Upcoming events: National Gun Violence Awareness Day
Jun 03, 2022
Thank you for taking an early step in our coordinated efforts to protect our schools and our children. The MEA gun safety petition has already gathered hundreds of signatures and the feedback you have provided is helpful. We wanted to make you aware of some upcoming events hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety and March For Our Lives.
First, please join us at March For Our Lives in Lansing on Saturday, June 11. MEA is supporting this event and hope to see many members there. Please RSVP HERE.
There are dozens of Wear Orange and March For Our Lives events happening across Michigan over the next two weeks. If you can’t join us in Lansing, please consider attending a local event in your area.
You can find details and updates at www.WearOrange.org or at the March For Our Lives site at https://marchforourlives.com/march22/.
Wear Orange Peaceful Protest- Berkley
Friday, June 3, 12-7 pm
NW Corner of 12 Mile & Woodward
29001 Woodward Ave
Berkley, MI 48072
Wear Orange Picnic- Mount Clemens
Saturday, June 4, 8:00 am
Gazebo Park
1 Crocker Blvd
Mount Clemens, MI 48043
Silence the Violence Rally and March
Saturday, June 4, 10:00 am
Church of the Messiah - Detroit
231 E Grand Blvd
Detroit, MI 48207
Wear Orange- Lansing
Saturday, June 4, 11:00 am
Everett High School
3900 Stabler St
Lansing, MI 48910
Wear Orange- Saginaw
Saturday, June 11, 12:00pm
Borchard Park
100 N MICHIGAN Ave
Saginaw, MI 48602
March For Our Lives Grand Haven, MI
Saturday, June 11, 2022 10:00am - 12:00pm
Central Park
Grand Haven, MI 49417
March for Our Lives Detroit, MI
Saturday, June 11, 2022 12:00 - 3:00pm
Detroit Cities Riverfront
1340 Atwater St, Detroit, MI 48207
March For Our Lives Oxford, MI
Saturday, June 11, 2022 12:00 - 3:00pm
Centennial Park
25 S Washington St, Oxford, MI 48371
March For Our Lives Wayne-Washtenaw County, MI
June 11, 2022 12:00 - 2:00pm
The Diag,
913 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
March For Our Lives Traverse City, MI
June 11, 2022 1:00 - 3:00pm
Parkway and Union Street
3840 Blueberry Ln, Traverse City, MI
March For Our Lives Kalamazoo, MI
June 11, 2022 2:00 - 5:00pm
Bronson Park
200 S Rose St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
March For Our Lives Lansing, MI
June 11, 2022 10:00am - 12:00pm
The Capitol, Lansing MI 48933
Grand Rapids March for Our Lives
June 18, 2022 1:00 - 4:00pm
Veteran’s Memorial Park
101 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Please visit www.mea.org/gunsafety for details and additional actions.
In Solidarity,
Mark Hoffman (Pronouns: He/Him/His)
UniServ Organizational Development Specialist
Michigan Education Association
2625 E. Oakley Park Road, Suite 200
Commerce Township, MI 48390-1640
248-960-0447 (Office)
248-960-0392 (Fax)
Taking a stand for students and educators
May 29, 2022
Dear MEA Family,
There aren’t words to convey adequate emotions – heartbreak, rage, fear, frustration – after yesterday’s senseless shooting deaths of 19 children and 2 teachers in a Texas elementary school. After what happened just six months ago in Oxford, yesterday’s events are resurfacing many of the same feelings for all of us — especially the anger that this keeps happening to young people and the educators committed to them.
I know all our hearts go out to the victims, the families and the community of Uvalde, Texas. I know that our members who’ve been affected by violence, especially those in Oxford, are committed to helping our colleagues there however we can.
But somehow, our efforts never seem to be enough, because this keeps happening over and over and over again. As U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy so passionately asked his colleagues on the Senate floor yesterday, “What are we doing?” As NEA President Becky Pringle said in a letter to Congress this morning, “What are you waiting for?”
Just this morning, Democrats in the State Senate tried to force action on safe storage legislation for firearms (as prompted by the Oxford tragedy and Everytown for Gun Safety’s BE SMART framework). Those actions were blocked by the Republican majority who argued that (per Gongwer News Service) “now is the time for grief and not politicizing the matter.”
The fact is we can grieve and act. We must, because our students deserve no less than common-sense gun safety reform and mental health support.
In the wake of the Oxford tragedy, we’ve been focused on supporting our members in Oxford, including providing mental health counseling in the shooting’s aftermath, legal support for members named in lawsuits, and lobbying to get the resources Oxford’s students, educators and community need to move forward and heal.
