Event
AFT Day of Action to Protect Our Kids, Our Families and Our Communities
statewide
United States
Article
- About Us
About AFT Pennsylvania
AFT Pennsylvania represents more than 36,000 members in 75 local affiliates throughout the Commonwealth, including teachers and school-related personnel, higher education faculty and staff, and state employees. Find us on Facebook , Bluesky , Instagram , and sign up for our newsletter here .
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Article
- About Us
About AFT PSRP
The Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel (PSRP) division of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, represents more than 350,000 school support staff in K-12 districts, colleges and universities. Our jobs include office employees, custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers, instructional paraprofessionals, food service workers, school nurses and health aides, technicians, groundskeepers, secretaries, bookkeepers, mechanics, special education assistants and hundreds of other job titles.
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Article
AFT Pennsylvania Welcomes Esperanza High School Collective To Union
PHILADELPHIA – This afternoon, 87 percent of educators and staff from the Esperanza Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia voted to affiliate with AFT Pennsylvania and the Alliance of Charter School Employees (ACSE) #6056. The Esperanza High School Collective, which now represents nearly 80 educators and staff at the school, is the tenth unionized charter school within AFTPA.
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Article
- Press
AFTPA Congratulates Jen Mazzocco on HD-42 Special Election Victory
ALLEGHENY COUNTY – Today, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers #400 and AFT Pennsylvania member Jen Mazzocco won the special election in PA House District 42 (Allegheny). Mazzocco, an English Language Arts teacher at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, is a long-time member of PFT400 and AFTPA and was endorsed by both unions. AFTPA, PFT400, and the national AFT hosted a reception for Mazzocco in Pittsburgh in early February.
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Article
- Resources
Get To Know AFTPA
Click here to view or download the 2026 Get To Know AFT Pennsylvania one-pager.
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Article
- About Us
AFT Pennsylvania Constitution and By-Laws (2025-2027)
AFT Pennsylvania Constitution and By-Laws, as of the completion of the 2025 AFTPA Biennial Convention.
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Article
- Press
AFTPA Reacts To Gov. Shapiro’s FY 26-27 Budget Address
Today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro delivered his Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget speech. The Governor is proposing a $53.2 billion budget, which is a 5.38% increase over FY 25-26, and includes: A $565 million increase for K-12 adequacy funding; A $50 million increase for Basic Education Funding; A $50 million increase for Special Education Funding; A continuation of Cyber Charter Funding reforms, which saves public school districts an estimated $250 million per year; An increase of $100 million for school safety and mental health; $125 million to address school structural upgrades and environmental concerns, including $25 million for Solar for Schools
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Article
- Press
State, National Leaders Tour Allentown Dual Immersion School, Highlight ASD Paraprofessional Program
ALLENTOWN, PA – Earlier today, AFT Pennsylvania, AFT, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the Allentown School District, Rep. Peter G. Schweyer (D-134), Rep. Michael H. Schlossberg (D-132), Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (D-129), and leaders from the Allentown Federation of Paraprofessionals #1716 toured the Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy as a part of a new AFTPA initiative with locals across the Commonwealth.
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Article
- Press
AFT Pennsylvania Endorses Governor Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Davis For Reelection
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA – Today, the AFT Pennsylvania Executive Council announced that they voted to endorse Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis for reelection. Governor Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Davis formally launched their reelection campaign at events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia today.
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- Press
ADVISORY: State and National Leaders To Tour Dual Immersion School, Highlight Allentown School District Paraprofessional Program
ALLENTOWN – Next week, AFT Pennsylvania, AFT, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the Allentown School District, Representative Peter G. Schweyer (D-Lehigh), and more will tour a classroom at the Sonia Sotomayor Dual Language Immersion Academy, meet with members of the Allentown Federation of Paraprofessionals #1716, and highlight the contributions of paraprofessionals and the Latino community in the Allentown School District. As a part of the event, AFT Pennsylvania will award partial scholarships to some AFTPA paraprofessional members within the District as part of its ParaProud scholarship, which provides grants to Paras pursuing teaching certification in high-need subject
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- Professional Development
Professional Development Graduate Courses (up to nine credits) for $275
Did you know you can take discounted online courses to meet your professional development needs? For $275, you can take up to three online graduate courses (nine credits) per year, offered through a partnership with Misericordia University and Virtual Education Software (VESi).
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- Press
AFTPA Reacts To PA State Budget Passage
HARRISBURG – Today, after more than 130 days, both chambers of the Pennsylvania legislature passed a $50.1 billion state budget deal. The total amount is down from the $51.6 billion Governor Shapiro offered at his Budget Speech in February and the $50.6 billion House Democrats offered earlier this summer. The budget deal includes a $50 million increase for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, which takes money earmarked for public school students and inequitably move it to private schools, as well as an overall 4.8 percent increase for Higher Education, which includes a 5 percent increase in general support
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Article
- About Us
About AFT Public Employees
AFT Public Employees is the division of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) that represents federal, state and local government employees.
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Article
- Locals
New Foundations Charter High School teachers join AFTPA
PHILADELPHIA – Teachers and professional support staff at New Foundations Charter High School in Northeast Philadelphia voted for union representation by the Alliance of Charter School Employees, an affiliate of AFT Pennsylvania and the American Federation of Teachers.
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Article
- Press
Proposed education savings accounts are vouchers. Period.
A mid-state senator plans to push a bill authorizing education savings accounts, which are the latest iteration of school tuition vouchers. AFTPA President Ted Kirsch released a statement opposing this failed privatization strategy. “Let’s not waste time going down this road again – when 20-years of research has shown privatization schemes such as these fail to raise student achievement," Kirsch said. "All students and communities deserve good, neighborhood public schools with the resources to address children’s needs. That’s where we should focus our attention and invest our tax dollars.”
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Article
- Legislation
PA House approves charter 'reform' bill
Changes to Pennsylvania's charter reform bill are long overdue, but House Bill 97 misses the mark by a long shot. The House approved the bill, which AFT Pennsylvania opposes, and sent it to the Senate.
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