THE @THEHURONEMERY
HURON EMERY HURON HIGH SCHOOL, 2727 FULLER RD., ANN ARBOR MI 48105
VOL. 10 ISSUE 4
RIGHT: Angell Elementary teacher Anne Ward claps with the crowd protesting healthcare increases at a School Board meeting on Jan. 29. LEFT TOP: Skyline High School teacher Chad Bickel holds a sign and looks on at the Board of Education. LEFT MIDDLE AND BOTTOM: Huron teachers protest the healthcare increases before school on Dec. 6. PHOTOS BY SATVIKA RAMANATHAN, BRODY TURNER AND ANJALI NADARAJAH
AAPS teachers bear the impact of healthcare increases SATVIKA RAMANATHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF When Huron English teacher Daniel Crowley was asked as a kid what he wanted to be when he grew up, he responded that he wanted to scoop ice cream. “Don’t you want to own the ice cream shop?” his dad responded. “No, that’s way too much of a headache,” 8-yearold Crowley responded. “I just want to scoop ice cream. That sounds fun.” That desire to love his career stuck with him. But instead of ice cream, he found a passion for education. And
he has fun. But in the last year, he’s been faced with the reality that he might not be able to afford to do what he loves long term. At the beginning of the new calendar year, healthcare prices shot up for teachers. The district funding is tied to a bill called PA 152 that stated that the district would only pay 0.2% more of the healthcare cost this year. According to Ann Arbor Education Association (the AAPS Teacher’s Union) President Fred Klein, that amounted to about an additional $30 for the whole year. However, the cost of the healthcare premiums themselves increased
NEWS PAGE 2 CROSS COUNTRY COACH RETIREMENT
drastically this year. Some plans were double the cost. “The amount of money that we’re making isn’t changing, so it’s essentially what equates to a pay cut,” AAEA Action Team Chair and Huron teacher Sarah Anton
said.
This has been especially difficult for teachers, given the financial situation the district has been dealing with following the $20.4 million budget cut made by the AAPS School Board last year.
“All teachers are really upset,” Klein said. “The people in the district that are making the most money are paying READ THE FULL STORY ON THEHURONEMERY.COM
INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
FEATURE PAGE 5 IMMIGRANT RIGHTS IN MICHIGAN
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PAGE 8-9 LOCAL BLACKOWNED BUSINESSES
ASF PAGE 16 TIKTOK BAN: WHAT HAPPENED