announcements
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).
