Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 11-3-2025

Inside this issue

• Election results show Pennsylvanians share our pro-public education values
• Federal government shutdown ends SNAP benefits for 2 million Pennsylvanians
• PSEA celebrates National School Psychologists Week
• PEARL & Center for Professional Learning
• Member Benefits spotlight: Aetna Dental Access discount dental program

Pennsylvania voters made it clear this week that they stand with PSEA on public education. From Erie County to Luzerne County, results defied expectations and reaffirmed that communities want leaders who put students and schools first.

At the judicial level, all seven PACE-recommended judicial nominees won:

PA Supreme Court retentions:

• Justice Christine Donohue — YES
• Justice Kevin Dougherty — YES
• Justice David Wecht — YES

PA Superior Court retention:

• Judge Alice B. Dubow — YES

PA Commonwealth Court retention:

• Judge Michael Wojcik — YES

Lower court elections:

• Superior Court: Judge Brandon Neuman — YES
• Commonwealth Court: Judge Stella Tsai — YES

At the county level, PACE-recommended candidates delivered major wins — including the Erie County executive race where pro-public education Democrat Christina Vogel defeated Republican incumbent Brenton Davis. On the opposite side of the state, Democrats flipped four seats to regain control of the Luzerne County Council. These outcomes mark strong bookends for pro-public education values across the state.

School board races told the same story. In the West Shore School District, voters rejected extremist politics, defeating the Moms for Liberty board chair and electing a bipartisan, pro-public education majority.

Other key school districts saw similar progress, with Hempfield, Southern Lehigh, Pine-Richland, and Hatboro-Horsham, and many others flipping to or strengthening pro-public education majorities.

High turnout across Pennsylvania powered these victories up and down the ballot, proof that when voters show up, public education wins.

Click here to learn more about the PACE recommendation process.

Pennsylvanians who receive SNAP benefits lost them on Nov. 1 because of the federal government shutdown. This means that more than 2 million Pennsylvanians will go hungry.

We know that childhood hunger is already a major issue facing our public schools and that the loss of SNAP benefits will only make success at school harder for students facing food insecurity. Hunger in children impacts their ability to learn and perform in the classroom because it hinders their concentration, memory, mood, and motor skills.

Here’s what you need to know about how the federal government shutdown impacts SNAP benefits. 

• More than 2 million Pennsylvanians will lose their SNAP benefits and go hungry. 
• Fifty-eight percent of those Pennsylvania families are families with children.
• To help, Gov. Josh Shapiro is allocating $5 million to Feeding Pennsylvania for distribution through local food banks. Learn more here.        
• Find local food banks in your area at www.feedingpa.org.

PSEA is demanding that our elected officials in Washington finalize a federal budget so that SNAP program funds continue to support Pennsylvania’s most needy families and children.

This past week we recognized the vital work of school psychologists across Pennsylvania and the nation. 

School psychologists are key members of our school communities. They support students’ mental health, strengthen connections between home and school, and help create safe, inclusive learning environments where every student can succeed.

To all our PSEA school psychologists, thank you for the care and compassion you bring to your schools. Your work makes a difference every single day.

PEARL

Visit 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

Webinars

• Fostering a “Growth Mindset” in the Classroom Today
  • Nov. 12, 7-8:30 p.m.
• From Classroom to Career: Strengthening Educator Support & Development
  • Nov. 18, 7-8:30 p.m.
• From Paper to Pixels in 2026: Your Complete Guide to PA’s Online Standardized Assessments
  • Nov. 19, 7-8:30 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Students to Engage the World
  
  • Dec. 3, 7-8 p.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 (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.

Smile brighter with savings at over 262,000* available dental practice locations nationwide. Use your card over and over again to keep your teeth sparkling clean!

For one flat household rate of just $8 per month, PSEA members and their legal dependents up to age 26 can access dental savings through Aetna Dental Access.

• In most instances, save 15% to 50% per visit.**
• Save on dental services such as cleanings, X-rays, crowns, root canals, and fillings.

Learn more about this new program below:

*As of April 2020.

**Actual costs and savings vary by provider, service, and geographical area. The discount program provides access to the Aetna Dental Access® network. This network is administered by Aetna Life Insurance Company (ALIC). Neither ALIC nor any of its affiliates offers or administers the discount program. Neither ALIC nor any of its affiliates is an affiliate, agent, representative, or employee of the discount program. Dental providers are independent contractors and not employees or agents of ALIC or its affiliates. ALIC does not provide dental care or treatment and is not responsible for outcomes.

(Not available to VT residents.)