We must do more – because this clearly doesn’t end at the walls of Oxford High School. Or Columbine. Or Sandy Hook. Or Stoneman Douglas. Or Virginia Tech. Or now Robb Elementary.
In solidarity and in love,
Paula Herbart
MEA President
Please join educators across Michigan in coming together and saying THIS IS ENOUGH. Are you with us? Please join Paula Herbart, MEA President, and sign this petition!
|
|
Election Update - May 16th
May 25, 2022
Political Update – May 16 (176 days until polls close)
ANNOUNCING: Battleground Summer 2022
Who wants to make a huge impact on public education in their communities this summer? Apply for Battleground Summer 2022!
MEA is hiring members to spend part of the summer engaging with their friends and neighbors in key parts of the state about the need to support, invest in and vote for strong public schools. Stipends range from $1,500-$4,000.
Go HERE to learn more and express interest in the program. (This is not an application, just a demonstration of interest. Applications will be sent to you directly.) DEADLINE: May 31. Questions? Contact Amanda West at (awest@mea.org) and Zach Crim (zcrim@mea.org).
Ballot Initiatives Update
The MEA Board formally endorsed their support of two ballot initiatives: Promote the Vote 2022 and Raise the Wage MI. Please visit their websites to learn more about how to support their work! If you have questions about how to get involved, contact Amanda West (awest@mea.org).
Conservative School PAC gets Involved in School Board Races
Get Kids Back to School PAC, a conservative action group, released a round of endorsements for several school board races late last week. The group, which was formed in 2021, touts its endorsed candidates as community members ready to take down incumbents who called for “disastrous policies,” such as “lockdowns, mask mandates, forced or coerced vaccines and online learning.” It said it will be issuing more endorsements this cycle. Read more in the attached PDF.
This is why it is more important than ever for MEA to be involved in these races. Make sure you’re in touch with your UD and/or with Liza Parkinson (lparkinson@mea.org) about the status of races in your district. Our work continues on identifying who is running, what districts to prioritize and where to hold trainings.
‘For MI Kids’ School Board Resolutions
The anti-DeVos voucher coalition has released a new tool to help fight back attacks on school funding. The Michigan Association of School Boards, one of the coalition partners, has created a template resolution that can be passed by local school boards opposing the DeVos vouchers. Please ask your local school board members to review THIS information and pass the resolution.
Contact State Reps Regarding Need for Oxford Relief
MEA is urging members to contact their state representatives and ask them to immediately pass legislation providing bureaucratic relief to Oxford educators, students and families affected by last fall's tragic shooting at Oxford High School.
The state Senate on March 24 unanimously approved Senate Bills 940 and 941, sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Keego Harbor. These bills provide relief from days and hours, testing and evaluation requirements for Oxford Community Schools students and educators, as they continue working to move forward the best they can from this tragedy.
However, the House has yet to act on the Senate bills, and time is running out. Learn more from MEA’s new release last week.
Questions? Contact Jessica Lumbreras (jlumbreras@mea.org), Amanda West (awest@mea.org) or Liza Parkinson (lparkinson@mea.org).
MEA Week in Review 5/5/22
May 07, 2022
MEA Week in Review: 5/5/22
Serving Our Members
Escanaba MEA member named Michigan Teacher of the Year (MEA.org, May 4)
Congratulations to MEA member Nanette Hanson, a first-grade teacher in Escanaba Area Public Schools, for being named Wednesday as Michigan Teacher of the Year for 2022-23.
…
MI Teacher Briefs U.S. Ed Secretary on Uses of Federal Rescue Funds (MEA.org, April 26)
Addressing students’ academic and mental health needs, while lightening the load for overstretched educators, are among the most urgent uses of federal school rescue funds prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to one local union leader in west Michigan.
…
MEA member librarians concerned about lack of equity in school services (MEA.org,April 28)
As School Library Month draws to a close, Michigan Education Association member and veteran media specialist Kathy Lester is working tirelessly to advocate for Michigan’s certified school librarians, who play a pivotal role in preparing students for success but whose numbers have drastically declined in the state.
…
Education Budgets Begin Movement in Legislature (MEA.org, April 28)
Countering historic budget proposals from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state House and Senate have begun legislative activity on their own education funding proposals for the 2022-23 school year.
…
MEA in the News
Labor Voices: Let Michigan’s educators know you stand with them (Detroit News, May 5)
This is Teacher Appreciation Week – but many who work in public education aren’t feeling particularly appreciated.
