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PSEA's Legislative Priorities

PSEA members believe every student — no matter what they look like, where they live, or how much their family earns — deserves the chance to thrive and be successful. This cannot be accomplished without full and fair funding for our public schools — where 90% of Pennsylvania’s students learn.

Pennsylvania public schools are the heart of our communities. And every community deserves safe, supportive, welcoming, and well-resourced neighborhood public school so every student has access to:

  • A healthy learning environment supported by essential staff;
  • Teachers and educators who are valued, respected, and well-prepared;
  • Student opportunities for personalized learning;
  • Certified professionals to support students’ physical, emotional, and academic growth;
  • Engaging materials, challenging curriculum, and up-to-date technologies;
  • And nutritious meals, healthy spaces, and opportunities for engagement both in and out of school environments.

Standing up together to defend public education, PSEA members will never stop fighting for strong, inclusive public schools — for every student, in every neighborhood. No exceptions.

Fair Funding

Full and Fair Funding for PUBLIC schools

Pennsylvania must continue to make necessary investments in our public schools to ensure all students have access to a “comprehensive, effective and contemporary system of public education.”

Schools that can provide students:

  • A challenging curriculum with personalized learning;
  • Up-to-date technology to support instruction;
  • Certified nurses and school-based mental health professionals who care for our kids and can keep them healthy — both physically and emotionally;
  • Current text books and resource materials, after-school programs, safe and contemporary school facilities, challenging high school classes, and enough well-prepared teachers who nurture a love of learning. 

Anything less does not meet constitutional muster.

Public Funds for Public Schools

Wealthy special interests seek to distract and divide us, hoping we look the other way while they work in the shadows to defund public schools, expand harmful school voucher programs (whether they are called “PASS scholarships,” “Lifeline scholarships,” “Education Freedom Accounts,” or is simply repurposed money from a revamped EITC/OSTC program), and undermine essential protections for working Pennsylvanians.

News flash — we will not be distracted or divided. PSEA stands firm in its strident opposition to ANY redirection of public tax dollars to private and religious schools — by whatever name.

Pennsylvania has a constitutional duty to fund our public schools adequately and equitably — any scheme to divert public resources away from that duty is unacceptable.

RESPECT for Educators and Staff

PA educators and staff deserve fair compensation; paid time to care for their families during times of need; and dignity and respect for the essential services they provide.

COLA for Pre Act 9 retirees

Over 40,000 former school employees — many of whom are in their 80s now — have been scraping by for 20 years on $20,000 a year. These retirees did not receive the pension benefit enhancements in 2001 under Act 9 — and they have consistently been denied a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) by the PA General Assembly. All while their costs for basic needs like housing, gas, medicine, and food have continued to skyrocket. PSEA urges the General Assembly and Governor Shapiro to right this wrong once and for all. Do not forget these public service veterans  and their years of dedication to PA students and communities. Enact a COLA in the FY25/26 budget and provide them with the dignity they deserve and have earned.

Student Teacher Stipend

The Student Teacher Support Grant Program has been lifechanging for thousands of aspiring educators in Pennsylvania, removing a major barrier to becoming a certified teacher. About 2,240 student teachers received the stipends in the fall of 2024 and the spring of 2025. While a tremendous step forward to helping address the educator shortage, this is far below the need identified by over 4,000 applicants. PSEA greatly appreciates the bipartisan support for the creation and funding for the program in recent years. Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget for FY 25-26 doubles funding for the Student Teacher Support Program from $20 million to $40 million.

PSEA supports this increase and urges that the final FY 25-26 budget include funding of $50 million to fully fund the program so that every eligible student teacher can receive a Stipend as intended by Act 33 of 2023.

Living Wage for Education Support Professionals

There are crisis-level shortages of ESPs in public schools across Pennsylvania. ESPs are the unsung heroes of our schools, whose dedication and hard work are essential to the success of every student. PSEA continues to advocate for a living wage of at least $20/hour for support professionals, as reflected in HB 777 and SB 679, that allows them to support themselves and provide for their families. ESPs should be respected and paid fairly for the incredible work that they do.

