Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 5-26-2025

Inside this issue

• Support state House budget bill for public school adequacy and tax equity
• Why judicial retention elections matter
• PSEA’s AI Task Force report now available
• Member Benefits spotlight: Voluntary Vision plan
• PEARL & Center for Professional Learning – summer series

As soon as next week, the state House of Representatives may vote on a state budget bill that includes another year of historic school funding increases aimed at fixing Pennsylvania’s unconstitutionally broken school funding system.

The budget bill, which reflects the state budget Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed in February, includes a $526 million increase for the adequacy supplement that targets additional state funds to 367 school districts that spend less than $14,120 per weighted student or are identified as having a local tax burden in the top 10 percent of schools in the state.

Contact your state representative right away and ask them to vote for House Bill 1330 so that the state budget includes a $526 million increase in the public school adequacy and tax equity supplements.

Click the link below to find out how:

In 2025, three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices are up for retention: Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. Together, these justices have contributed to landmark decisions that directly affect the daily lives of Pennsylvanians and educators.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices don’t run against opponents when their terms end – they face a judicial retention election every 10 years. It’s a nonpartisan vote: no parties, no challengers, just a simple “yes” or “no” on whether a sitting justice should stay on the bench.

Check out our Educator’s Guide to the Courts to find out more:

In May 2024, the PSEA House of Delegates passed a new business item creating the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force and directing it to evaluate the impact of AI on educators, students, the educational system, and society. The NBI also directed the task force to provide recommendations in the use of AI in Pennsylvania public schools and higher education institutions.

The task force, comprised of members from all PSEA regions including Student PSEA, ESP, Higher Education, and PSEA-Retired, met five times over the past year. They evaluated information from a variety of sources. This included careful alignment with the PSEA Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals. The task force agreed that any guidance must be tied to three principles:

• Teaching and learning must be protected as human activities.
• AI must be used ethically.
• We must continuously learn, assess, and evaluate the use of AI.

The AI Task Force will continue to meet throughout the 2025-26 school year and update the report as AI is rapidly changing by the day.

Click the link below to access the report:

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.

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

• Intro to the 3D Science Standards
  • June 24, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Understanding Autism: Supporting Student Behavior with Compassion and Strategy
  • June 26, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the Classroom Today: What Is It and What Does It Look Like in the Classroom?
  • July 8, 10-11:30 a.m.

Book Discussions

• The Missing Link to Help Them Think: Connecting Executive Function and SEL Skills to Boost Student Achievement
  • July 10, 7-8 p.m.
• Beautiful Child
  • July 17, 7-8 p.m.
• The Body Keeps the Score
  • Aug. 7, 10-11:30 a.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.