PSEA - PA State Education Association

09/04/2026

Pennsylvania’s public schools must be fully and fairly funded. As PSEA members, we believe...

✅ All public schools should be fully and fairly funded so that Pennsylvania can close the opportunity gaps that hold students back in under-resourced communities.
✅ Full and fair funding is essential to support more opportunities for personalized instruction through smaller class sizes, which benefits every student.
✅ Federal funding is necessary to support Pennsylvania’s public schools, ensuring quality education for millions of students, especially those living in communities with high poverty rates.
✅ Students with disabilities and special education needs should receive the federally mandated supports and protections they need to be successful in school and in life.

🔗: www.psea.org/whatwebelieve

09/03/2026

What would $3 billion in federal education funding cuts look like in Pennsylvania? Will James of Eastern York EA and Bill Quinn of Easton Area EA don't want to find out.

Having both faced mass furloughs, larger class sizes, and lost programs during the 2011 Corbett-era cuts, these two seasoned educators and local presidents have a lot to say about what’s at stake this time around.

Will and Bill join the latest podcast episode to discuss their experience at recent community press conferences, where they warned their communities about the potential consequences if Project 2025 cuts $3 billion in federal education funding.

🎧 Listen to this episode at www.psea.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

09/02/2026

"More than 1 million American children have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, following a recent federal law. Now, as schools gear up for a new term, a portion of those children could be at risk of losing free meals — viewed as crucial supports for both childhood hunger and classroom learning.

But the changes in cafeterias could affect even families who have never participated in the federal food stamp program.

Many students who receive free school meals automatically qualify because of their household participation in SNAP or Medicaid. So a reduction in those social service programs can directly threaten their eligibility for free school meals."

Cuts to the nation’s largest food assistance program will likely spill over into schools, causing students to lose access to free breakfast and lunch. More than 1 million American children have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, following a recent federal law.

09/01/2026

PSEA welcomes incoming NEA Today President Princess Moss, who began serving in the position on Sept. 1.

A former public school music teacher in rural Virginia, Princess spent decades advocating for students and public education in and out of the classroom. Her union leadership began as a member of the Virginia Education Association, where she later served as VEA President before serving on NEA’s Executive Committee, as NEA Secretary-Treasurer, and as NEA Vice President.

PSEA looks forward to working with President Moss, Vice President Noel Candelaria, and Secretary-Treasurer Robert Rodriguez to defend and advocate for all students, educators, and communities as public education faces continued uncertainty.

Read more about Princess at www.nea.org/about-nea/leaders/president.

09/01/2026

September is recognized as Su***de Prevention and Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, spread hope, and encourage conversations about the importance of mental health and preventing su***de.

As educators and education support professionals, we play an essential role in keeping students safe. NEA offers resources and guidance to help educators support students’ mental health, recognize when they may need help, and connect them with the resources they need.

🔗: Learn more at https://bit.ly/4gIamkG and https://bit.ly/4d6rsaC.

08/31/2026

"A bipartisan bill aiming to ban cellphone use from the start of the school day until dismissal in Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools nearly made it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk, but lawmakers failed to agree on a final version.

Legislators in Harrisburg are expected to work on a resolution during the fall session. But even if they reach an agreement, schools would still have to decide how to enforce such a sweeping prohibition

Radnor High School and Hershey High School, a pair of early adopters of so-called bell-to-bell cellphone bans, have found success simply asking students to turn off their phones and keep them away."

The “bell-to-bell” bans face skepticism from students and parents. After going phone-free, early adopters say the difference is striking.

08/30/2026

: PSEA leaders, educators, and public education advocates held two press conferences this week calling on lawmakers to abandon their support for Project 2025, which would phase out all federal education funding, and support Pennsylvania's students.

On Aug. 24 in Easton, speakers warned that Project 2025 means larger classes, hungrier students, and lost protections for kids with disabilities. More than half of Project 2025’s policies have already taken effect, cutting food assistance for 144,000 Pennsylvanians and Medicaid coverage for 310,000. On Aug. 27 in Cumberland Valley, speakers reminded us that we’ve seen this playbook before. In 2011, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett cut $1 billion in funding for public education.

📸 1 to 4: PSEA Eastern Region president and Easton Area EA member Jena Brodhead, Easton Area EA president Bill Quinn, and Palmer Township supervisor and previous Easton Area School Board member Baron Vanderburg speaking in Easton on Aug. 24.

📸 5 to 7: PSEA Southern Region president and Annville-Cleona EA member Jimbo Lamb, NEA Director and Cumberland Valley EA member Carol Yanity, Eastern York EA president Will James, and Cumberland Valley School Board member Asheleigh Forsburg speaking in Cumberland Valley on Aug. 27.

08/28/2026

J.P. McCaskey High School teacher Todd Mealy, Ph.D., recently visited our podcast studio to discuss the Witness Stones Project, a three-year program where students dig through 18th-century tax records, wills, and runaway advertisements to uncover the names of enslaved people erased from history. Students turn their research into biographical projects and lay granite memorial stones throughout Lancaster city meant to create lasting reminders that challenge us to confront and learn from the community’s history.

🎧 Listen to this episode at www.psea.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

08/28/2026

"Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), expressed concerns about the potential loss of $3 billion in annual federal funding for Pennsylvania schools.

'We're talking about $3 billion that comes on an annual basis from Washington, D.C., to Pennsylvania, and that's a tremendous amount of money that school districts across the Commonwealth are going to be losing out on,' Chapin said. 'We're going to see increased class sizes. We're going to see hungry students. We're going to be seeing students not getting the services that they desperately need to be successful in school.'"

Educators in Pennsylvania rallied in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, to protest federal funding cuts they say will harm students and school systems.

08/27/2026

Why are elected leaders putting our students’ future at risk by supporting the damaging policies in Project 2025?

PSEA President Aaron Chapin and NEA Director and Cumberland Valley EA member Carol Yanity joined educators from PSEA's Southern Region in Cumberland Valley, part of Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, on Aug. 27 to highlight just how detrimental Project 2025 would be for public education.

If all federal education funding were eliminated, Pennsylvania’s public schools would lose nearly $3 BILLION annually, including $200.4 MILLION in Congressional District 10 alone.

🔗: Read more at www.psea.org/Project2025-CD10-PressConference.