Aaron sits down one-on-one with Melissa Costantino-Poruben in the first of a special spring series honoring outgoing PSEA Board members. A longtime math teacher and PSEA’s Senior NEA Director, Melissa shares what it’s really like to bridge state and national education advocacy, from chairing the NEA’s Friend of Education Committee to representing Pennsylvania at Education International in Argentina. She opens up about managing board responsibilities alongside family and classroom life, why she’s a passionate advocate for teacher sabbaticals, how the Corbett-era education cuts lit a fire under her to speak out, and why relationships are the real heart of this work.

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Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.

Aaron and Jeff sit down with State Sen. Steve Santarsiero and PSEA Legislative Committee Chair Mike Cherinka to dig into Senate Bill 1014, Pennsylvania's proposed bell-to-bell cellphone ban for public schools. They talk about what the bill would actually require, how PSEA's position evolved over 18 months of member-driven discussions, and why a bill that passed the Senate 46-1 might just be the rare thing everyone can agree on.

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Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.

Aaron and Jeff are back with PSEA's Government Relations team to discuss the highs and lows for educators in Gov. Shapiro's 2026-27 Pennsylvania state budget proposal.

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Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.