A closer look at PSEA's legislative priorities

Increase minimum educator salaries to $60,000 and increase minimum wages for education support professionals to $20 an hour

With a 66 percent drop in Pennsylvania teaching certificates issued over the past 10 years, the educator shortage has reached crisis levels, forcing current teachers to sacrifice precious planning periods and lunch breaks to cover classes for absent colleagues.

Just as important, hourly wages for thousands of support professionals haven’t kept pace with other jobs that pay more. Caring, talented paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers shouldn’t be lured away from public education because jobs at Costco and Walmart pay more.

That’s why PSEA has made it a priority to pass legislation setting minimum educator salaries at $60,000 and minimum wages for education support professionals at $20 an hour. Passing this bill would increase pay for 15,930 educators and 34,167 education support professionals.

Michael Jennings, Teacher in the Ephrata Area School District

"We believe that increasing the minimum salary to $60,000 for a starting teacher is important because we want to attract the best, the brightest talent that we possibly can to education."

Kimberly Jones, ESP president in the Reading School District

“Getting $20 per hour or more would be a huge boost for my members. We are comprised of a lot of single parents who would be able to breathe that they can put more food on their tables. A lot of our members also have second and third jobs. Maybe with this legislation they would be able to quit that third job.”

65% drop

Between 2012-13 and 2024-25, the number of newly certified teachers in Pennsylvania dropped by 65 percent. That means there were 12,400 fewer newly certified teachers last year than there were nine years ago.

Setting a $60,000 minimum salary for educators will impact 15,390 PSEA members

PSEA’s plan is to increase the statewide minimum salary for educators to $60,000 by the 2027-28 school year. That means that salaries for 15,390 teachers, school counselors, nurses, and other professionals will increase to $60,000.

Setting a $20 per hour minimum wage will

impact 34,167 PSEA ESP members

PSEA’s plan is to set the minimum wage for education support professionals at $20 per hour. That means increasing pay for 34,167 paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians across Pennsylvania.

Talented education support professionals are leaving public education

More and more, talented, committed paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians are leaving jobs in public education because they can make more money, with better schedules at Amazon, Target, or Costco.

Starting Salary - Interactive Map (click to open)

PSEA has made steady progress to increase starting salaries at the bargaining table. Setting a statewide $60,000 minimum salary, paid for with state funds over five years, would increase 15,390 members’ salaries to $60,000 and free up local resources to increase salaries for members who are higher on their salary schedules.

Invest in a statewide scholarship program for aspiring educators

The rising cost of a college education is making it harder for young people to pursue degrees. With a dramatic drop in the number of college students entering teacher preparation programs in Pennsylvania, the impact on students who would make great teachers is even more problematic.

Students are deciding to pursue other degrees, thinking that they will earn more in careers other than teaching and have an easier time paying off their student loans.

That’s why PSEA is making it a priority to create a statewide scholarship program for aspiring educators to help them pay for college and remove key financial barriers to getting an education degree and entering the teaching profession.

Samantha Miller, Student PSEA Southeastern Region President, West Chester University

"Adding a scholarship for Pennsylvania's future educators will help add access for a lot of people who are turned away from education because of the financial costs and burden that it is to become a teacher, and how expensive college is today." 

Pay student teachers for the work they do

Right now, student teaching programs in Pennsylvania are unpaid, leaving aspiring educators struggling to pay for necessities while completing their 12 weeks of student teaching. This long-standing practice is a stark contrast with college internships in other fields, which typically pay students for their work.

That’s why Student PSEA members proposed a new business item at the December 2022 House of Delegates to study how to pay student teachers. Delegates approved the new business item, making it a priority for PSEA.

Because this is so important for Student PSEA members, PSEA is pushing for legislation that will make sure that student teachers get paid for what they do, removing another barrier that makes the education profession less attractive to college students.

Jordan Miller, Student PSEA President, Mansfield University

“Student teaching is an unpaid full-time job, but we have bills to pay. We’re often left with taking more time away from our education to earn money from an additional job or paid internship. A stipend eliminates the financial burden student teachers know too well.”

