Duty Free Lunch

Aaron and guest host Jenny Wert speak with school psychologist and PSEA Department of Pupil Services President Nanda Mitra-Itle and school nurse Allison Palombo about how measles outbreaks, SNAP and Medicaid changes, and federal education funding cuts are affecting students and the school nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers, and dental hygienists who support them. Episode Resources:...

Want to stand up for your students and schools but aren't sure where to start? PSEA’s Beth Zampogna joins members Shanna Danielson and Jason Stern to talk about PSEA's Education Defenders program and the small steps that make a big difference. Sign up at psea.org/defender. HOSTS PSEA President: Aaron Chapin PSEA Vice President: Jeff Ney PSEA Treasurer: Rachael West EPISODE CREDITS Written and prod...

How do the legal challenges to Project 2025 affect you as a PSEA member? PSEA Staff Attorney Harsha Mikkilineni and NEA's Mary Kusler explain what's changing, what's still unsettled, and what your rights and protections look like now. HOSTS PSEA President: Aaron Chapin PSEA Vice President: Jeff Ney PSEA Treasurer: Rachael West EPISODE CREDITS Written and produced by David Constantin Recorded and e...

Arizona Education Association President Marisol Garcia and Utah Education Association's Bonnie Billings join Aaron and Rachael to share how their members advocated against anti-union legislation. From court challenges to referendums, they discuss the tools that worked, the power of solidarity with other unions, the movement against Arizona's costly voucher program, and what Pennsylvania members ca...

PSEA leaders head west for a conversation with PSEA Region Advocacy Coordinators Annie Briscoe and Marcus Schlegel, along with Allegheny Valley teacher and advocate Chris Squire. They talk about what member advocacy looks like across Western Pennsylvania's mix of urban, suburban, and rural communities. From educating members on national policy fights to the everyday challenges facing Western PA sc...

In the 2024 election, about 1.9 million Pennsylvanians voted by mail — out of more than 7 million voters. With another election weeks away, Jonathan Marks, Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Elections & Commissions, and Deborah Hinchey, the Pennsylvania State Director for All Voting is Local, join Duty Free Lunch to discuss voting by mail, including what voters need to know to ensure their ba...

Aaron and Jeff sit down with three Region Advocacy Coordinators from across eastern Pennsylvania to talk about grassroots efforts educating members and communities on Project 2025. From press conferences to paycheck emails to Labor Day outreach, hear how PSEA members are turning worry into action — and drawing on hard lessons from past education cuts to fuel the push back. HOSTS PSEA President: Aa...

Every summer, PSEA members gather in Gettysburg for a week of learning and connection. But it takes months of planning and a dedicated team in red shirts to make it happen. Amy Pascale and Shannon Boyd of PSEA's Leadership Development Committee join Duty Free Lunch to share what goes on behind the scenes, from year-round planning to being the on-the-ground resource members count on all week long....

Season 4 of “Duty Free Lunch” kicks off with Aaron and Jeff tackling one of the biggest issues of the new school year: Project 2025. They’re joined by two local association presidents, Bill Quinn (Easton Area EA) and Will James (Eastern York EA), fresh off community press conferences warning about a potential $3 billion federal education funding cut over the next decade. Having both faced mass fur...

JP McCaskey High School teacher Todd Mealy joins Aaron and Jeff  to discuss the Witness Stones Project, a three-year program where students dig through 18th century tax records, wills, and runaway ads to uncover the names of people who were enslaved and erased from history. They turn their research into biographical projects and lay granite memorial stones throughout Lancaster City meant to d...

Sixth-grade teacher Tim Cammisa turned a lifelong passion into a school tradition, leading the Fly Fishing Club at Haine Middle School in the Seneca Valley School District for nearly a decade. Aaron, Jeff, and Rachael sit down with Tim to talk about the persistence and confidence students build on the water and how conservation and ecosystem lessons cast a wider net than the sport itself. Do you h...

Where did PSEA's power to bargain, organize, and strike actually come from? Aaron and Jeff sit down for a fascinating history lesson with Corey Gochenaur, a high school social studies teacher in the Susquenita School District with a passion for union history. From one-room schoolhouses in 1852 to the historic 1968 march of 20,000 teachers on the Capitol steps, Gochenaur traces how Pennsylvania edu...

The state budget for FY 2026-27 finally passed, and it delivers major wins for PSEA members, students, and retirees. Aaron and Jeff sit down with PSEA’s Dan Wiedemer and Chris Lilienthal to break down the $565 million boost in adequacy and equity funding, expanded student teacher stipends, and the long-awaited COLA for pre-Act 9 retirees. Plus: what didn’t make the cut, and what’s next. Do you hav...

Ever wonder who's behind the scenes making sure PSEA's message gets out to members, the media, and the public? Aaron and Jeff sit down with PSEA Director of Communications Chris Lilienthal and Communications Committee Chair Elysa Farrell, a Millcreek Township math teacher, to pull back the curtain on PSEA's Communications Department. Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to  podcast@psea...

What started as a small field day during the COVID years has become the highlight of the school year for hundreds of students across Perry County. Jennifer Dillman, a 20-year life skills teacher at West Perry School District, joins Duty Free Lunch to talk about PECO, a countywide celebration she built from scratch that gives students with disabilities a day filled with competition, community, and...

Jeff and Rachael welcome Winter PSEA-PACE Grand Prize winner Erik Huebner alongside North Penn School District Educational Foundation Executive Director Christine Liberaski to discuss advocacy, educational philanthropy, and student success. They share how the foundation supports innovative programs and opportunities for students, and why strong partnerships between educators, schools, and communit...

Aaron sits down with two of PSEA’s longest-serving board members – Debbie Lee and Patsy Tallarico – as they prepare to close out remarkable education careers. Debbie shares how 9/11 brought her from New York City classrooms to Pennsylvania, where she spent 16 years as local president and six as an NEA director. Patsy traces his path from a scrappy 1968 strike over planning periods all the way to t...

What do military service and public education have in common? More than you might think. Aaron and Rachael sit down with three educator-veterans — retired science teacher John Odell, social studies teacher Del Fuller, and retired math teacher Dana West — to explore the parallels between serving in uniform and serving in the classroom. Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to  podcast@pse...

What if joy isn't something you earn after a hard week but the actual point? Madeline Loring, Pennsylvania's 2026 Teacher of the Year, joins the officer team to talk about building a career around authenticity, engaging students with uniquely themed classroom setups, and why she believes every educator is their school's best recruitment tool.  Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to  po...

Aaron continues his special spring farewell series with a double feature starring outgoing board members Rosetta Dufalla and Cheryl Mattern, two leaders whose combined decades of service have made a lasting mark on PSEA and public education in Pennsylvania. Rosetta shares how her background in retail management gave her a unique window into both sides of the labor relationship. Cheryl opens up abo...

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 Argentin...

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 ra...

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.  Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to  podcast@psea.org .  Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at  psea.org/podcast .

Aaron and Rachael speak with Spring Grove teacher Jason Baker about his innovative anthropology and archaeology program, where students design civilizations, bury artifacts, and conduct real digs on school grounds. This hands-on elective sparks unforgettable "aha" moments and proves experiential learning still matters. Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to  podcast@psea.org .  Learn m...

NEA President Becky Pringle returns to "Duty Free Lunch" for a powerful and personal conversation about attacks on educators, the future of public education, and Pennsylvania’s outsized role in protecting democracy. From union advocacy and cellphone policy to joy, resilience, and a surprise reunion with a former student, this episode blends heart, humor, and urgency at a pivotal moment for schools...