HVEAOnline - News

MEA PRESIDENT CALLS ON LEGISLATORS TO PASS TEACHER EVALUATION REFORM BILL by Doug Pratt

6/7/2018

EAST LANSING – Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart today urged the Legislature to pass HB 5707, keeping the current “student growth” as a percentage of educator evaluations at 25 percent. Current law is set to move that benchmark to 40 percent next school year and exacerbate the over-emphasis on standardized tests in Michigan schools.

“Michigan schools are already forced to place too much emphasis on standardized test scores – increasing the share of a teacher’s evaluation based on those scores will make a bad problem worse,” Herbart said. “It is imperative that the legislature take this measure up, pass it and send it to the Governor before they adjourn for the summer.”

Multiple studies have shown that student test scores are not an accurate means of evaluating teacher quality. As a result, many states are reducing or eliminating the role of standardized test scores in evaluations as permitted by the new federal education law, the “Every Student Succeeds Act.”

“High performing states have figured this out and are moving in the opposite direction of our current law. Michigan should follow suit,” Herbart said.

In remarks at a Center for Michigan event earlier this year, Michigan Teacher of the Year Luke Wilcox, an East Kentwood math teacher, discussed the shortcomings of the current law, saying, “Tying the evaluation to a high-stakes test does nothing to improve a teacher’s performance.”

Parents, teachers, employers, and education experts all agree that a first-rate education should focus on critical thinking, creativity and problem solving skills. These abilities are developed through open-ended experiments, exploratory reading and writing and extracurricular classes such as music, art and physical education. Standardized testing takes valuable time that could be devoted to meaningful learning.

“Increased emphasis on standardized test scores in evaluations will ratchet up pressure to spend precious classroom time preparing for and administering tests – and leave less time for teaching,” said Herbart. “As we’ve often said, education should not be a partisan issue. We are pleased that HB 5707 is sponsored by Republican Rep. Aaron Miller, and we look forward to working with both Republicans and Democrats to pass this legislation, as well as enacting other meaningful education policy changes.”

“The mission of the MEA is to ensure that the education of our students and the working environments of our members are of the highest quality.”

Wednesdays - Wear Red for Public Ed

6/3/2018

Don't forget to wear red on Wednesdays to support teachers and students. Let's all do our part to remind others that we are all in this together doing the best we can to provide a safe, well-funded learning environment in our schools for our teachers and students. So wear red for public ed!

Hundreds March to End Gun Violence by Katheryn Krupa

4/22/2018

This Friday, hundreds of teachers, bus drivers, social workers and other MEA delegates poured from the convention hall and marched en masse to the Capitol Building in Lansing during the MEA spring convention. Dressed in orange, we marched through the streets chanting "No more silence, end school violence!" After delivering huge stacks of petitions to legislators, we posed alongside Michael Moore on the Capitol steps - how exciting! Gretchen Whitmer (candidate for Governor) gave a rousing speech as well. Some good news was that our MEA budget has been trimmed across the board saving union members thousands of dollars in costs. As we left the hall late Saturday, I was proud to hear that over $10,000 had been raised by the delegates for political action (MEA PAC)!