Invest in “Grow Your Own” programs that help paraprofessionals and other school support staff go back to college to earn their teaching credentials

Across Pennsylvania, there are many education support professionals who want to become teachers, but who can’t envision overcoming the economic and family-related hurdles to do it.

To help talented people who are already working in our schools get their teaching degrees, we should create new pathways to the profession and open the door to great teachers who might otherwise never make their way to a classroom.

“Grow Your Own” programs offer incentives to support professionals and make it easier for them to complete teacher preparation programs. After they finish their college education, they return to the schools where they began their careers and continue them as teachers.

Creating these “Grow Your Own” programs is a PSEA priority, and we are working with lawmakers to pass a law to make this idea a reality.

Jermaine Bailey, Paraprofessional in the School District of the City of York

“I'm currently taking advantage of the ‘Grow Your Own’ process with the School District of the City of York to become a certified teacher. There are eight of us paraprofessionals that are moving toward the teacher journey. I will be one of the first to actually finish the process and begin as a teacher in August, and there should be seven following within the next year or two. So, I believe that's a great way of promoting within and growing, not only in your district, but the education field as a whole.”

Get more school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals into our schools

There is no doubt that the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted students. Now more than ever before, students are struggling with anxiety and depression. And they need help to cope.

At the same time, public schools don’t have enough school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals to meet our students’ needs.

PSEA has made it a priority to find ways to pay these important professionals and attract more of them to public education so that our students get the services and supports they need.

Afia Lewis, Elementary math teacher in the William Penn School District

“We just experienced a pandemic. And after this pandemic, our children are in a space of need. Their families are in a space of need. And bringing in more mental health professionals to help support what teachers can do for our community is so important."

Pass COLA legislation for pre-Act 9 retirees

Right now, there are nearly 40,000 retired educators and support professionals who haven’t seen a COLA in 20 years. These dedicated people spent their careers in PA’s schools and classrooms. On average, they are 84 years old, and their pensions are less than $20,000.

Just as important, they retired before Act 9 was passed in 2001, legislation that increased the pension multiplier for active members. As a result, the 40,000 retirees in this class have smaller pensions.

Because they haven’t had a COLA since 2002, their real buying power has declined by 40 percent.

This is why passing legislation to authorize a COLA for pre-Act 9 retirees is so important, and that’s why PSEA has made it a top priority.

Patsy Tallarico, PSEA-Retired President

“So many retirees really, really need a COLA. Every year that they don’t get one, their lives get harder, and their money doesn’t go as far. I’m very glad that PSEA recognizes how important this is. PSEA-Retired members are going to work as hard as we possibly can to help get this done.”

 

 

Trina Smith, PSEA-Retired

“So many of our retired teachers retired 20, 30 years ago and have not had a cost-of-living increase in their pension. Some of them are living on $9,000 a year. When I started in '78, my salary was $9,000, which means that theirs was probably $15,000. So they're getting a pension based on $15,000, and Social Security based on $15,000. So they are living on very, very little, and they really need help in the situation with the cost-of-living. It's crucial that our legislators give our pre-Act 9 retired educators a cost of living increase.”

Advocate for adequate and equitable state funding

In the wake of the landmark Commonwealth Court decision that declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional, Gov. Shapiro and state legislators will now confront the challenge of recreating this system to make sure that every student has the resources and the opportunity to access a quality education.

This will take time, effort, and input from PSEA members.

In the FY 2023-24 state budget and beyond, PSEA will play an active role in all of these funding issues to make sure that every student has access to the power of a great education.

Legislative priorities in the news

June 05, 2024

NBC News: Despite healthy economy, many Americans worry about retirement

Philly Inquirer: Pa. issued the lowest number ever of new teaching certificates as educator shortage worsens

Newcastle News: Op-ed | Solving Pa.'s school staffing crisis

Allentown Morning Call: Op-ed | Solve the school staff shortage — start teachers at $60,000; bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians should get $20 per hour

Daily Local News: PSEA head calls on legislators to address teacher shortage crisis

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