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HARRISBURG, PA (April 25, 2024) – Pennsylvania State Education Association President Aaron Chapin today joined PSEA leaders and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey at a press conference to announce that PSEA and the NEA Fund for Children and Education have recommended the senator for reelection.

PSEA leaders cited Sen. Casey’s many years of unwavering support for public education, public school students, and the dedicated PSEA members who teach and serve Pennsylvania’s students every day.

“I am proud today to announce that PSEA and the NEA Fund for Children and Education have recommended Sen. Casey for another term in the U.S. Senate,” Chapin said. “Sen. Casey is a proven leader, a respected member of the Senate, and a tireless advocate for public education in Pennsylvania. He knows our state, understands the challenges we face in our public schools, and knows how to solve them by getting things done in Washington, D.C.”

Chapin cited Casey’s strong record as a public education advocate, pointing to Casey’s long-time commitment to improving learning opportunities and health care for Pennsylvania’s children and his advocacy for meeting students’ nutritional needs through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“Sen. Casey is exactly the kind of leader that educators, support staff, and students need in the U.S. Senate,” Chapin said. “PSEA is proud to recommend him and stand with him as we work together to do what’s right for public education in Pennsylvania.”

Sen. Casey expressed appreciation for PSEA’s recommendation and voiced his continued support for investing in the education of America’s children.

“We have to invest in our kids because we believe, in the United States of America, that we as adults have an obligation to our children and that every child in this country is born with a light inside them that represents the full measure of that child’s potential,” Sen. Casey said. “And we need to invest in her early years, and we need to make sure that she can achieve the full measure of her potential, so that this light inside her grows as bright as humanly possible.”

Sen. Casey also spoke of efforts he has led to improve the lives of educators, including legislation to support the mental health of educators and support staff and efforts to raise the minimum salary for educators.

“I am grateful to have had the support over many years and especially in this campaign of PSEA,” Sen. Casey said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that support, how meaningful it is, and how valuable the work that is done by educators and PSEA is, not just for the present but for the future of our state.”

In remarks during the press conference, PSEA’s Southern Region President Ben Rugg said, “We need to attract more qualified, caring adults into careers in public education, we need to increase pay for educators and support professionals, we need to fix our unconstitutionally broken school funding system, and we need to make sure that every public school student has the tools they need to succeed. Sen. Casey can help us to do all of that.”

The PSEA-PACE Board is composed of PSEA members from across the state who recommend pro-public education candidates in state and local elections. The NEA Fund for Children and Education supports pro-public education recommended candidates for federal offices.

Chapin is a Stroudsburg Area middle school teacher and president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 177,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.