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Week of 3-17-2025
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Inside this issue
- Take action against Trump shutting down U.S. Department of Education
- New COLA legislation advances in the House
- PA lawmakers push for $20 minimum wage for ESPs
- ICYMI in Voice: ASL Club breaks language barriers
- Member Benefits spotlight: GE Appliances Store
- PEARL & Center for Professional Learning
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Take action against Trump shutting down U.S. Department of Education
On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, which would put $1.6 billion in federal funding to Pennsylvania public schools at risk, and put nearly 7,000 jobs in Pennsylvania public schools in jeopardy.
The educational opportunities for every student, particularly those 7.5 million students with IEPs, are now at risk. TOGETHER, we can fight for our students, our schools, and our professions.
Contact your U.S. representative and U.S. senator RIGHT NOW and tell them to OPPOSE any effort to SHUTTER the U.S. Department of Education.
Click the button below to learn more and stand up for public education now!
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New COLA legislation advances in the House
On a more positive note, on Monday, the House State Government Committee advanced two bills – House Bill 408 and House Bill 411 – that would provide a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for our pre-Act 9 retired members.
HB 408 provides cost-of-living adjustments ranging from 10% to 20% to pre-Act 9 retirees, depending on year of retirement. HB 411 provides slightly higher cost-of-living adjustments, ranging from 15% to 24.5%.
It remains a top PSEA priority to secure a COLA for these hardworking folks who dedicated their lives to the students of Pennsylvania. This legislation provides an important stepping stone to making that happen.
“Thank you to the lawmakers on the House State Government Committee who voted to advance a cost-of-living adjustment for tens of thousands of retired educators, school support staff, and state employees who haven’t gotten a raise in their pensions in more than two decades,” said PSEA President Aaron Chapin. “Thank you for recognizing and respecting a generation of public servants who spent their careers making our commonwealth a better place to live, work, and learn.”
As always, we’ll keep you updated on the progress of this legislation.
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PA lawmakers push for $20 minimum wage for ESPs
State lawmakers are also stepping up to address critical school support staff shortages with a new living wage proposal. Reps. Dan Miller and Jim Prokopiak recently introduced House Bill 777, which would require public schools to pay support staff a living wage of at least $20 per hour. PSEA estimates the bill would raise wages for 45 percent of school support staff (about 41,505 workers) by an average of $2.90 per hour.
“We should not be losing talented paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, or other support professionals who are great with our students simply because they can make more money working at Target or Costco,” said PSEA President Aaron Chapin.
A 2024 poll found that 80 percent of Pennsylvania voters support raising school support staff wages. House Bill 777 aims to make that a reality, ensuring these essential workers earn enough to support themselves and their families.
It’s about time we got this done.
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ICYMI in Voice: ASL Club breaks language barriers
When you enter Lindsey Graney’s classroom at Baldwin High School, you won’t hear a word. Instead, you will see students seated in groups talking with their facial expressions and body movements.
“I wrote American Sign Language (ASL) curriculum years ago thinking maybe it would be offered as a world language someday,” said Graney, an ASL and hearing support teacher. “Learning a secondary language like German or Spanish may be hard for some kids, but learning sign language can be a tremendous opportunity.”
Read the full story in the latest issue of Voice:
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Member Benefits spotlight: GE Appliances Store
Big savings every day!
PSEA members enjoy exclusive access!
The GE Appliances Store is an exclusive shopping website where members can save up to 25% off MSRP on select GE appliances.
- Special savings on Profile, Cafe, GE, Monogram, Haier, and Hotpoint major appliances
- Additional promotional and rebate offers
- Shop their new suite of small appliances
- Convenient in-home delivery, installation, and haul-away services available
Register to access the GE Appliances Store now!
Phone: 1-866-907-6490
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PEARL & Center for Professional Learning
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
- Text-Centered Socratic Seminar
- Tech for Teacher Wellness: Strategies for a Healthy Life and Sustainable Career
- The Mindful Teacher’s Toolkit
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 (micro-credentials) 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.
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400 N. 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
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This content is intended for PSEA members and their immediate families.
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