Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 3-4-2024

Inside this issue

• Member Benefits spotlight: AmeriServ mortgage and home equity loans
• Southeastern Region President Pam Brown testifies on governor’s budget
• Latest PSEA podcast: Student teaching in Pennsylvania
• ICYMI in Voice: Raising Education Support Professionals’ pay
• Local Presidents – Be on the lookout for your NEA Representative Assembly (“RA”) delegate form
• Upcoming Center for Professional Learning events and PEARL

Looking to buy a house?

Interest rates have been dropping. Now is a great time to start looking for the home of your dreams, whether it be a starter, vacation, or your next home. Enjoy these PSEA exclusive mortgage benefits with our preferred partner, AmeriServ:

• Market leading rates
• No origination fee (savings of $695)
• One FREE rate re-lock opportunity ($400 value)
• $250 credit on interest rate buy-down options

Already own a home? Take advantage of your home’s equity.

AmeriServ offers a home equity product we call Loan in a Line. Use it as a home equity credit line while also having the capability to take out fixed-rate term loans at the same time. Enjoy the flexibility this product offers for home improvements, debt consolidation, tuition, vacations, or simply to have the peace of mind to know it’s there when you need it. Your benefits include market leading rates, along with waiving annual and other fees. 

Many members took advantage of historic low mortgage interest rates in the past couple of years. Now is a great time to establish a home equity loan and obtain low fixed-rate options. These products and benefits are available to PSEA members and their families (parents, children, and siblings). 

To learn more and to view current rates visit us at www.ameriserv.com/psea

On Tuesday, PSEA Southeastern Region President Pam Brown testified in front of the House Democratic Policy Committee on Gov. Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 budget. Brown, an Instructional Support teacher for grades 5 and 6 at Hopewell Elementary School in the Oxford Area School District, outlined the myriad ways the governor’s basic education funding proposal would address key issues that affect educators and students throughout Pennsylvania.

For a complete transcription of Brown’s testimony, click the link below.

This week’s “Duty Free Lunch” features a conversation with Student PSEA members at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Emily Jett and Amber Bloom. Emily is the Student PSEA president, and Amber is vice president. They join PSEA President Aaron Chapin and Vice President Jeff Ney to discuss their experience as student teachers, their embrace of AI, and what impact they hope to make as educators.

Check out current and past episodes at the link below.

The math is simple: Better pay equals more school staff. That’s why PSEA has been so vocal about increasing pay for our teachers and support staff across the board. Read our cover story in the February 2024 issue of Voice about how we’re campaigning for a living wage of at least $20 per hour for our ESP members.

Peruse the rest of the issue while you’re at it:

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

• 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.
• Online Polling for Student Engagement & Assessment
  • April 16, 7-8 p.m.

Book Discussions

• 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.
• The Grimm Legacy
  • April 24, 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.