PSEA is a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
One of the best ways to address Pennsylvania’s crisis-level school staff shortage is to increase salaries and wages for staff so that caring, qualified adults know that they can make a family-sustaining living in public education.
Check out PSEA's new Salary Center for details about the starting and average salaries/wages for staff in each of Pennsylvania’s school districts.
“Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the response to the Student Teacher Support Program “shatters all expectations.”
In the first three hours after applications became available for the PA Student Teacher Support Program, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency reported over 3,500 students had submitted an application in hopes of receiving a stipend for the 12-16-week student teaching semester, which is unpaid.
“The Student Teacher Support Program is needed now more than ever,” said Amber Bloom, vice president of Student PSEA.
“We began talking about this idea among our Student PSEA leaders after we heard from so many members struggling with the costs of commuting to and working in student teaching placements."
“There are a lot of challenges to student teaching, but that unique classroom experience is so important and so necessary for aspiring educators. Paying student teachers a modest stipend is a win-win. It is a win for the young people who want to pursue careers in the classroom. And it is a win for Pennsylvania because it removes a significant financial barrier to becoming a teacher at a time when so many school districts are struggling with teacher shortages.”
House Bill 1416 – pre-Act 9 COLA for retirees
Approved by the state House on Nov. 14, this bill would provide nearly 40,000 pre-Act 9 school retirees with a much-needed cost-of-living adjustment in their pensions.
House Bill 141 – “Grow Your Own”
Approved May 1, this bill will create a program to help paraprofessionals and other school support staff go back to college to earn their teaching credentials. Read more in the Press Release.
House Bill 688 – scholarship program for aspiring educators
Approved May 2, this bill will establish the Pennsylvania Teach Scholarship Program, which will create an affordable pathway for talented, caring people to become teachers while lowering their student loan debt in the process. Read more in the Press Release.
House Bill 299 – extends Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements to public sector employees
Approved by the House on May 2, this bill will extend OSHA protections to school and other public sector employees, ensuring that state and local government entities receive the same occupational health and safety protections as their counterparts in the private sector so that Pennsylvania’s students and school staff members can teach and learn in healthy environments. Currently, public sector workers in Pennsylvania are not covered by federal guidelines for on-the-job safety.
PSEA’s legislative priorities are your priorities. Your hard work yields real results in Harrisburg. These are just four more examples of that.
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:
There’s no better time than American Education Week to celebrate our hardworking ESP members. And none more deserving of recognition than Denise Kueny, the 2023 Dolores McCracken PSEA Education Support Professional of the Year.
“Over the past 21 years, I have been fortunate to go to work in a place I love, with people I love. I have met, helped, and been inspired by hundreds of incredible students who have forever impacted my life. I am grateful and humbled by this award. Thank you.”
Kueny works as a special education instructional aide at Tohickon Middle School in the Central Bucks School District. In this role, she assists students in learning skills and lessons, offering plenty of guidance and encouragement along the way.
School colleagues praised Kueny for her dedication, noting that she often spends hours of her own free time reading and preparing to help students during the next day’s lessons.
“Her commitment to our students’ success knows no bounds,” Central Bucks Education Support Professional President Deneen Dry wrote in nominating Kueny. “She goes the extra mile to ensure that each child feels valued and empowered, whether it’s providing assistance during difficult moments, offering words of encouragement, or finding innovative ways to engage and inspire.”
Dry noted that Kueny is a strong supporter of and an asset to her local union, the Central Bucks Education Support Professionals Association.
The PSEA Center for Professional Learning relaunched the PEARL online learning system in Sept. 2023 with many updates and improvements. We are excited to invite you to dive into a refreshed learning experience on a new and improved PEARL!
Featured updates to PEARL are described on our brand new PEARL Updates Page where you can learn about the latest improvements including:
You’ll see several other enhancements when you dive into learning on PEARL.
We understand that change can be confusing. That’s why we also improved our member support with an updated FAQ Page and a showcase of videos showing you all the steps you need to make the most of PEARL.
Some of the videos to get you started are linked below:
Congratulations to Ashlie Crosson on being named 2024 PA Teacher of the Year! 
Jermaine Bailey, the first graduate of the Grow Your Own program in York, has worked as a paraprofessional in the York City School District, earning his degree and teaching certificate. He said his experience was wonderful and even more special because his oldest daughter, ShaWanna, also joined him in the program to become a certified teacher.
Bailey acknowledged cost is a barrier for some people who want to teach, but he added with the help of York School District superintendent Andrea Berry, he and his daughter were able to keep their paraprofessional positions, receive their salaries, and continue to do student teaching within their school building while attending the program.
Read the full Public News Service story
York City schools has found a unique way to address the educator shortage — through the “Grow Your Own” teacher preparation program that offers support to help locals earn their degrees and teaching certificates.
Jermaine Bailey, the program’s first graduate, previously worked as a paraprofessional in the district. The 48-year-old and his 27-year-old daughter, ShaWanna, both attended the district’s schools before going to York College to earn their degrees.
