Michigan’s educator shortage is hurting students, educators and parents. Between inadequate compensation, increasing workplace stress and partisan political attacks on the education profession, educators have reached a breaking point. This harms their ability to meet our students' educational and emotional needs.
Michigan educators had numerous fundamental workplace rights stripped from them by the previous governor and Legislature more than a decade ago. Those DeVos-led attacks on school employees have led to today’s shortage of teachers, support staff, school counselors and other critical positions.
Restoring school employees’ voice at the workplace is essential to fixing the educator shortage — and the Michigan Legislature is considering bills to do just that. This new legislation would:
Restore educators’ collective bargaining rights and give them more voice at work.
Improve working conditions for teachers and school support staff.
Allow educators to better advocate for their students’ needs.
By restoring educators’ basic workplace rights and respecting school staff like the professionals they are, we can attract and retain high-quality educators who can help our kids succeed. After all, educators’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.
Contact your legislator and tell them to restore educators’ voice in the workplace.