by Sue Brandt, APA Board Member
I had the privilege of being one of the APA delegates attending the Michigan Education Association Spring 2016 Representative Assembly held on Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7 at the Lansing Center. Hundreds of delegates from around Michigan gathered to discuss common issues, elect leadership and ratify the budget. On a broader sense it was a great opportunity to network with K-12 union members, because when you think about it, these are the feeder schools for our higher education institutions. The caucus lunch and session time provided a forum to meet with fellow delegates from just higher education. For me personally, the highlights of the weekend included getting to see and better understand parliamentary procedures and attending the Saturday rally at the capital. Hearing some motivating speakers including: Becky Pringle, Vice President of the National Education Association, who flew in from Washington DC just for our event; Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha; Acclaimed children’s author Patricia Polacco; and six inspiring educators and leaders who were honored at the Human Rights Awards Dinner.
I also learned, that just like at MSU where our retirees are a valuable asset who continue to work behind the scenes, I learned that MEA retiree members are vocal, strong advocates for education and community involvement.