Click here for video of the march

Standardized Testing Dulls Learning by Paula Hebart - MEA President

4/19/2018

Last week began the soul-crushing season of standardized test taking in Michigan schools. The overemphasis on “bubble tests” dulls the love of learning for both students and educators. And it’s about to get worse.
Starting this fall, “student growth” and standardized test scores will account for 40 percent of educators’ evaluations, up from 25 percent currently — a move that will ratchet up pressure to spend precious classroom time doing “test prep” and administering more tests.
Ask parents — and employers — what they want for students at school, and they’ll point to tasks that develop skills, thinking and creativity. Open-ended experiments. Exploratory reading and writing. Music, art, physical education. Real-world problem-solving using math and design thinking.
That’s also why educators enter the profession. Teachers hope to awaken children’s curiosity and develop their capacity to think, solve, and create. However, the values of parents and educators are not reflected in changes to our state’s teacher evaluation system launched three years ago.
Some aspects of the new evaluation system are demoralizing teachers and discouraging innovation in classroom practice — including the emphasis on test scores. That’s why MEA is working on bipartisan legislative fixes that need parental support to move in the Legislature.
The tide of public opinion has turned on the “test and punish” method of helping schools — the idea that we could starve and punish schools into eliminating achievement gaps and helping students succeed.
Studies have shown student test scores are not an accurate means of evaluating teacher quality. As a result, many states are reducing or eliminating the role of standardized test scores in evaluations as permitted by the new federal education law, the “Every Student Succeeds Act.”
Rep. Aaron Miller last month introduced House Bill 5707, which would cap the percentage of a teacher’s evaluation based on test-score-measured student growth at the current 25 percent.
Two other bills have been introduced to address additional flaws in the evaluation process. HB 5688 would prohibit an evaluator from conducting an evaluation on a family member — a clear conflict the current law allows. And HB 5687 would bar school districts from setting artificial limits on the number of teachers who may be rated “highly effective.”
Other problems exist, but these bills represent a good-faith start on improving how Michigan teachers are evaluated.
Michigan Teacher of the Year Luke Wilcox, an East Kentwood math teacher and MEA member, says fixes are needed. “Tying the evaluation to a high-stakes test does nothing to improve a teacher’s performance,” Wilcox told a gathering of business and education leaders in March.
That echoes a common lament I heard from educators as I’ve traveled the state: “More testing means less teaching.”
Over the last decade, legislators have enacted many failed changes that have harmed public education, including increased testing, curriculum mandates, cuts in school funding and a dramatic increase in the number and funding of for-profit, corporate charter schools.
What are the results? Lower student achievement and a worsening teacher shortage. Historic numbers of new teachers are leaving the classroom within the first five years, while colleges of education report enrollment declines of up to 50 percent.
The vast majority of those “reforms” were enacted on a strictly partisan basis. But parents and educators have had enough of partisan attacks. We’re standing up. We are demanding support for our students and schools, and our philosophy is gaining traction.
Paula Herbart is president of the Michigan Education Association.
Labor Voices
Labor Voices columns are written on a rotating basis by United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams, Teamsters President James Hoffa, Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber and Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2018/04/17/standardized-tests-dull/33935993/

March for our Lives

3/24/2018

The March for our Lives event that took place March 24, 2018 all across America was a huge success! Students organized across the nation leading demonstrations to speak out against school violence. The speeches were especially emotional as survivors of mass shootings recalled their horrific experiences and demanded a change to today's laws. Chants of "Vote them out" and "This is what democracy looks like" echoed from Washington to Detroit to L.A. The biggest take away was the need for people to continue to speak out and vote for change this November and in upcoming elections. Thanks to all our union members who were able to attend!

Mackinaw Center Makes FOIA Request of ORS

2/21/2018

Dear MEA leaders, board members and staff,

We’ve been made aware that the Mackinac Center, the right-wing advocacy group that makes its living attacking MEA and public education, has made Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests of the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) regarding compensation information on school employees across the state.

The data requested is public information and falls under the auspices of Michigan’s FOIA law, so ORS is complying with the requests. We are confident that the state will properly comply with the requests and provide only the requested information. Absent the release of more sensitive information (like social security numbers, birthdates and health information), legal action to block or challenge the release of the information is not viable.

We want you to know that MEA is aware of these FOIA requests and is carefully monitoring the situation, both in terms of proper compliance and, then, what the Mackinac Center is actually doing with the data. If you need more information about the Mackinac Center and its agenda, please visit www.meamatters.com.

In solidarity,

Mike Shoudy                                     Doug Pratt
MEA General Counsel                     MEA Director of Public Affairs

Dear MEA leaders, board members and staff,

We’ve been made aware that the Mackinac Center, the right-wing advocacy group that makes its living attacking MEA and public education, has made Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests of the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) regarding compensation information on school employees across the state.

