Week of 4-11-2022

Inside this issue

• Voucher bill comes up short on votes in the state House
• HACC faculty vote to join PSEA
• Spread the word about how to become a substitute teacher
• Available courses on PSEA’s PEARL professional learning platform
• PSEA Member Benefits spotlight: AmeriServ mortgage and home equity loans

Another swing and a miss.

This week, some lawmakers were planning to vote on yet another tuition voucher bill. This one would take money from school districts that need it most and use it on vouchers for unaccountable private and religious schools.

But, once again, they didn’t have the votes to pass it.

In addition to paying for tuition vouchers, House Bill 2169 would even let parents use voucher money - on a debit card - to buy books and supplies. And if they don’t spend it all, they could even apply it to the first two years of college tuition.

This is a ridiculously bad idea, and that’s what PSEA members told state representatives. Legislators got thousands of emails from you, telling them to vote “no” on this bill.

Thank you for speaking out, and let’s keep up the good work.

Welcome to the PSEA family!

Last week, faculty members at Harrisburg Area Community College voted to join PSEA.

PSEA has been working on the Hawk Faculty United organizing campaign since 2020. Now full-time and adjunct faculty members at HACC’s Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, Gettysburg, York, and virtual campuses will be included in a PSEA bargaining unit.

Until the vote, HACC was the only community college in Pennsylvania that did not have a faculty union.

PSEA is proud to welcome these dedicated and talented faculty members to the PSEA family. We look forward to working with them to negotiate a contract that is fair and equitable and treats all HACC faculty members as the professionals they are.

Do you know someone who has a bachelor’s degree?

Who has a teaching certificate but hasn’t taught in a while?

Who’s a college student and has completed at least 60 credits in a teacher preparation program?

Encourage them to go to www.psea.org/subswanted to learn how they can become substitute teachers.

If you’re looking to earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits this summer, look no further than PEARL, PSEA's member exclusive online learning system with 95 courses and counting.

PEARL

Here are just a few courses you have access to:

• Understanding Students and Trauma
• Formative Assessment Fun with Kahoot
• Time Management and Organization for Online Learning
• Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety
• Schoology in Practice: Essentials for Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced
• Math at a Distance: Best Practices
• Trauma Informed Instruction
• Using HyperDocs for Learning
• Building and Maintaining a Humanized Classroom
• Understanding Students and Anger

Courses are always open so you can complete them in your spare time! Explore the full course list at pearl.psea.org

Rates for AmeriServ’s fixed interest home equity loans remain at historic lows. With housing values increasing, now is a great time to tap in to that new equity and establish a loan in a Line home equity account with AmeriServ. The product offers great flexibility of being a line of credit and the opportunity to lock in low, fixed-rate loans within the same account. Lock in low rates for consolidating higher interest debt, home improvements, vehicles, dream vacations, or many other purposes. Please click on the link below to see just how low the home equity loan rates are.

PSEA home equity benefits include:

• No annual fee and no fixed-rate lock fees (up to $25 annual fee savings)
• Low introductory rate offered on the credit line
• Use it as a line of credit, fixed rate loans, or both at the same time

If you are looking to buy a house, take advantage of AmeriServ’s competitive mortgage rates and PSEA specific program enhancements, which include:

• Market-leading mortgage interest rates
• No loan origination fees (savings of $695)
• One FREE rate relock opportunity ($400 value)
• $250 credit on interest rate buy-down options

Clink on the link below to see current rates.