Southeastern Region PSEA

Welcome to the Southeastern Region newsletter! Each month, we'll provide updates to keep our members informed, engaged, and empowered to advocate for our profession. We look forward to staying connected. Thank you for being a member!

"My name is Dr. Tricia O'Loughlin and I have been an elementary teacher for 29 years. I graduated from WCU in 1993 with a BSEd and in 1998 with a MEd in Reading. I graduated from Neumann University in 2017 with a doctorate in Educational Leadership. I have taught in Delco, Philadelphia, New York City, Pelham Manor, NY, Rose Tree Media SD, and for the last 17 years in Kennett Consolidated SD. I currently am a Reading Interventionist and work with students in Grades 1-5.

Since 1998, I have been a proud union member of either AFT (Philadelphia and NYC), NYSUT, or PSEA. I began my union service in 2019 as an Instruction and Professional Development liaison for my local and region. I also have served as an NEA RA delegate and PSEA delegate since 2019.

In 2021, I was appointed to the Member Benefits Committee. The Member Benefits Board assists locals in developing strong member benefits programs involving local, state, and national programs. The board advocates the passage of legislation that will protect our members as consumers, administers economic programs in the best interest of our members while monitoring the economic stability of suppliers, insists on performance in keeping with our contractual arrangements with carriers and suppliers, and develops new economic programs.

In 2021 I was elected to serve as Kennett Education Association's Elementary Vice President. After one year as Elementary Vice President, I assumed the Presidency of KEA and have been elected to continue serving a second term.

My husband, Dan and I have two daughters. Ciara is a registered nurse at Bryn Mawr and Paoli Hospitals. Fiona is finishing her sophomore year at University of Nebraska, Lincoln studying mechanical engineering. I love to spend time reading, going to the shore, and traveling to Ireland to see our family and friends."

"I am the Region Field Director for the Southeastern Region of PSEA, a position I have held for nearly eight years, along with serving as a UniServ. In total, I have worked as a UniServ at PSEA for eleven years. Prior to coming to PSEA, I was a practicing attorney in Delaware County, where I focused on labor law, discrimination, and special education. Thereafter, I represented unionized police officers, special education parents, and served as conflict counsel for PSEA. Currently, I work with EA and ESP locals in Haverford, Penn-Delco, Radnor, and Rose Tree Media.

My husband is an elementary school teacher and a member of RTMEA. We have two children, ages 16 and 11. We cheer on the Penn State Nittany Lions, Villanova Wildcats, Phillies, and the Eagles. We recently returned from a family trip to Ireland and are looking forward to more travel in the future. Every year, we vacation in our happy place—Cape May, New Jersey—where we enjoy the beach, local restaurants, and the town."

Visit schoolhouseballot.com to find your pro-public education candidates for the May 20th primary election!

On April 10th, delegates from our locals in Chester and Delaware counties came together to conduct the business of our association at the Southeastern Region House of Delegates. The meeting included remarks from PSEA statewide officers Jeff Ney and Rachael West, as well as reports from SER officers Andrea Fink, Kathy Dunkle, Jess Keogh, and Caitlin Merto. NEA Director Carol Yanity, Region Field Director Shannon Moore, SER PSEA-Retired President Linda Cook, Resolutions Rep Dean Beckett, Member Assistance Fund Chair Amanda Yoder, and Oversight Rep Karin Suzadail all also shared information at the region House.

Nominations and Elections Chair Karin Suzadail, with assistance from Cherie Freeman, Nicole Gordon, Jackie McCalla, and Marie Robinson, accepted nominations for a number of region and statewide committee positions. Thank you to Karin and her team!!

Congratulations (and thanks!) to the following people who were nominated and chosen to serve our region:

• Rebecca Kilfoy (Owen J. Roberts EA), Representative to the Council on Instruction and Professional Development
• Mark DeFusco (Owen J. Roberts EA), Representative to the Legislative Committee
• Dean Beckett (Interboro EA), Representative to the Resolutions Committee
• Nicole Gordon (Penn Delco EA), Representative to the Resolutions Committee
• Donna Pawloski (Upper Darby EA), Member Assistance Fund Trustee
• Elizabeth Linton (West Chester EA), Southeastern Region PACE Director

Recently, the region hosted a new RCPE workshop—a book study of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Led by Noelle Ackland (Interboro EA) and Tricia O'Loughlin (Kennett EA), region members met via Zoom to discuss the book. Breakout rooms provided opportunities for members to explore various aspects of the text, including how social media has affected young people and the problems smartphones have created in schools. Additionally, members completed a Nomophobia Questionnaire to assess their own level of phone addiction.

Thank you to Noelle and Tricia for facilitating this thought-provoking book study. They were well-prepared and offered insightful information on this important and challenging topic.