The data requested is public information and falls under the auspices of Michigan’s FOIA law, so ORS is complying with the requests. We are confident that the state will properly comply with the requests and provide only the requested information. Absent the release of more sensitive information (like social security numbers, birthdates and health information), legal action to block or challenge the release of the information is not viable.

We want you to know that MEA is aware of these FOIA requests and is carefully monitoring the situation, both in terms of proper compliance and, then, what the Mackinac Center is actually doing with the data. If you need more information about the Mackinac Center and its agenda, please visit www.meamatters.com.

In solidarity,

Mike Shoudy                                     Doug Pratt
MEA General Counsel                     MEA Director of Public Affairs

MEA President Paula Herbart on the Supreme Court's ruling on 3% case

12/22/2017

We Fought for it - We Won our 3%! Michigan Supreme Court Rules in our Favor

12/20/2017

WE WON! The Michigan Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of MEA and AFT Michigan in the 3% case -- ordering the return of $550 million illegally taken from school employees' paychecks from 2010-12. Make sure MEA has your home email address so we can keep you up to date on developments about when and how money will be returned---Email Webmaster@mea.org with your information. This is what your union does for you! We fight for the needs and rights of our members.

Here is the full article from the MEA:

The MEA.org server is overloaded with traffic due to interest in the Supreme Court ruling in our favor on the 3% case. Here is the press release we issued today:

Michigan Supreme Court unanimously rules to return 3% to school employees
Today marks a major victory for Michigan school employees, as the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously ruled to return more than a half billion dollars illegally taken from school employees in the long-running 3 percent case.

In a dramatic December conclusion to a nearly 8-year-long legal battle, the Court ruled 6-0 to uphold lower court rulings that found the withholding to be illegal on a variety of constitutional grounds.

“I cannot imagine a better pre-holiday gift to Michigan’s school employees than getting their hard-earned money returned to them,” said MEA President Paula Herbart. “This is the culmination of years of work by both AFT Michigan and MEA on behalf of our members. This reinforces why being a member of a union matters – working collectively, we won this case that no individual could have fought for themselves.”

Logistics will need to be determined for how school employees will receive the refund of over $550 million that’s been held in escrow since 2010-2012, but today’s ruling ends a long string of unsuccessful appeals by Governor Rick Snyder and – until this final appeal – Attorney General Bill Schuette.

“We hope the governor and attorney general work with us – as opposed to their years of fighting us – to ensure employees get their money returned to them in a timely fashion,” said AFT Michigan President David Hecker. “Michigan’s school employees have waited eight long years to get their hard-earned money returned to them – no futher delay is necessary.”

MEA and AFT Michigan will inform members about details on how the money will be returned as those details become available.

Message from our HVEA President

12/17/2017

Often, as the New Year approaches, I reflect on the year’s events both personally and professionally. This reflection blog is a professional reflection, in my role as a union leader.

This year is the first year our members can officially opt out of our union. So often, I am asked “what is the HVEA doing for me” and “with right to work, why should I continue paying dues and remain in the EA”?

My simple answer is this – right to work means the right to work for less. The ultimate goal of this legislation is to deplete unions of dues money by way of workers opting out of their union, thus paying nothing for the support they get from their union. A union is as strong as their members. The less members there are the less power the union has to fight for wages, benefits and working conditions. Those who opt out put the weight of collective bargaining on their colleagues.

The laws enacted since 2010 by our Michigan lawmakers were not aimed at improving the wages of teachers or improving the welfare of our students. What makes you think, then, that right to work is a good thing for you as a public educator? It might seem like a great thing that you no longer have to foot the annual union dues bill, but again, the ultimate goal of these laws is to destroy your ability to earn a living wage as a teacher.

Don’t be fooled, we are under attack. Senate bills 544-549 are the latest bills which are aimed at depleting the school aid fund, opening the door to divert public education funding to the private sector. Not to mention the gun reform bills that would allow concealed weapons in schools and special gun permits for young adults aged 18-21. We need to stand together to fight off these attacks.

