LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – While many Michiganders are planning vacations and time off as summer begins, some teachers are preparing for a different kind of break: a season of extra work.
Kelley Cusmano, a Detroit-area educator and Michigan’s 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year, says summer often becomes an opportunity for teachers to earn additional income through seasonal jobs, summer school, or other work outside the classroom.
“Summer vacation means it’s your side hustle time,” Cusmano said. “It’s your time to kind of balance out the fact that teachers are underpaid and overworked.”
Cusmano spoke with WZMQ through the campaign of gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. Cusmano supports Benson’s education platform, but said the challenges facing teachers extend beyond any single campaign.
After more than 20 years in education, Cusmano said the responsibilities placed on teachers have steadily increased.
“Throughout my career, I’ve gone through advances in technology, I’ve taught through the COVID pandemic, I’ve taught through the realization of mental health,” she said. “Every year, more and more things are placed on teachers’ plates, and nothing really is being taken off.”
Those growing demands, she said, can contribute to burnout and make it difficult to retain educators, particularly early in their careers. She says the students also suffer when their focus is on adjusting to a new teacher instead of schoolwork.
“We want teachers to remain. We want them to excel. We want them to thrive in this career that I love and in this workplace that I call home,” Cusmano said. “Those students know that the person standing in front of them cares about them, is properly trained, has the tools that they need to be successful.”
As summer begins, Cusmano hopes more community members will take time to engage with local schools and better understand the challenges educators face.
“You need to get in there and work with kids,” she said. “We welcome that partnership.”
Cusmano said Benson’s education plan is one reason she decided to support the Democratic candidate’s campaign for governor. Benson’s proposal includes raising starting teacher pay to at least $60,000, expanding paid student teaching opportunities and tuition support for future educators, and creating additional leadership and mentoring pathways for teachers who want to advance without leaving the classroom.
The plan also calls for increasing access to mental health resources for students and educators, expanding early childhood education programs, reforming school funding formulas, and ensuring every student has access to college credit, skilled trades training, apprenticeships, or other career pathways before graduation.
Benson has framed the proposal as a long-term effort to improve student outcomes while addressing teacher recruitment and retention challenges across Michigan.
While students may be leaving classrooms for the summer, Cusmano says many teachers remain focused on the work of supporting Michigan’s next generation, even when the school year is over.
