4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS ELECTION letter to the EDITOR Dear Debbie Dingell, At the Washtenaw County Democratic Party Monthly Meeting you stated that we don't know who our friends are. You claimed that if we didn't want these wars we should've voted harder for Democrats. I voted for Kamala Harris. I told everyone I knew to vote for Kamala Harris. I hate Kamala Harris. She's a jingoistic Zionist and a cop. When the doorknocker came to my door urging me to vote for Harris, I asked if she had committed yet to an arms embargo on Israel and the door knocker said no. I was furious not because I wasn't getting what I wanted most from Harris, but because I knew in that moment Harris was going to lose to Donald Trump. It didn't change my vote; I knew Trump would create more suffering for more people, but I knew the people of Michigan would not go out to vote for a candidate that couldn't do the one thing we demanded. I knew without a commitment to an arms embargo, Harris would lose Michigan and the other battleground states that demanded action, and that's exactly what happened. The Democrats claim that Trump is the source of all evil, but this evil started long before Trump. Cuba has been under economic attack from the U.S. for 66 years. When CIA-trained terrorist José Basulto repeatedly invaded Cuban airspace in the "Brothers to the Rescue" missions, Bill Clinton was in office. Joe Biden said about Israel in 1986, "It is the best 3 billion dollar investment we make. Were there not an Israel, the United States would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region." The American people do not vote against evil, they vote for representation. If Democrats do not offer real representation of the people's interests, the people will not drag themselves out to vote for them. That is the reason Democrats are losing power. That is the reason — if you don't step up and really fight to stop these insane wars, you will lose your seat to someone who will, if we survive that long. — Sincerely, Jay Cooper Ann Arbor teachers, paraeducators might start the school year without a contract and need your support! Ann Arbor Public Schools district teachers do not have a new contract yet. Their previous contract expired on December 31, 2025, and they continue to work under the terms of the expired agreement while negotiations remain ongoing. As a result, teachers might begin the next school year without a contract. The Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA) bargaining team reached a tentative deal in mid-April. However, in late April, over 99% of voting union members voted to reject it. Teachers rejected the proposal because of concerns over an insufficient 1.5% raise, increased class sizes, reductions in planning time, and a healthcare cost increase. Rallies for competitive compensation and district transparency have continued into June as negotiations move forward. Now that contract discussions remain in limbo, teachers are participating in “work to rule” actions, meaning they adhere exactly to the terms of the previous contract and refrain from taking on unpaid duties outside of scheduled hours. Ann Arbor teachers cannot legally strike under the Michigan law which prohibits public employee strikes, specifically the Public Employment Relations Act, in place since 1947. The union leadership for Ann Arbor Education Association stated, “There have been no discussions about striking," and they are focused on reaching a fair agreement. AAEA President Fred Klein stated at the May 6, 2026, board meeting, “This is a clear statement, that's not just a result — that is a mandate,” referring to the overwhelming decision of union MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 members to reject tentative contract agreement on April 27, 2026. Susan Zink, AAPS parent, voiced her concerns at the May 6 board meeting about failed contract negotiations. “The most recent tentative contract agreement negotiation attempt failed miserably. The contract agreement failed because AAPS didn’t show a genuine good faith effort to compensate our teachers competitively,” she said. Erin Wolf, also an AAPS parent, voiced his concerns at the June 3 board meeting. “The people of Ann Arbor have been sold a line that teachers are being paid too much and that it's hard to make a budget work. But look at the cumulative revenue since 2018, teacher compensation has always been every year lower than the growth in revenue. What has grown immensely is everything else. And we don’t know what ‘everything else’ means because you don’t have transparency in the spending,” Wolf said. I ran into Bridgit Cook, a teacher for Ann Arbor Open School, just before the June 3 board meeting. I recognized the blue “Support Ann Arbor Teachers” T-shirt she was wearing and I asked her if she was an Ann Arbor school teacher. She said yes. I informed JUNE 26, 2026 Proud teaching assistants Veronica Lutz, Tod Tharpe, Claire Arthurs, Jen Ribby, Edith Donnell, Jacob Perlmutter, pictured left to right. Like Ann Arbor Public School teachers, Ann Arbor Public School support staff do not yet have a contract and are bargaining over the summer. Their union, Ann Arbor Education Association for Paraeducators, bargains separately but coordinates in solidarity with AAEA and other workers at the school. Their next bargaining session is July 1. Photo submitted. her I was writing an article about the failed negotiation in April, and then I asked to interview her and she agreed. Cook: They want to take away planning time, give us larger classes and increase our healthcare cost. Jones: What is your biggest grievance with the previous failed tentative contract agreement? Cook: The absolute cluelessness for our effort and excellence that we invest into the students. And it seems to be… at every turn there seems to be no respect for that. Jones: Do you believe Ann Arbor school teachers will have a fair contract by next school year? Cook: It’s a coin toss with a 50-50 chance we will receive a fair contract. The last regular Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education meeting of the 2025-2026 school year was scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Ann Arbor Public School Board of Education Superintendent Jazz Parks stated at that board meeting, “We absolutely value our teachers. I hope that goes without saying. And we continue to negotiate with the organization that represents our teachers to get a resolution. And we continue to do that in good faith.” Teachers vow to continue to fight to get a meaningful contract offer. Note: Three seats are up for grabs on the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education this November. School board members serve four-year terms in a nonpartisan capacity, and terms of office begin in January.
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