Your bargaining team worked for six months to improve the contract. It was voted down because you had the confidence that your UNION could get you something better, which they did. If collective bargaining goes away, so does your contract. At the end of the day, you will only have the opportunity to “meet and confer” with your contractual demands, and you will end up with few (if any) of your demands met.

Some folks complain about things such as the Hard Cap health insurance plan – which your union, together with your colleagues – were able to hold off for a year and a half. They complain that HVS did this to us or that our union should have fought harder to keep the 80/20, instead of reflecting upon the fact that it was lawmakers who passed legislation moving the burden of higher health care costs on to you – the employee. This is how that worked out – your legislators in Lansing pay less per pupil to school districts, then they passed the Hard Cap law to save districts money so they could give them less operating dollars. The end result - increased health care costs that are now passed on to the employees – you. After all, Michigan has the dubious claim of being the home of Betsy DeVos.

Back to my original argument that right to work means right to work for less. That is the ultimate goal of the legislators that represent us – plain and simple. Now is the time for us to stand together. A union is as strong as the people that are in it.

In solidarity,

Denise

BREAKING: Oral Arguments Scheduled in MEA's 3% Case by MEA

11/1/2017

[Photo from MLive]

The state Supreme Court this week issued notice that oral arguments will be heard November 8th in the 3 percent retirement case that MEA has waged through seven years and several appeals by Gov. Rick Snyder.

The court will hear arguments in the union’s 2010 lawsuit seeking the return of money taken from school employees’ paychecks to fund retiree health care that was never guaranteed to be provided.

Limited public seating is available for proceedings in Michigan’s Supreme Court.

Snyder appealed the 3 percent case for the third time more than one year ago. Three previous lower court rulings have found in MEA’s favor, ordering the return of more than $550 million held in escrow since the litigation began.

Both the trial court and Court of Appeals agreed the law which unilaterally deducted money from school employees’ paychecks violated state and federal constitutional protections involving the taking of private property without compensation, due process, and impairment of contracts.

RELATED STORY: Frequently Asked Questions about the 3 percent court case.

MEA Legislative Accomplishments 2017

10/25/2017

Below are important MEA Legislative Accomplishments for 2017:

December’s Lame Duck session was very successful – with success being measured by what DIDN’T pass. Working with supportive Republican legislators and the Democratic caucus, we have managed to hold off passage of the release time bills, pension bills moving school employees to a defined contribution plan, legislation that would add calendar and schedule to the prohibited subjects of bargaining list, and a significant raid on the School Aid Fund. While many of those bills have resurfaced in the new legislative year, stopping them in Lame Duck is a major victory. There are also many other bills you never hear about because they never receive a hearing due to work done behind the scenes to stop them.
While passage of the pension legislation in June is not a positive, the improvements from the original legislation are significant. Compared to the initial bill eliminating the hybrid pension system altogether for new hires, SB 401 maintains a hybrid DB-DC plan as a choice and improves the DC-only option for those new hires who choose it.
HB 4163, the bill that adds calendar and schedule to the prohibited subjects of bargaining, is currently sitting on the House floor without a vote because there are not enough yes votes for passage.
SB 27 was introduced which eliminates the section of the school code that determines the fate of low performing schools. We have been working to promote an alternative to the more punitive options currently required with educational audits that will seek to identify the problems before prescribing the solutions.
The Senate Education Committee chair has created a subcommittee on the Michigan Merit Curriculum. We are working closely with the subcommittee, whose members are new to this subject, making us a useful resource for them. We are working to ensure flexibility in the student’s personal credit choices and encouraging the subcommittee to hold meetings around the state for educator input.
We continue our work to stop the erosion of School Aid Fund (SAF) revenue sources by legislative actions. We have testified against bills that impact the SAF negatively, and have met with individual members of the committees. We have managed to slow revenue stream cuts, but the awareness raising continues.
The state budget passed with a K-12 per pupil increase using the 2x formula (increasing the foundation allowance between $60 and $120 per pupil). In addition, the K-12 budget adds $25 per pupil for all high school students in grades 9-12; appropriates $26.4 million for literacy coaches, professional development, diagnostic tools, etc. to help implement the 3rd grade reading legislation; increased at-risk funding by $120 million to a total of $499 million; and includes continued funding to pay down long-term MPSERS debt. Community Colleges received a .9 percent increase while the Higher Ed budget saw a 2.9 increase.
Lobbyists solicit member input on complicated legislative issues. We recently requested and received many members’ responses concerning evaluations. This member input informs our lobbying and will help us develop legislation to address these concerns.
“Lobby Days” are an ongoing tactic we use to influence legislators. This is accomplished through smaller groups of members that contact individual legislators after a briefing session to deliver a coordinated message as part of our lobbying team. Debriefing sessions provide valuable information for lobbyists to continue working on critical legislation. We have had several with our retired members (used so that we don’t get negative feedback from legislators for pulling active members out of school), and some with active members after school was done for the year. This program was started several years ago and has been expanded due to its effectiveness.
We continue to build working relationships through several coalitions and look for opportunities to build more. For example, we worked very closely with AFT Michigan and school management lobbyists on the MPSERS legislation.
In terms of member communication on legislative matters:

