Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 2-19-2024

Inside this issue

• Securing a pre-Act 9 COLA is a top PSEA priority
• Latest PSEA podcast: 2024 PA Teacher of the Year Ashlie Crosson
• Voice preview: Students elevate MREs in a cooking competition
• Local Presidents – Be on the lookout for your NEA Representative Assembly (“RA”) delegate form
• Upcoming Center for Professional Learning events and PEARL
• Member Benefits spotlight: Voluntary Vision plan

Why is it so important to secure a cost-of-living adjustment for 40,000 dedicated educators and support professionals who retired before 2001?

Because lawmakers haven’t approved a COLA for public school retirees in MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

It is critical that we get state lawmakers back in the habit of granting COLAs. We must restore the promise of a secure retirement, starting with our pre-Act 9 retirees who are really struggling to make ends meet.

This is a top priority for PSEA. And we’re glad that the state House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to authorize a COLA for them in November 2023. But we’re not just going to sit around and wait for the Senate to act on this bill. We’re pushing to get this done in the FY 2024-25 state budget.

Two weeks ago, PSEA members sent more than 5,000 emails to legislators and Gov. Josh Shapiro, telling them to do just that. And we’re just getting started.

We’ll keep you posted on our progress but go here to learn more and send a message to your senator, representative, and Gov. Shapiro.

In this episode of “Duty Free Lunch,” we sit down with 2024 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Ashlie Crosson to discuss her award, her feelings about PSEA membership, and why she stands by the phrase, “what’s good for teachers is good for students.” This episode is hosted by PSEA President Aaron Chapin and Treasurer Rachael West.

You can listen to “Duty Free Lunch” wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to subscribe so you’ll know when new episodes drop.

Freeze-dried and pre-packaged MREs, meals ready-to-eat, are what soldiers and marines eat when they are deployed. But they are not known to be the most visually appealing and appetizing. Food science students at Penn Manor High School set out to change that in a classroom cooking competition known as “The MRE Challenge,” where they have one hour to prepare a drink, appetizer, main dish, and dessert.

“It created a lot of fun, excitement, and wonder in the classroom,” said Tiffany Zook, family and consumer science teacher in the Penn Manor School District. “I just saw a lot of beaming faces on a lot of my students, and you could see their self-esteem went up a notch.”

Check out the February issue of Voice for the full story, or read it online at the link below.

During the week of Jan. 22, The National Education Association emailed your NEA Representative Assembly delegate form. This document provides the number of delegates allowed to represent your local and is the only form available for you to report your delegates to the upcoming RA. Completed forms should be sent to Denise Rutledge, PSEA Convention Coordinator, at drutledge@psea.org no later than April 10.

Please make sure to check your email as well as your spam/junk folder. If you believe you have not received the emailed form from NEA, you may request access to a duplicate form at www.nea.org/delegaterequirements.

The 2024 NEA Representative Assembly will be held July 3-7 in Philadelphia and is the world’s largest democratic deliberative assembly. The RA consists of nearly 8,000 delegates representing state and local affiliates, student members, support professional members, and retired members.

PEARL

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

Webinars

• Implementing & Sustaining Target Language Use in the World Language Classroom
  • Feb. 27, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Fostering a "Growth Mindset" in the Classroom Today: Shifting the Focus to Growth and Development with Assessment & Grades Rather than Measurement for Sorting & Classification (ECE Series)
  • March 13, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Be Prepared: Efficient and Informed IEP Meetings (ECE Series)
  • March 20, 7-8:30 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Science Cross-Cutting Concepts Picture Book Study
  • March 5, 7-8 p.m.
• Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (Revised Edition)
  • April 3, 7-8 p.m.
• Good Different (Poetry)
  • April 11, 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 (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.

The PSEA Voluntary Vision plan offers low monthly payments, great frame and contact lenses allowances, exam coverage, fitting fee coverage for contact lenses, and the choice of 12-month or 24-month coverage. The plan is available to all PSEA members and eligible dependents to age 26. Enrollment opens the first of each month.

The 12-month plan highlights include a $300 frame allowance or $150 contact lenses allowance with monthly premiums of only $12 for single coverage, $24 for two-party, and $35 for family coverage.

The 24-month plan highlights include a $300 frame allowance or $175 contact lenses allowance with monthly premiums of only $8 for single coverage, $16 for two-party, and $23 for family coverage.

For more information on the vision program please visit https://pseahwf.org/voluntary_vision/ or call the PSEA Health & Welfare Fund at 800-944-7732 ext. 7024.