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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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]

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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]
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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]
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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]
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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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 30^th 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 3^rd. 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. 

Important information from the NEA

Apr 11, 2022

View as Webpage

The U.S. Department of Education needs to hear from you today. They are proposing an end to the federal support of corporate charter schools, but the powerful charter lobby is fighting to keep taxpayer dollars flowing into billionaires’ pockets. The voices of pro-education activists like you should be front and center, not those who stand to profit. Submit a comment now in support of their proposal to ban for-profit schools from receiving tax-payer dollars. The deadline to submit public comments is April 13. It only takes a minute to show your support for ending this unfair use of taxpayer dollars, and for holding these corporate charters to the same standards as traditional public schools.

SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT  ➤ Thank you for standing up for public schools, The NEA EdAction Team

National Education Association 1201 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036

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MEA-Retired Secretary/Treasurer information

Mar 13, 2022

Greetings, MEA-Retired Friends,

It is with a tear in my eye and a heart full of gratitude that I share MEA-Retired Secretary-Treasurer Dan Rudd's withdrawal of his candidacy for that position (term running 9/1/22-8/31/25). As some of you may know, Dan has been experiencing some health challenges for quite some time, and he feels that it is in his best interest to put his health first. Dan is so busy putting others first, and we know that he will continue on his journey to feeling even better by taking the time to put himself first for a change.

Dan announced this at our MEA-Retired Board of Directors meeting this week and nominated Jeanne Hansen for the position. He has been our Secretary-Treasurer for 15 years, served as NEA-Retired Secretary for one term, has served as an officer in MEA-Retired chapters, and also served members admirably in a number of capacities when he was a Huron Valley EA/MEA/NEA member.

While we will miss him in his current role, we all are confident that he will surely continue to be a valuable, involved, and treasured activist in our organization.

MEA-Retired President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer are all positions for which any lifetime MEA/NEA member in good standing can run; anyone interested has been able to declare their candidacy for a position since September and may do so up to and including declaring or being nominated at the Annual Meeting, which will be held virtually on Monday, March 28, starting at 10 a.m.

Current Vice President Judy Daley and I are declared candidates for our current positions. Registered delegates to the Annual Meeting will elect officers for the term running 9/1/22-8/31/25 during the event. 

Members interested in running for a position should contact Elections Chair Al Beamish at a-beamish@mymea.org. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at kaywalk54@gmail.com.

Kay Walker Telma, President (she, her, hers)

MEA-Retired

kaywalk54@gmail.com

231.631.4603

MEA Scholarship Fund Golf Outing

Mar 13, 2022

SAVE THE DATE!

EVENT:                           20^TH Annual MEA Scholarship Fund Golf Outing

DATE:                             Monday, June 13, 2022

GOLF COURSE:              Forest Akers Golf Course, Lansing

TEE OFF:                        9:00 a.m.

**Dinner reception after golf will not take place this year**

This event raises funds for college scholarships for Michigan public school graduates who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and contributions to their community and school.

Watch for more details to follow!

Barb Hitchcock

Human Resources Generalist

Michigan Education Association

1350 Kendale Blvd. P.O. Box 2573

East Lansing, MI 48823

D: 517-333-6276

F: 517-337-5454