Have an idea for a future region book study? Please share with Kathy Dunkle, kdunkle@psea.org

The 119th Congress was sworn in on January 3rd, 2025. Listed below are the phone numbers for our US Senators and for Representatives serving our region. It is important for us to advocate for our students, our schools, and our professions, and that means letting our legislators know how policies they are considering will affect us. By making phone calls, we hold them accountable and educate them on our support or opposition to proposed legislation.

119th Congress Office Contact Information

Senator John Fetterman: (202) 224-4254 Washington, D. C. (215) 241-1090 Philadelphia, PA

Senator Dave McCormick: (202)224-6324 Washington, D. C. (215) 405-9660 Philadelphia, PA

PA-4 Representative Madeleine Dean Glenside, PA (215) 884-4300 Washington, D. C. (202) 225-4732

PA- 5 Representative Mary Gay Scanlon Chester, PA (610) 626-2020 Washington, D. C. (202) 225-2011

PA-6 Representative Chrissy Houlahan West Chester, PA (610) 883-5050 Washington, D. C. (202) 225-4315

Equally important: You can also find information about your legislators in the Pennsylvania General Assembly by clicking here.

• May 16th-17th, 2025: PSEA House of Delegates
• May 28th, 2025: SER Region Executive Committee Meeting
• Harrisburg Lobby Days: June 3rd, June 10th, June 11th, June 24th
• July 2nd-6th, 2025: NEA RA
• July 20th-25th, 2025: PSEA Summer Leadership Conference

PSERS, the Public School Employee Retirement System, offers a number of opportunities to help you prepare for retirement decisions. These opportunities include virtual webinars, in-person seminars, and a recorded presentation that you can watch on your own. Find more information at the PSERS FFYF website, linked here.

The Health Options Program operates for the sole benefit of participants of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), their dependents and survivors. Under the Health Options Program, you have access to comprehensive medical and prescription drug coverage before and after you become eligible for Medicare. Click here for upcoming virtual information sessions on this program to help you decide if it's right for your household.

There are tons of opportunities available this summer through PSEA's Center for Professional Learning! Details are below. If you are looking for a book discussion, webinar, or other activity for Act 48, Chapter 14, or even graduate credit, you've come to the right place!

https://www.psea.org/webinars

https://www.psea.org/act48bookdiscussions

https://www.psea.org/prolearning

https://www.psea.org/collegecredit

There are a lot of benefits to being a PSEA member, and one of them is that your membership saves you money.

The PSEA Member Benefits program offers you thousands of discount and savings opportunities on mortgages, mobile service, insurance, financial services, restaurants, hotels, and more.

Check out the programs and start saving today!

PSEA Personal Legal Services

PSEA has a Personal Legal Services Program for members and their families. The program provides discounted rates and two 30-minute consultation sessions free during each membership year with the designated law firms below. The areas of concentration are:

• Personal Injury (Cordisco & Saile)
• Workers' Compensation (Cordisco & Saile)
• Domestic Relations (Susan Levy Eisenberg, Esq)
• Criminal Law (Neff & Sedecca)
• Wills & Estates (Martin Herring)

Are you interested in getting more involved in our union work? Would you like to meet other PSEA members from across the region or state? We have a number of open positions to serve on Southeastern Region committees, as well as PSEA statewide committees. To view the list of open positions, please click here and after logging in, navigate to "Elected/Appointed Position Vacancies." If you are interested in one of these positions, please contact your local president for more information.

Per the PSEA Local Treasurer’s Manual, PSEA offers a yearly Membership Rebate in the form of a credit at the end of the year to all locals who:

• Adhere to their approved Dues Remittance Agreement

• Submit their Financial Data Sheet

• Submit a Certification of Local Audit Committee form

The amount that is offered to locals is dependent upon the date in which the above listed documentation is submitted to PSEA. A local that satisfies these requirements by:

• January 31st – will receive a rebate of $3.50/member of their local

• March 15th – will receive a rebate of $3.00/member of their local

• August 31st – will receive a rebate of $2.50/member of their local

Questions? Reach out to Region Treasurer Caitlin Merto at pseaser.treasurer@gmail.com.

Your PSEA and Southeastern Region officer teams for the 2024-2025 school year are:

• Aaron Chapin, PSEA President, Stroudsburg Area EA
• Jeff Ney, PSEA Vice President, Wilkes-Barre EA
• Rachael West, PSEA Treasurer, Chester Upland EA
• Andrea Fink, Region President, William Penn EA
• Kathy Dunkle, Region First Vice President, Chester County IU #24
• Jessica Keogh, Region Second Vice President, West Chester Area EA
• Caitlin Merto, Region Treasurer, Chester Upland EA
• Mark DeFusco, Region Parliamentarian, Roberts EA
• Carolyn Smith, Region Secretary, Kennett EA

This newsletter is intended for PSEA members and members of their immediate households.