Week of 11-6-2023

Inside this issue

• Big wins for education in Tuesday’s elections
• President Chapin testifies on basic education funding
• PSEA member spotlight: Van Wagner
• PEARL and upcoming Center for Professional Learning events
• Member Benefits spotlight: Identity theft protection plans

Across the board, Tuesday’s municipal elections results were great for public education. From the Supreme Court down to local school board races, champions of public education racked up key wins that have far-reaching implications for our schools and for your ability to do your job as an educator. And this is all thanks to your hard work in your local associations and your contributions to PSEA-PACE.

All told, local associations recommended more candidates, in more districts, and invested more PACE dollars than any previous municipal election year. And it paid off!

2023 Municipal Election Results

Bright spots:

For this election, PSEA members recruited 254 pro-public education school board candidates in 59 school districts across the state. Fortunately, many very important races broke in our favor, and we were able to put wins on the board for those candidates who are true champions of public education.

While there are many success stories and results that are still being tabulated and analyzed as of this writing, here are a few races we were watching closely that flipped to a pro-public education majority thanks to the amazing work of our members and staff in the field:

• Central Bucks
• Central York
• Carlisle
• Pennridge
• Perkiomen Valley
• Norwin
• Owen J. Roberts
• Wallenpaupack

While we still have work to do in some locals, all in all this was an outstanding election for education in Pennsylvania. And we couldn’t have done it without the contributions of so many dedicated PSEA members.

On Thursday, PSEA President Aaron Chapin testified before Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission and argued that the state must address the income and racial equity gaps in public school funding that were revealed as unconstitutional in the Commonwealth Court’s February 2023 ruling.

A PSEA analysis found the 100 districts with the lowest incomes spend 30 percent less per weighted student than the districts in the wealthiest 100 districts. And districts serving BIPOC communities at all income levels spend less per weighted student than their white district counterparts.

“Districts cannot hire more teachers, remodel buildings, purchase new school curricula, or offer better technology and classroom supplies without the money to pay for them,” Chapin said.

Some of the solutions President Chapin offered to lawmakers were:

• Raise the state’s minimum salary for educators from $18,500 to $60,000 a year as well as set a $20 per hour minimum wage for education support professionals.
• Create a new teacher pipeline scholarship program and an initiative to pay education students while they complete their student teaching requirements.
• Reestablish state charter school reimbursement of at least $500 million to alleviate the burden on the state’s poorest districts.
• Invest in school infrastructure to bring all facilities up to a minimum standard that promotes learning.

Van Wagner, a high school agriculture teacher in the Danville Area School District, set himself a high-reaching goal for this year: Climb to the top of the tallest tree at the tallest point in all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties.

If you haven’t yet seen his story in this month’s Voice, check it out at the link below.

PEARL

Visit the new, improved PEARL today and choose from more than 95 asynchronous courses available for Act 48 credit and Chapter 14 verification.

You can find multiple courses that interest you in any of these tracks: 

• Book Studies
• Educational Equity
• Pedagogy
• Policy
• Pupil Services
• Special Populations
• Technology in Education
• SEL & Wellness

Webinars

• Early Career Educator: IEPs
  • Nov. 14, 7-8 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Premeditated Myrtle
  • Nov. 16, 7-8 p.m. 
• The New Classroom Instruction That Works: The Best Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, PART 2, Chapters 5-7
  • Dec. 5, 7-8 p.m.
• When You Wonder, You’re Learning
  • Dec. 14, 7-8 p.m.

Postgraduate Credits

Earn postgraduate credits from PennWest University for $70 each!

More than 150 postgraduate credits are available across a wide range of teaching and learning topics.

These postgraduate credits (microcredentials) can count toward the 24 credits required for a Level II certificate and also may count toward salary advancement.*

For support professionals, these courses may meet Chapter 14 requirements.**

*Check your contract to determine if you can apply standalone postgraduate credits for column movement.
**Seek approval from your employer prior to completing hours to apply toward Chapter 14 requirements.

Discounted Identity Theft Program offered through the PSEA Member Benefits Program and powered by Experian

What is an identity theft event?
Identity theft is on the rise, and this trend is expected to continue as cybercriminals use emerging tactics to harvest your data. In fact, according to the FTC, imposter scams alone accounted for nearly $2.7 billion in losses in 2022.*

Once identity thieves have your personal information, they can drain your bank account, run up charges on your credit cards, open new utility accounts, or get medical treatment on your health insurance. An identity thief can file a tax refund in your name and get your refund.

And the scariest part?  You probably will not know until it is too late.

What could identity theft cost you and your family?

Identity theft is a crime that has long-term repercussions that can impact you and your family for years after the fraud has occurred.

In the shorter term - just dealing with recovering your identity takes on average 200 hours of your input and around six months to resolve.  Most of the agencies you need to deal with are open only during typical business hours - so dealing with recovering your identity can have a huge impact on your employment.

Depending on the type of identity theft, other long-term impacts can include destroying your credit history - leaving you unable to get approved for credit, having difficulty securing employment, and unable to qualify for financial aid.

Protect yourself from identity theft fraud in minutes
With Securus ID - you can protect yourself against identity fraud.  And should you become a victim, our team of specialists is ready to recover and restore your identity.  Powered by Experian, we offer a range of plans designed to help you should the worst happen, but also protect you against it happening in the first place.

Plans start at only $3 a month - enroll and activate in minutes.

Get your 60% PSEA member discount today.

View Plans | Pricing

Securus ID Inc.  P.O. Box 139  Mayer, Minnesota 55360