program (SB 577).
• Plus additional funding for at-risk education programs, providing additional resources for some of our students who need it most.
These areas – plus many more – would have received funding through Gov. Whitmer’s budget proposal this spring. However, real negotiations with GOP legislative leaders didn’t happen over the summer months leading to the governor using line-item vetoes to bring everyone back to the table. MEA continues to support the need for real revenue solutions to fully invest in Michigan education and infrastructure, while also meeting the need for this essential funding for Michigan students.
Please contact lawmakers and urge them to negotiate and provide schools and students with this necessary funding.
MPSERS Fall Education Schedule
Oct 01, 2019
Presentations Learning Center
10:00 am – 10:10 am Introduction 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
10;10 am – 10:40 am Delta Dental Ask specific questions about
10:40 am - 11:05 am Eye Med your coverage and explore
11:05 am - 11:20 am Break online tools and wellness
11:20 am - 11:55 am OptumRx resources available to you.
11:55 am - 12:30 pm Blue Cross * Representative will be available
until all questions are answered
This fall the Michigan Public School Employees' Retirement System (MPSERS) educational seminars schedule have been announced. This is an opportunity for members to learn more about your 2020 retirement system health plan. Each seminar will feature information to help you stay informed and understand your plan, get the most value from your plan, and connect you to helpful tools and resources. Seminars will include presentations about each component of your retirement system health plan. In addition to the presentations, representatives from Blue Cross® Blue Shield® of Michigan, Delta Dental®, EyeMed and OptumRx® will be available in the Learning Center to answer specific questions about your coverage. Registration is not required to attend. See the schedule below and choose the seminar that is most convenient for you. This only applies to members who have Blue Cross PPO health insurance.
8-Oct Marquette
Holiday Inn Marquette
1951 US 41 West
Marquette, MI 49855
9-Oct Escanaba
Island Resort & Casino
W399 Highway 2
Harris, MI. 49845
10-Oct Bay Harbor
Great Lakes Center of the Arts
800 Bay Harbor Drive
Bay Harbor, MI. 49770
11-Oct Gaylord
Treetops Resort
3962 Wilkinson Road
Gaylord, MI. 49735
14-Oct Lansing
Eagle Eye Golf Club
15500 Chandler Rd
Bath Twp, MI 48808
15-Oct Midland
Great Hall Banquet Center
5121 Bay City Road
Midland, MI 48642
16-Oct Kalamazoo
Delta Hotels Kalamazoo Conference Center
2747 South 11th Street
Kalamazoo, MI. 49009
17-Oct Holland
DoubleTree Holland
650 East 24th Street
Holland, MI. 49423
21-Oct Flint
Holiday Inn Gateway Centre
5353 Gateway Centre
Flint, MI 48507
23-Oct Livonia
Laurel Manor Banquet & Conference Ctr.
39000 Schoolcraft Rd
Livonia, MI 48150
24-Oct Ypsilanti
312 EMU Student Center
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI. 48197
25-Oct Novi
Four Points Novi
27000 South Karevich Drive
Novi, MI. 48377
29-Oct Sterling Heights
Wyndham Garden Sterling Heights
34911 Van Dyke Ave
Sterling Heights, MI. 48312
6-Nov Tucson
Hilton Garden Inn Tucson Airport
6575 S. Country Club Road
Tucson, AZ 85756
7-Nov Scottsdale
DoubleTree Scottsdale-Paradise Valley
5041 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ. 85250
10-Dec Ocala
Holiday Inn & Suites Ocala Conference Center
3600 SW 38th Ave
Ocala, FL. 34474
11-Dec St. Petersburg
Holiday Inn St Petersburg-Clearwater Airport
3535 Ulmerton Road
Clearwater, FL. 33762
12-Dec Sarasota
Holiday Inn Sarasota Airport
8009 15th St. E.
Sarasota, FL 34243
13-Dec Fort Myers
Holiday Inn Ft. Myers Airport
9931 Interstate Commerce Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33913
Number of Long Term Subs Grows in Michigan
Sep 05, 2019
In case you missed it… Last week Bridge magazine published a series of articles detailing one of the concerning consequences of our state's teaching shortage—uncertified substitute teachers filling long-term and permanent roles in our schools.
Please share this important information with friends, family members, and your community: Our students pay the price for failures of leadership on the issues of teacher retention and recruitment.
According to the analysis of state data from Bridge, last school year more than 2,500 Michigan classrooms were led by long-term substitutes who weren’t certified teachers – a stunning tenfold increase in just five years that threatens to hobble efforts to improve the state’s K-12 public education system.Nu
Last year at one charter school in rural north central Michigan, 44 percent of its teachers were uncertified full- time substitutes — more than the region’s six traditional school districts combined, according to state data.
In this Q&A, the dean of University of Michigan’s School of Education argues the situation should concern everyone in the state.
Whitmer Pushes for Real Budget Solutions at Jackson School Visit
Sep 02, 2019
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