Education
New: Whitmer to announce COVID-19 pay bump for teachers, support staff
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the Michigan Advance that she will outline her plan in Wednesday’s State of the State address to give teachers and support staff grants due to the pandemic. “I think we have to acknowledge that every person in the education ecosystem has been stressed to the limit, has continued to serve our kids,” […]
Here’s what Biden plans to do on his first day as president
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden early Wednesday unveiled the list of executive orders, memos and directives he will make when he assumes the presidency later in the day, reversing a slew of Trump administration actions and laying out new policies of his own. “These actions are bold, begin the work of following through on President-elect […]
State reports 4,536 new COVID-19 cases over last 2 days
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Monday that 523,618 total Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 13,401 have died from the virus, which is an additional 4,536 cases and 47 deaths since Saturday. In September, the state stopped releasing case, death and testing numbers on Sundays, citing staff shortages and variance […]
Gov. wants in-person learning option by March, state reports 3,625 new COVID-19 cases Friday
While in-person dining in Michigan remains closed until further notice under COVID-19 public health orders, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced that all Michigan schools will be urged to establish an in-person learning option by March 1. Whitmer said that schools can ensure a “low risk of transmission” by carefully following new infection prevention protocols […]
DeVos resigns from Trump administration
Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s first and only Education secretary and a longtime Michigan GOP donor and school choice advocate, on Thursday submitted her letter of resignation with less than two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden will take office. This comes after a Trump mob ransacked the U.S. Capitol Wednesday as part of a GOP effort […]
Michigan schools in line for $1.7B in COVID-19 relief funds
The U.S. Department of Education has announced an additional $54 billion in COVID-19 relief funds for the nation’s public schools. Of that amount, $1.66 billion is slated for Michigan. “This new funding — more than four times the initial awards to state educational agencies under the CARES Act—is intended to help states and school districts […]
Boxes of sealed papers from an influential anti-immigrant activist have been stored at U of M for years. So what’s in them?
In 2016, Virginia-based immigration lawyer Hassan Ahmad sent the University of Michigan a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to access sealed papers donated to the university by John Tanton, a prominent anti-immigration activist from Michigan. But the public university denied the request until 2035. After years of lower court battles and lawsuits, the issue […]
State reports more than 463K total cases, 21 new outbreaks in K-12 schools
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported Monday that 463,403 total Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 and 11,532 have died from the virus, which is an additional 4,551 cases and 71 deaths since Saturday. In September, the state stopped releasing case, death and testing numbers on Sundays, citing staff shortages and variance […]
‘It’s draining’: Teachers wrestle with burnout, health risks and no-show students
“Bueller …? Bueller …? Bueller …?” Todd Bloch, a science teacher at Warren Woods Middle School, jokes with his students who sit silently in his virtual classroom with their cameras off, making a reference to the ‘80s teen classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” — which most didn’t appear to have even heard of. “That’s what […]
State allows high schools, colleges, entertainment venues to reopen
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced that the state is revising its COVID-19 pandemic order to allow for in-person high school and college and university classes, a reopen of certain indoor entertainment venues and non-contact outdoor sports and fitness classes. But bars and restaurants remain closed for dine-in service. The gradual reopening comes after Michigan’s […]
Education Secretary DeVos heads for the exits, leaving a legacy of turmoil
Updated, 7:06 a.m., 12/16/20 WASHINGTON — In four years in office, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos failed to broaden her appeal beyond the moment she won a wild Senate confirmation fight by the closest of margins. She didn’t even try. Instead, the billionaire Michigan native and Republican megadonor championed private and charter schools, often trying […]
1st Michiganders vaccinated against COVID-19
Dr. Marc McClelland, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, called Monday a “day of hope.” Some 249 days after the first two coronavirus cases were reported in Michigan on March 10, McClelland became one of the first health care workers in the state to receive a COVID-19 […]