[Monthly Detroit News Labor Voices column by MEA President Paula Herbart]
…
This Is Teacher Appreciation Week (WSJM, May 2)
“You may want to say thank you to a teacher this week as Monday kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week. Paula Herbart is the president of the Michigan Education Association. She spoke with Michigan News Network about the need to salute our teachers.”
[Includes quote from Paula Herbart, MEA President]
…
WWJ: Why are so many teachers leaving the profession? And how do we fix it? (WWJ, May 2)
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. And although it was happening before, the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly increased the number of teachers looking for a career change.
[Audio segment includes quotes from Thomas Morgan, MEA Communications Consultant]
…
Manistee County school admins concerned by statewide teacher shortage (Big Rapids News, April 30)
Jakob Veith, superintendent of Bear Lake Schools and Kaleva Norman Dickson Schools, said it is a lot harder to find a teacher than it was when he got into the profession.
[Includes mention of MEA’s January 2022 educator survey]
…
Big Picture: Top Education Stories
Michigan bills would pause test scores to grade teachers, hold 3rd graders (Bridge Magazine, April 27)
Standardized test scores wouldn’t be a factor this year in educator evaluations or decisions about whether third-graders can move up to fourth grade, under proposed Democratic legislation to loosen Michigan K-12 education requirements to account for disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
…
Commentary: Funding Michigan STEM is an investment in kids, workforce and future(Crain’s Detroit Business, May 3)
“To retain our mantle of leadership, job one is to equip today’s and tomorrow’s workers with the education and skills Michigan businesses need to fill the growing number of high-demand jobs available now and in the future.”
…
Big and small groups, during and after class: tutoring is all over the map (Bridge Magazine, May 2)
“Well-developed tutoring programs represent a potential game-changer for ShaeLynn and students like her across Michigan who lost significant ground academically during the first year and a half of the pandemic.”
…
About MEA Week in Review: MEA’s Public Affairs Department compiles this weekly digest of MEA and news media items to provide a snapshot of items you may have missed, as well as a one-stop shop for finding stories MEA leaders and staff can cut-and-paste into local communications efforts.
Election 2022 Update
Apr 29, 2022
Political Update – April 29 (193 days until polls close)
S&R Season
Now that we have our list of candidates, S&Rs can get into full swing! Remember, primary voters will be getting their ballots as early as end of June and need to know who supports public education!
Attached you’ll find the 2022 MEA-PAC Screening & Recommendation Handbook, the S&R Materials packet (including the 2022 candidate questionnaire), and the master list of coordinating council voting rights for the new Congressional, State Senate and State House districts (including the staff roles assigned to each race). You also have access to the new maps (including the overlays between them and school district boundaries) at http://nextvote.us/schoolmap.aspx.
NEW – A 10-minute training video for S&R committee members is now available to help ensure members understand the process before heading into interviews. The video can be viewed here; Passcode: MEAwins22!
And don’t forget to pop into our new PAC Office Hours this Saturday, April 30th from 10am-11am for answers to all your burning questions. Register/join here: https://mea-org.zoom.us/j/82906816173
School Board Assessment Project - INFO NEEDED BY NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 6
We all know how important it is to stop extremists from taking over school boards. The first of our multi-phase strategy includes a current board assessment and we need your help to complete it. Please reach out to your UD with information on who is running in your local district, your local’s recommendations on who we wish to keep or challenge, and other vital information at the local level.
We are completing worksheets for districts across the state, and this information will be shared with pro-public education partners to ensure we are all working collaboratively. The next phases of our work will include district prioritization and candidate recruitment—this information will help us ensure we get it right! If you have any questions, contact Liza Parkinson atlparkinson@mea.org.
Betsy’s Bottomless Pockets
The DeVos voucher “Let MI Kids Learn” committee filed their financial report this week. As suspected, Betsy will raise and spend as much as necessary to get those signatures. Keep sharing the truth about her efforts via the www.ForMIKids.com website or the For MI Kids Facebook page. There are new graphics, resources and links added weekly.
DEADLINE: Run for Precinct Delegate
Affidavits for precinct delegate are due this coming Tuesday, May 3rd. You can submit your notarized form to your county clerk: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/Aff-ID_Precnt_139901_7.pdf
Partner Event
On Friday May 6, 2022, the Center for Change is hosting Celebrating Civic Engagement at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Marie. The event begins at 4 p.m. with a free open house. At 7 p.m. there will be a reception and dinner with keynote speakers State Representative John Damoose, Lola Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, daughters of the late Sharon H. Kennedy. Center for Change Executive Director, Joanne Galloway, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. You can get all the details on their website. Tickets are available now.
