Ann Arbor teachers' union ends boycott of EMU student teachers
Eastern Michigan University students will once again be able to teach in all Ann Arbor Public School classrooms this fall.
The Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA), a teachers' union representing employees of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, had been boycotting student teachers from EMU due to the school's involvement with the Education Achievement Authority (EAA).
"This had been our second year in this unfortunate boycott," AAEA president Linda Carter said. "We decided along with the rest of Washtenaw County to do this to let EMU know that we did not approve of the way teachers were being treated."
The EAA was a system created in 2011 by Governor Rick Snyder to take over failing schools. The system, which was administered by EMU, took control of 15 schools in Detroit but never became the statewide project it was meant to be.
Teachers' unions attacked the EAA, claiming that the emergency managers installed as part of the authority would rip up union contracts and take away benefits gained through collective bargaining. Unions across the state, including six in Washtenaw County, chose to boycott EMU by not letting student teachers into their classrooms.
Carter said once the Eastern Michigan Board of Regents voted to disassociate from the EAA, her union had no problem resuming the practice of bringing EMU students in as student teachers.
"The AAEA representative council voted unanimously to end the boycott at our first meeting after EMU made their announcement," she said. "We want our members to begin inviting EMU students to come visit their classrooms as soon as possible to establish relationships that can lead to student teaching positions."
EMU College of Education dean Michael Sayler said he looks forward to putting all of the animosity created by the EAA firmly in the past.
"I think the key thing for us is we're all about working together with teachers and with schools," he said. "There's some unfortunate stuff that happened that we didn't have much control over but we're very excited to move forward."
Sayler said all Eastern Michigan University students had been able to find classrooms for student teaching during the boycott, but that many of them had to travel much further away.
"We had to reach out and beat the bushes a little bit more," he said.
In 2015, EMU placed 598 student teachers, with just 180 of them finding classrooms in Washtenaw County. Students also found themselves unwelcome in districts such as Livonia, where they had traditionally been welcomed.
Carter said it's too late in this school year for student teachers from EMU to get into Ann Arbor classrooms, but they will be back by next fall.
"It was very important for us to reopen these doors," she said.Ann Arbor teachers' union ends boycott of EMU student teachers | MLive.com:
