2016 Election

Election Video

Campaigning for the 2016 election began almost one year ago. I know that at the very beginning I didn’t know who I was voting for and I’m sure most of you didn’t either. But I did know one thing – whoever I voted for was going to support public education.

As future educators, you know this is an important election. This year, PSEA has charged us with the task of voting for a 102/26 pro-public education majority. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering, what does that even mean? Electing a 102/26 pro-public education majority means that we would be electing 102 pro-public education state representatives and 26 pro-public education state senators. This means that more than half of the state representatives and state senators would be pro-public education. How awesome would it be for us to know that the majority of lawmakers would have our backs as educators?

However, according to PSEA’s analysis, we are not quite there yet. To get to that 102/26 threshold means adding at least four more pro-public educators in the House, and four more in the Senate. We have until November 8th to have our voices heard to make this a reality.

"We don't divide legislators by their political parties; it doesn't matter if they are Democrats or Republicans. We are looking for 102 members of the House and 26 members of the Senate who will stand with students and educators.'' -Jerry Oleksiak, PSEA President

That’s right, party doesn’t matter! We as educators are responsible for more than just our personal political views when it comes to voting. We are responsible for our students and their education.

I’m sure you’re wondering, why are we so worried about legislators? What do they do to help us as educators? Let me ask you these questions in return – how do we get state funding restored to our schools? Stop attacks on public employees' pensions?  End anti-labor attacks? Limit the toxic consequences of standardized testing? We vote for pro-public education candidates!

Legislators are making key decisions about our futures in our classrooms that will affect our students. Legislators make the decisions day in and day out about what we can teach in our classrooms, how we are evaluated as teachers, what benefits we’ll receive, and the pay we earn to support our families and futures. We need to talk to our friends, families, colleagues, and teammates, and tell them their future as educators is in the hands of those who will be voting on November 8th.

In 2008, 44 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. In the 2012 election, only 38 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. In 2014, only 17 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. These are extremely low numbers. This year, we need to change these numbers. We need to show everyone that we care about our futures and we care about our students. We need to VOTE! We need to let our voices be heard and we need to stand up for public education and our rights as future educators. We need to stand up for our future students and their education because after all, they are the reason we do what we love!

Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, on November 8th, you need to make your voice heard and vote for candidates who will see you through your future as an educator and support you as you work at a job that is so rewarding that you love!

Some of you may find yourself wondering, how am I supposed to know who to vote for?

Visit https://www.psea.org/vote/ for more information about voting and your PSEA-PACE recommended candidates.

Visit https://www.psea.org/general.aspx?id=13603 to learn more about how to elect a pro-public education majority.

Share the Schoolhouse Ballot, found at https://schoolhouseballot.com/, with your family, friends, and neighbors so they can find their pro-public education candidates. This resource is open to the non-members.

Follow Schoolhouse Ballot on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on election news, political issue briefs, candidate videos, and side-by-side comparisons.

To find out if you’re eligible to vote via absentee ballot and to download an absentee ballot, visit http://www.votespa.com/en-us/voting-and-elections/types-of-voting/Pages/Absentee-Ballot.aspx

Visit https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/ to electronically fill out an absentee ballot!

I’LL SEE YOU AT THE POLLS!

-Shelby Pepmeyer

Student PSEA President

I am Shelby Pepmeyer

Hello, Student PSEA members! My name is Shelby Pepmeyer and I am a senior at Clarion University. I’m majoring in early childhood and special education. I’m also your 2016-2017 Student PSEA president.

I grew up in Butler, PA, and am a western Pennsylvania girl through and through. I love the Pirates and the Steelers, and will take any opportunity to make it to a game. I always knew I wanted to be an educator, but I never knew that my dream would lead me here.

When I made the decision to attend Clarion, I never imagined I would be so involved on campus and in the community. At orientation, my mom tried to get me to sign up for every organization that we walked past in the library. At the time, I didn’t realize that this was the tiny keyhole look at what the rest of my college career would be like. Since coming to Clarion, I have been very involved in extracurricular activities. Most of these have been education related, but I have stepped out of my comfort zone and become involved with other activities and organizations as well.

I’m currently president of Clarion Students Educating Young Children, and a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon Delta, and Clarion Student Council for Exceptional Children. I was a 2015 Junior Homecoming Court member and I’m a Community Service Day Team Leader and a Golden Heart for the fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. I have made every effort to become involved on campus because I believe that you should take every opportunity presented to you, as everything happens for a reason.

I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of my best friend. During my freshman year, I joined two of the three education organizations on campus. One of these was Clarion Student PSEA. I attended the state conference in the spring of 2014 in Erie, and fell even more in love with Student PSEA. It was one of the best experiences of my college career to that point and I was so excited to bring that experience back to campus to share with other members. 

At the end of freshman year, when elections for organizations rolled around, I was elected the vice president of Clarion Student PSEA. My best friend was the new president of Clarion Student PSEA, as well as the new Midwest Region president. Being vice president of my chapter was a great starting point to get involved and build myself as a leader alongside someone who supported me as much as he did. That was the beginning of my never-ending amazing experiences with Student PSEA. 

In the spring of 2015, Clarion Student PSEA attended state conference again in Hershey. At this conference, it was announced that they would be adding the position of president-elect to the Executive Board. When it was time for nominations, my best friend looked at me and said, “I think you would be really amazing in this position.” I had the support of all my friends from Clarion who attended the conference and they all encouraged me to run for the position. I typically am very shy and was very hesitant about throwing my name in, but my best friend insisted and he nominated me for the position.

This position was the only contested election at the 2015 state conference. After votes were tallied, I had won the position with 50 percent of the votes. I was ecstatic! I couldn’t even begin to think of how much my life would change in such a short amount of time. Even better, I had my best friend right by my side with me through this whole experience, as he was elected the new Student PSEA-PACE chair. We were doing amazing things together and he was my rock through it all. If it wasn’t for him believing in me and telling me that I could do it, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing to you all and telling you about my experiences.

I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I ran for this position, but it has been nothing short of amazing! I have learned so much about our union and about PSEA as a whole. I’ve had so many awesome professional development experiences, and developed a support team of friends who are more like family and who build me up whenever I am feeling down. To me, Student PSEA does not only mean professional development, community service, leadership and membership development, and political action and advocacy. It is so much more. Student PSEA is friendships, family, life lessons, and life-changing experiences.

My goals for this year are for Student PSEA chapters to communicate more effectively within their regions, for Region EAs to communicate more with their Student PSEA members, to increase active membership, and to create more interregional events. Already, we have begun to build these relationships and have had so much support from our EAs. I have high hopes for the 2016-2017 Executive Board, because just like Student PSEA, they are amazing! They represent our mission, vision, values, and goals more than anyone I have ever encountered.

We are Student PSEA. We are Professional Development, Community Service, Leadership & Membership Development, and Political Action & Advocacy. We are family.

Dear aspiring educator, you are building the future. Go forth with confidence, hold your head up high, and be a leader. For someday, one of your students will look back and say, “I am here because my teacher believed in me,” just like I believe in you. You can do it, you will do it, and you will be successful. Believe it.

“Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it.” – We Bought a Zoo

I am Shelby Pepmeyer. This is my story. What is yours?