Capitol Comments is our most important source for detailed political updates. It provides details, position and recommended action for all “priority legislation” and coordinates with MEA Facebook posts (i.e. “call your legislator”).
Continued with real time tweets and text messages available to all members including the 802 text messages that have been sent since August 24, 2014.
Our Tracking Summary (available on MEA website) lists of bill and positions.
We continue to present at legislative councils and PAC meetings when possible. We have started piloting remote legislative updates through the Internet.
Several sessions are presented at MEA conferences (i.e. Summer Leadership, ESP, Bargaining, etc.).
We also do member trainings on legislation concerning evaluations, 3rd grade reading and the political climate created by the Heritage Foundation, Alec and the Mackinac Center.
We have also held many Legislative Councils to help build member relationships with legislators.

New Contract Ratified

10/5/2017

Good morning colleagues,
Our new contract has been passed by our HVEA members and ratified by the school board. It passed by 298 yes votes and 104 no votes. I thank all of you who took the time to vote on both TA's. I would also like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, our HVEA Bargaining Team for all of their hard work and dedication to our Association during these very long months of working on your behalf.

Please know that just because this TA passed, I know there is still A LOT of work to do to improve your financial situation as well as your working conditions. I do believe that now is the time to open a new chapter in Huron Valley Schools, leave the past behind while not forgetting the history of where we have been these past many years. It is time for COAT to walk the walk with us as we move forward.

While it is far from the perfect contract, it is the first time that there have been triggers in the contract which guarantees raises on schedule. I do believe HVS is poised to reach above the 7% trigger during the life of this contract. The Financial Review Committee is in place as the Association watch dog as to how money will be spent in HVS. Also, work will continue on improving our working conditions via the Contract Maintenance Committee. As always, evaluations are on the front burner and I am always advocating for improvements there, both within the Evaluation Review Committee and on my own, pretty much every day!

If anyone would like to get involved in the HVEA Professional Issues Committee, we have openings on both the elementary PIC and the secondary PIC. We meet after school three times a year to discuss issues arising during the school year. Our first meeting will be held in November. We also have a Special Education PIC which currently well represented.

As soon as changes are finalized, we will post the new contract on our website in the Members Area.
In Solidarity,
Denise

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Voting re Tentative Agreement

8/29/2017

Attached are copies of the forms passed out at the opening day HVEA contract presentation meeting. Also attached are the specific Article changes to the contract. There is a general membership meeting to help folks with contract questions on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at Milford High School LGI. Keep in mind that there will also be separate MESSA meetings at every building in October for open enrollment. Voting will start at 7:00 am on Wednesday, August 30th 2017 and run until 5:00 pm on Wednesday, September 6th 2017. See the email from Anna Moreno sent out on opening day for details on how to vote online. A special thanks to our bargaining team for all their hard work!

