August 26, 2019 MEA members, This morning, I received a letter from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that I thought you should all see:   As a new school year is upon us, I wanted to reach out and tell you again how much I respect and appreciate the hard work you do on behalf of our kids. Preparing our students for success isn’t an easy calling, and we all know that the past decade of starving our public schools of necessary resources has made your work much more difficult. I also wanted to reassure you that I am continuing to fight every single day to get a state budget passed that respects our educators, makes the biggest investment in our kids’ education in a generation, increases funding for colleges and universities, creates pathways for every Michigan student to achieve postsecondary success, and yes, fixes our failing infrastructure. I proposed my budget about six months ago and am proud that it makes real, meaningful investments in our public education system and our infrastructure. I recognize that we can’t keep kicking the can down the road. It’s time for our leaders to step up and make bold investments that will put everyone in Michigan on a path to success. As you’re no doubt aware, for the first time in nine years, the Legislature hasn’t completed a budget in June. Instead, they’ve taken the summer off and have offered no meaningful alternatives to both invest in education and fix our infrastructure. Instead, they presented me with a plan that will cut public education resources and won’t raise a fraction of the revenue we need to fix the roads. Like I’ve said many times before, I will not accept a plan that balances the budget on the backs of our students and educators.   I know the Legislature’s choice to take the summer off means that you’ve been operating for nearly two months without an education budget. You deserve better. Please know that while I am working day and night to get a deal and avoid a state government shutdown, I must also responsibly prepare for that outcome. I am asking that you continue to do the best you can and if you want to lend your voice, please reach out to your legislators and tell them what a bold investment would mean to you and your students. I have traveled all across our state, doing nearly 70 townhalls, presentations and roundtables to talk to Michiganders about why getting this right is so important to our future. The people of Michigan know that doing nothing is not an option. They’re ready for real, bold leadership in Lansing that will help take us from the back of the pack to the front when it comes to education and infrastructure. As someone who grew up in, and has kids attending, our public school system, I have a deep respect for your leadership and commitment to our kids. I can assure you that I will continue to fight so that you’re treated with the respect you deserve and so every child in Michigan can get a great public education. Sincerely, Gretchen Whitmer Governor of Michigan MEA members – for our students and for our profession, we need to raise our voices NOW in support of a real budget solution.   Please contact your legislators today and encourage them to work with Gov. Whitmer to provide the school funding our students deserve. In solidarity, Paula Herbart MEA President

I’m seething, Friend. Yesterday morning we awoke again to the horror of mass murder. My sorrow for those mourning the loss of their family and friends in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton, is matched only by my anger at the elected officials again offering thoughts, prayers, and nothing else. Enough is enough, Friend. The time to act has come over and over again! Congress must return from recess now to take action on gun violence. Send an email to your senators today. Gun violence has become so familiar that many educators can recite these facts by heart. Firearms are the second-leading cause of death among American children, and the leading cause of death among African-American children. There were 14,769 deaths from guns in the United States last year, excluding suicide.  There were 340 mass shootings in 2018, more than one per day. Students head back to their classrooms this month worrying and wondering if this will be the year tragedy strikes their schools. This fear is exacerbated by the violent, racially motivated rhetoric President Trump and his supporters have adopted as their modus operandi. And their words will only spurn more hate and more violence. It doesn’t have to be this way. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can take up S.42 to expand background checks and close gun sale loopholes at any time. It is what we are demanding he do today, but it is only the first of many steps Congress must take to keep schools and communities safe. It’s also a step that will not be easy to come by. It requires a massive effort to make Senator McConnell listen. We all must say with one voice that we will not put up with inaction anymore. Tell your senators to return to Washington, D.C., and demand S.42 be immediately taken up in the Senate. Thank you, Lily Eskelsen García President National Education Association

Please see the attached letter regarding the updated Michigan Code of Educational Ethics.  Individuals working in an educational setting should review the revised code and use it as a guide to ensure ethical conduct when working with students.  Beginning August 2019 the code will be reflected on Michigan Educator Certifications. 

• Educator Letter 7-30-2019.pdf