Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 6-19-2023

Inside this issue

• TAKE ACTION NOW! Oppose tuition voucher schemes
• SUCCESS! PA House passes student teacher stipend bill
• A thank you note as we close out Pride Month
• Upcoming Center for Professional Learning events and PEARL
• Member Benefits spotlight: URL life insurance

Some lawmakers are making a last minute push to pass a tuition voucher bill that will take money away from our public schools and send it to private and religious schools. The state Senate may vote on a voucher bill on Monday.

Here’s what you need to know.

• TUITION VOUCHER SCHEMES FOR PRIVATE AND RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS WILL TAKE PRECIOUS STATE RESOURCES AWAY FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT THE EXACT TIME WHEN PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN LEAST AFFORD IT.
• The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled that our state’s school funding system is unconstitutional. That means that the Legislature will need to increase public school funding by several billion dollars over the next few years.
• There is a school staff shortage crisis in our schools, and we need to increase salaries and wages to attract more qualified, caring adults to public education.
• Our students are facing unprecedented mental and emotional challenges, and we need more state funding to hire school psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers.

Click the button below to contact your state senator and state representative RIGHT NOW and tell them to oppose any tuition voucher schemes.

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1331, which would provide stipends to student teachers to directly combat the school staffing crisis gripping our schools. Currently, student teachers in Pennsylvania are not paid. The proposed legislation seeks to remedy this by providing a minimum grant of $10,000 to student teachers, with the possibility of an additional $5,000 for those working in schools with few student teachers or many open positions. The bill also includes a provision for a $2,500 stipend for the overseeing teacher. To receive the grant, students would commit to working as teachers in Pennsylvania for at least three years.

Your advocacy helped make this a PSEA priority, and so we have you to thank for pushing our lawmakers to action. The bill now moves to the Senate. We’ll keep you posted on further updates on this and other legislative developments.

Thank you, PSEA members, for embracing inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance in your classrooms. Your commitment to creating safe environments and fostering understanding is a cornerstone of what public education is all about. Let’s continue to uplift and empower our students and promote equality and love all year round. Together, we can make a lasting impact.

Click on the button below for NEA’s tool kit to learn how to become a better advocate for our LGBTQ+ students.

PEARL

Looking for a convenient and flexible way to earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits? As a PSEA member, you have exclusive access to over 95 courses through PEARL.

Here are just three of the courses you have access to:

• Understanding Students and Anger
• Facilitating Student Collaboration & Connection in Virtual Spaces
• Symbaloo: Interactive Bookmarking for Engaging and Interactive Instruction

Webinars

• Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First: Cultivating Healing and Well-being Through Self Awareness
  
  • June 27 10 a.m.
• Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First: Cultivating Healing and Well-being Through Self-Management
  • July 11, 5:30 p.m.
• Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First: Cultivating Healing and Well-being Through Social Awareness
  • July 18, 10 a.m.

Book Discussions

• The Questioneers
  
  • June 29, 10-11 a.m.
• Al Capone Does My Shirts
  
  • July 13, 10-11 a.m.
• Treasure Hunters
  • July 20, 10-11 a.m.

Member Well-being

• Mindful Mondays
  • July 17, 8:30 a.m. 
• Mindful Mondays
  • Aug. 7, 8:30 a.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.

URL Insurance Group is the life insurance provider for PSEA members and their families. URL understands that it shouldn’t take a lifetime to apply for life insurance coverage. That’s why they offer the ability to get instant-decision life insurance.

PSEA members and family members (ages 18-60) can now get a term life insurance quote in seconds and be insured in minutes, all from a smartphone. Coverage starts at $50,000 and goes up to $1.5 million. No doctors, no hassles, no waiting. If you’re over the age of 60 or have kids and/or grandchildren under the age of 18, URL has you covered as well.

Click the link below to access the instant quote and instant decision life insurance:

Click for a quote

Or, click the link below if you prefer to have a consultation regarding life insurance options:

Click for a consultation with a PSEA Life Insurance Specialist