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HVEA Scholarship Winner for 2017

5/22/2017

Congratulations to the 2017 HVEA scholarship winner for Lakeland, Rianna Koteles. She will be studying elementary education at Goshen College in Indiana and playing softball for Goshen.

Algonac Teacher Gets Key to Habitat House by MEA

5/21/2017

Everyone showed up for the housewarming party at MEA member Jeff Smith’s new digs last weekend – even the high school marching band – as the Algonac teacher and his young sons received the ceremonial key to a Habitat for Humanity house.

Saturday’s home dedication, attended by more than 100 community members, was the product of a partnership between MEA and Blue Water Habitat for Humanity in response to financial pressures squeezing public school employees across the state.

A 16-year veteran educator, Smith was financially stuck in a crowded one-bedroom duplex with his two sons when the opportunity arose to apply for a Habitat House last spring. Like many Michigan school employees, Smith has been hard hit in recent years by step freezes and pay cuts.

In addition, Smith and educators statewide have been slammed by passage of a Republican-backed health care law in 2011 that dramatically increased out-of-pocket health care costs for school employees. The measure forced employee contracts to include either a fixed dollar amount a district would pay toward health insurance – a hard cap – or limit district contributions to no more than 80 percent.

“Habitat for Humanity has provided us a second chance at a great life,” Smith said. “We truly feel blessed and can’t wait to start life in our Algonac house.”Members of the local Algonac Education Association volunteered many hours working on the house and held numerous fundraisers to eventually furnish the pre-teen boys’ bedrooms with items they love – University of Michigan football gear and Pittsburgh Penguin hockey décor. MEA members and staff from around the state pitched in.

Even without the furnishings installed, the Smith family was overcome with joy at seeing their energy-efficient three-bedroom, one-bath ranch-style home with open floor plan, laundry room, front porch, and back deck.

“It was great to see the smile on Austin and Andrew’s faces – blessed to be a part of it,” said Dennis Bacsikin, who donated all of the plumbing for the home. Bacsikin’s wife, Lisa, is an Algonac EA member who organized fundraisers for the project.

A football and softball coach, Smith is admired for his leadership on sports fields and off. Coach Smitty, as he’s affectionately known, teaches at the alternative high school which caters to students who’ve struggled in school.

AJ Garshott, a former Algonac football player who graduated last year, helped with a fundraiser to raise money toward Smith’s down payment. “Coach Smith has always been such a great coach and person. I’m so happy that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves,” he said. Other students volunteered to help with the build. Algonac High School junior Noah Todina, whose mother Dana is an AEA member, said it’s been amazing to see the community give back to a teacher and coach who’s done so much.

“I hope he knows what an impact he’s made on me and so many others,” Noah said. “He and his sons are so deserving of this, and I’m grateful I could be a part of giving back to him.” A Habitat home is not a giveaway. Smith put in 50 hours of sweat equity working at the Blue Water Habitat ReStore last summer, and he logged hundreds of hours at the work site, alongside dozens of community volunteers. An August 2016 MEA Voice story told his story at the start of this Habitat journey.

Applicants must meet minimum and maximum income levels to ensure they have real need but also the means to pay a low-interest mortgage, taxes, and utilities in an energy-efficient home. Applications are reviewed with no names or labels attached to guarantee fairness.

It’s a hand up, not a hand-out, says MEA UniServ Director Michele Israel, who developed the MEA partnership with Habitat through a friendship that began with the non-profit’s executive director, Ernest Werth-Toward, when the two were school employees together in Port Huron.

“By nature, the union takes care of its own,” Israel said. The expedited fundraising and building process for Coach Smitty’s house brought him and the community even closer together, said Roy Churchill, a community volunteer who’s worked on two dozen Habitat homes. “Jeff’s love for his sons and his overwhelming desire and enthusiasm to get them into a decent home is really magnificent,” Churchill said. “He will be a very positive asset to his new neighborhood.”
View an online photo album from the dedication ceremony.