Week of 8-15-2022

Inside this issue

• The true cost of Doug Mastriano’s multibillion-dollar school funding cuts
• PSEA recommends Josh Shapiro for governor because...
• Share your back-to-school photos with PSEA
• PEARL and Center for Professional Learning
• Member Benefits spotlight: healthPERX Tele-therapy

If state Sen. Doug Mastriano becomes governor, Pennsylvania public schools will lose $12.75 billion! That’s a truly staggering sum, and it doesn’t tell nearly the whole story.

A few months ago, Mastriano made it clear that he wants to cut per student public school funding by $9,000 or $10,000, an approach that is consistent with his support of tuition voucher legislation and bills to increase state tax credits for businesses that give money to private and religious schools.

These cuts would decimate our state’s public education system and the 1.7 million students who learn in our public schools.

If $12.75 billion in cuts sounds unbelievably large, believe it. We did the math and created a detailed model that lays out the cuts’ impact on every school district across the state. You can click on the map image above or visit www.psea.org/mastrianocuts for more details.

Mastriano’s funding cuts would:

• Cut 33 percent of total school funding and up to 67 percent of some districts’ funding
• Eliminate 118,000 education jobs
• Increase student-teacher ratios by 109 percent

On Nov. 8, Pennsylvanians will choose our next governor. Before PSEA members go to the polls, consider Doug Mastriano’s and Josh Shapiro’s priorities for public education.

In a clear contrast to Doug Mastriano, PSEA’s recommended candidate for governor, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has pledged to fully fund public education, increase pay for EA and ESP members to address the school staff shortage, protect our pensions and collective bargaining rights, and reduce the amount of time spent on standardized testing. 

He recently appeared at our Summer Leadership Conference in Gettysburg to talk to our members about his plan to protect and strengthen public education in Pennsylvania. Check it out:

Watch this space. Your vote is your voice. And your vote is yours alone. In the 11 weeks between today and Election Day on Nov. 8, we’ll be sharing facts about the governor’s race. Please have a look and listen to what the candidates have to say.

PSEA has one goal in this important election: electing a governor who will respect us, listen to us, and share our priorities. That’s why PSEA members decided to recommend Josh Shapiro for governor.

For more information visit psea.org/election2022 or click the button below:

As an educator, you devote countless hours to getting your school and classroom ready for the start of the year. Help PSEA showcase your hard work and creativity by sending us pictures of your school or classroom as you prepare to go back to school.

Email your photos to news@psea.org

Click here to flip through our 2021 photo album.

PEARL

Looking for an easy way to earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits? Check out PEARL, PSEA's member exclusive online learning system with 95 courses and counting.

Here are just a few courses you have access to:

• Formative Assessment Fun and Kahoot
• Math at a Distance: Best Practices
• Understanding Students and Anger

Member Well-being

• Mindful Mondays
  • Aug. 22, 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Enjoy convenient access to therapists and counselors from the comfort of home. Get support for anxiety, depression, stress/PTSD, panic disorder, grief, family and marriage issues, and more. Members, spouses, and any dependents age 18 years up to and including age 25 are covered under one membership. 

Only $23.99 per month for PSEA Members

• Consults are always $0
• No insurance needed
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• No contracts, cancel anytime
• 30-day money back guarantee