Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 8-29-2022

Inside this issue

• Are you registered to vote by mail?
• How would Doug Mastriano’s funding cuts affect your school district?
• PSEA members’ creativity on display
• PEARL and Center for Professional Learning
• Member Benefits spotlight: PSEA Visa Signature Card

Election Day will be here before we know it. Here’s an early reminder that voting by mail is quick, easy, and secure. Be sure to submit your application early so you don’t miss your chance to elect pro-public education candidates in this crucial election.

Here are the key dates to remember:

Nov. 1, 2022 at 5 p.m.

This is when all APPLICATIONS for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by your county election board.

Nov. 8, 2022 at 8 p.m.

Election Day. This is when all VOTED BALLOTS must be RECEIVED by your county election office – postmarks will not suffice.

As soon as possible

This is when you should submit your application and mail in your completed ballot after you receive it. Expect mail delays and plan ahead. This election is too important to miss.

How would Doug Mastriano’s funding cuts affect your school district?

If you want a concrete example of how terrible state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s plan for Pennsylvania’s public education system would be for you and your students, take a look at the interactive map we developed above.

For a quick refresher, during an interview with WRTA in March, Mastriano said this about his plan:

“I think instead of $19,000, we fund each student around $9,000 or $10,000 and they can decide which school to go to: public school, private school, religious school, cyber school, or home school.”

– Doug Mastriano, WRTA Interview, March 24, 2022

In practice, that would cost our public schools as much as $12.75 billion! 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

Our interactive map lays out the cuts’ impact on every school district across the state so you can see the hit your district would take under a Mastriano governorship. Click on the map image above or visit www.psea.org/mastrianocuts for more details.

PSEA strongly recommends Attorney General Josh Shapiro for governor not just because he’s not Doug Mastriano, but because his policies, proposals, and track record dovetail perfectly with what matters most to PSEA members. Click on the link below to find out more.

Michele Herrmann, Pleasant Valley EA

We love to see PSEA members expressing their personalities through their classrooms. Even better, we love to share those expressions. Take a look at some of the cool, creative ways your fellow educators have welcomed their students back to the classroom this year:

Slideshow

And show us yours! We’ll add them to the slideshow above.

Email your classroom photos to news@psea.org

PEARL

Earn Act 48 credits, Chapter 14 verification, or postgraduate credits on PEARL, PSEA's member exclusive online learning system with more than 95 courses and counting.

Here are just a few of the courses you have access to:

• Wonder Women: The Importance of Strong Female Characters, Everyday Heroes, and Making Connections to Children’s Books
• FlipGrid: What is it and how do I use it in my practice?
• The Joy of Laughter Wellness

Book Discussions

• Gender Queer: A Memoir
  • Oct. 25, 6-7 p.m.
• Improve Every Lesson Plan with SEL
  • Nov. 3, 6-7 p.m.
• Poison for Breakfast
  
  • Nov. 15, 6-7 p.m.

Member Well-being

• Mindful Mondays
  • Sept. 19, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Oct. 17, 4:45 p.m.
• Mindful Mondays
  • Nov. 14, 4:45 p.m.

PSEA has partnered with Commerce Bank to bring members the PSEA Visa Signature credit card offer. With this card, members can earn cash back rewards with every purchase, with no point cap or opt-in required.

• Earn 3 percent cash back on coffee shops, fast food, and ride-sharing services
• Earn 2 percent cash back on gas and restaurants
• Earn 1 percent cash back on all other purchases

Enroll in the toggle feature and add more flexibility to your PSEA Visa Signature credit card. With the toggle feature, you can:

• Choose to Pay Now by a specific category or purchase amount,
• Choose to Pay Later by a specific category or purchase amount, or unwind a transaction.

Check it out and get the card that rewards you and supports Pennsylvania educators with every purchase.