Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 5-25-2026

Inside this issue

• COLA momentum builds after press conference
• PSEA supports bell-to-bell smartphone ban in schools
• School employees deserve protection when injuries occur
• PSEA Podcast: End of an era with retiring board members Patsy Tallarico and Debbie Lee
• Member Benefits spotlight: GE Appliances Store
• PEARL & Center for Professional Learning

Sen. Vincent Hughes addresses Wednesday’s virtual press conference on COLA legislation.

On Wednesday, the CLEAR Coalition held a virtual press conference shining a spotlight on the urgent need for a pre-Act 9 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for around 54,000 retired public employees – including more than 34,000 former educators and support professionals – who haven’t seen a pension increase in over 20 years. 

With average pensions under $20,000 and costs for food, housing, and medical care having risen dramatically since 2002, many of these retirees, now averaging age 84, are struggling to make ends meet. 

House Bill 411 has already passed the House with bipartisan support, and Senate Bill 721, backed by a bipartisan group including seven Republicans, would fund the COLA using interest from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, with no new tax dollars required. 

These retirees served Pennsylvania for decades. They can’t wait any longer.

Tell your senator to pass a pre-Act 9 COLA now.

Next week, the state House is expected to consider House Bill 1814, legislation that would require Pennsylvania schools to adopt “bell-to-bell” policies that would prohibit student use of smartphones and internet-connected devices during the school day. Educators know firsthand that constant connectivity disrupts learning, enables cheating, fuels cyberbullying, and contributes to the youth mental health crisis gripping our schools.

PSEA supports House Bill 1814, sponsored by Rep. Mandy Steele, as well as Senate Bill 1014, sponsored by Sens. Robinson, Hughes, and Santarsiero. The bills are identical and establish a statewide foundation for student mobile device policies in all public and nonpublic schools, while emphasizing that districts and other school entities should retain flexibility in how they implement student possession restrictions. There are limited exceptions for students with medical needs, IEPs, or 504 plans.

Learn more about this legislation here.

Click the button below to contact your representative and urge them to support House Bill 1814 and SB 1014 on the House Floor.

The state House Education Committee is scheduled to vote next week on House Bill 1919, legislation that would provide up to one year of full-salary, full-benefit leave for school employees injured due to student or parent behavior. From paraprofessionals to bus drivers to classroom teachers, school staff across Pennsylvania who sustain injuries on the job should not be left to absorb the financial consequences on their own.

Here are some of HB 1919’s key provisions:

• Provides up to one year of full-salary, full-benefit leave for any public school employee unable to work due to an injury inflicted by a student or a student’s parent/guardian.
• Employees retain all accumulated sick and personal leave and continue accruing additional leave while out.
• Employees are considered in daily attendance for purposes of seniority, step movement, and PSERS service credit.
• Workers’ compensation remains available for long-term or permanent disability needs, and any workers’ compensation wage-loss checks issued during the first year are simply turned over to the district.
• Workers’ compensation statutes of limitation are paused during the injury-leave period, ensuring employees do not lose workers’ compensation rights while they recover.
• The benefit sets a protective floor and cannot diminish or override stronger injury leave provisions in local collective bargaining agreements.

Reach out to your state representative now and urge a YES vote on HB 1919.

Aaron sits down with two of PSEA’s longest-serving board members – Debbie Lee and Patsy Tallarico – as they prepare to close out remarkable education careers. Debbie shares how 9/11 brought her from New York City classrooms to Pennsylvania, where she spent 16 years as local president and six as an NEA director. Patsy traces his path from a scrappy 1968 strike over planning periods all the way to the PSEA presidency and beyond. Together, they reflect on what keeps leaders going, why politics and education are inseparable, and what they hope the next generation of union leaders carries forward.

Listen to this episode

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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

• Understanding & Engaging Neurodiverse Learners
  • June 23, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Elementary Behavior Reboot: From Chaos to Calm
  • June 25, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Education in a TikTok World: Social Media, Youth Mental Health, and Academic Success
  • June 30, 10-11:30 a.m.

Book discussions

• Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day
  • July 28, 10-11 a.m.
• Personal Finance: In the Books! (A Picture Book Study)
  • Aug. 12, 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.*

In addition, PSEA members can earn up to nine credits toward their master’s degree ABSOLUTELY FREE in PennWest Edinboro’s online M.Ed. program!

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.